2010 eBay Scumbag of Year nominations now open

tempuscat

Only a few days into the New Year, but I thought I'd nod in my opening eBSY nomination now.

Background:

As eBay knows all too well, a favourite tactic of scammers is to develop a mass of positive feedback before moving in for the kill. The feedback is accrued through "private" listings so prospective bidders / buyers never have a clue how that feedback was amassed, be it by phony transactions amongst multiple IDs or 1p listings for ebooks and suchlike. Though experienced eBayers are alert to such trickery, the naive and the newbie aren't.

Nomination:

Today's nomination is of an illiterate inarticulate seller who is targetting a registered charity in order to amass positive feedback. The seller's listing states it is "an auction" but doesn't feature any item at all. Rather, it's an invitation to make a donation to facilitate feedback manipulation.

The listing can be found by inputting

CHARITY AUCTION, 100% FEEDBACK - FEEDBACK SCORE A+++++


into the eBay search field. This will lead to a listing page notable for this obnoxious tripe:


Non Profitable Charity Program. Help us help the people, were the people come first. PCs R US have set up a charity program to help the many charities that need our help. Here we have a non profitable charity auction.

Such bilge would be bad enough were it grafted onto the activities of a seller whose eBay enterprise was in any other way acceptable.

But the fine-print T&Cs of this noble seller are as odious as the 'non profitable charity program', because if anyone is daft enough to buy an item from any of the seller's other listings and that item proves faulty:

"a 20% restocking fee will be applied if package has been opened. If the package remains unopened, we can refund the item cost except shipping."

In other words, buy the item but don't use it otherwise you'll have taken it out of its packaging.

Reason for nomination:

I wouldn't normally bother about a seller as manifestly half-witted as this one. I don't even think the seller has enough brains to be a scammer.

But exploitation of a charity for wounded ex-service personnel in order to wrack up positive feedback is about as close to scraping the bottom of the barrel as it gets.

And -- even worse -- it creates a precedent for articulate scammers to follow.

PS: before anyone asks: has this listing / this seller been reported to eBay?

Answer: Yes.

Has eBay done anything about it?

Answer: oh come on; you can't be that naive, surely?

PinheadSK

Also reported all 3 of his listings... as a supporter of Help 4 Heroes, I am sickened.

Sean

stone7

I must be missing something here. Can't see what all the fuss is about personally.

As for the 20% re-stocking charge, seems fair enough.... most sellers offer no returns on unwanted items whatsoever.

PinheadSK

stone7 wrote: »

I must be missing something here. Can't see what all the fuss is about personally.

As for the 20% re-stocking charge, seems fair enough.... most sellers offer no returns on unwanted items whatsoever.

Sorry, thanked by mistake!

The auction isn't actually selling anything other than positive feedback... and it's taking 50% of the BIN price for the privilege!

Sean

tempuscat

stone7 wrote: »

I must be missing something here. Can't see what all the fuss is about personally.

Might be an auction somewhere on eBay for reading glasses.

Assuming you can find it.

George666

Hi I have also reported this scumbag as you can tell he is taking the water as none of his other listings help anybody but himself.
Here is a link to the scumbags listing for easier reporting.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CHARITY-AUCTION-100-FEEDBACK-FEEDBACK-SCORE-A_W0QQitemZ130350967058QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_3?hash=item1e5985e912

vickypark3

Looks like they should also be registered as a Business Seller complying with DSR's, however a quick google of the company name, which apparently has been going strong since 1985, does not reveal any results which look as if they related to them

George666

Hi I have a nomination I was looking for a book a real book that you have to turn the pages by hand to read and I have come accross this seller selling the book I want.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/THE-BOOK-OF-THOTH-CDBOOK-TAROT-EGYPT-MAGICK-MYSTICISM_W0QQitemZ260522041398QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAntiquarian_Books_UK?hash=item3ca852e036
Problem is it is on CD but I thought I might as well take a look at the seller and see what they are like and maybe report the listing as it is quite unlikely that they own the copyright on this book this is their about me page.
http://members.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=the_houseshop
Just read all the legal stuff now I am quite sure they will not hold the copyright for the book I want but if I were to report this listing this is whay they say will happen to me and I quote "Any one found to be using a VeRO against us illegally will be reported to the auction site owners and the Police as this in UK law is deemed an actual threat, of which the maximum penalty is 3 months in prison or a £10,000 fine. As previously stated we hope that a message before hand would be enough, but we do hold the right to see your copyright, patent or other such legal paperwork as laid down in UK law. Failure to do so when requested in a case of copyright theft is also an illegal act and will be noted against you if any criminal proceedings take place.
Yes we have done my homework, and unfortunately there are some unscrupulous people out there who hope to get away with it with bullish tactics. But now the law is on our side and we are thank full for that, any way one of our children is a lawyer which helps somewhat."
I have never read anything like this on ebay in my life I have reported them and anyone who sells real books will probably do the same as they sell a lot of these books all on CD.
I must also add at this point that this is a Top rated scumbag who is trying to scare people from reporting their listings so they can sell other peoples work.
They also claim to give money to the Girl Guides but there is no evidence for this on thier account except for it being mentioned on their about me page.
It must be hard enough for people to sell books on ebay at the moment what with free postage and the like without scumbags like this breaking ebays rules and the law.

George666

George666 wrote: »

Hi I have also reported this scumbag as you can tell he is taking the water as none of his other listings help anybody but himself.
Here is a link to the scumbags listing for easier reporting.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CHARITY-AUCTION-100-FEEDBACK-FEEDBACK-SCORE-A_W0QQitemZ130350967058QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_3?hash=item1e5985e912

This is annoying Help for Heroes is a good cause and should not be exploited by someone like this I thought after a day or so of people reporting this scumbag they would have been removed from ebay.
Obviously not I hope though if we keep reporting this idiot then maybe ebay will do something about it I have reported them again just in case ebay did not get the message the first time.

lindos90

I really dont know why it takes ebay so long to deal with scams like this.

What if the H4H scammer was inundated with lots of 'best offers' of 1p?

Would waste alot of his time wouldnt it;)

pitkin2020

lindos90 wrote: »

I really dont know why it takes ebay so long to deal with scams like this.

What if the H4H scammer was inundated with lots of 'best offers' of 1p?

Would waste alot of his time wouldnt it;)

LOL not really as I suspect it would automatically accept the offer