Bid Retraction Scam?

UltraCheap_2

Hi,

Has anyone else had a similar problem?

I had an item for sale on ebay for the past week. I have had three ebayers bidding against each other for the item. One ebayer made bid after bid, bringing the price up rather high, and then last night retracted ALL bids, the price of the auction plummeted from £54 to £20. The other two bidders are now bidding up the item, so hopefully I wont lose too much.

Here is my concern. I looked at the history of the retracted bidder and I found that the ebayer has won some amazing deals in the past such as a signed print that usually sells for £125, instead for US $1, and a pair of expensive sunglasses for US $1.05.

Is this a possible scam? I suppose an ebayer can bid bid bid, then back out last minute and then swoop in with another ebay identity and win the auction for a song?

I have banned this ebayer from bidding on an auction of mine; they have been a complete waste of time. The other two bidders look legitimate, hopefully.

I am curious to know if this has happened to other sellers? Also, can someone advise on how I would go about lodging a complaint about this ebayer? Personally, I don't think ebay should allow bidders to retract for any reason.

Many thanks
:A

frivolous_fay

It sounds like bid shielding (I think that's what it's called) where the bids are increased to reveal the high bid of the winning bidder.

I'd say that guy is a prime candidate for being reported for invalid bid retractions. He definitely deserves it.

Lorian

Yes, bid shielding. Add him to your blocked bidder list right now!

frivolous_fay

It would be verrrry interesting to know how many bid retractions he has on his account. You can check this on his feedback page.

UltraCheap_2

Thanks,

Yes I have blocked this bidder, but I fear that they may have a few other ebay identities?

They have had 4 bid retractions in the past 6 months. The feedback rating is at 36 at 100% positive.

How do I complain to ebay? I can't seem to find an email address for them or an option to contact.

Many thanks for your thoughts on this.

frivolous_fay

You want the safety centre button which appears at the bottom of all listings.

You'll have to fish around until you find the right combination of options, (Invalid bid retraction - I'm not sure if bid shielding is an option) and eventually you'll be able to click 'Email us' and paste in his ID to the box.

By the way ebay never respond sensibly to emails - reporting misdemeanours via the proper system is the only way to go.

UniqueEarthling

I had to retract a bid once because I accidentally bid £99 for a battery instead of 99p.

In line with the rules, I retracted the original bid and immediately bid the correct amount I intended. However, this remains on my profile as 1 retraction.

I think it would be better if ,when you retract a bid, you could tag a reason to it to show it was genuine. Or, maybe something that shows you did actually re-bid.

It might then be easier to differentiate between those who repeatedly retract bids and those who are just occationally ditsy lol

frivolous_fay

I retraction on an account, I could ignore. 4 in 6 months, no

It would be good if retractions could be shown as genuine... although the other solution would be for everyont to report invalid retractions wherever possible, and get these people dealth with.

UltraCheap_2

The auction ended today, had been bid up to £54 before the bid was retracted, auction fell to £20 just 24 hours before the scheduled end, and the auction finished at £34. It's irritating as this item usually goes for around £50.

If the bidder really had made a mistake, then why did they wait until the last minute to retract their bid?! Instead, they bid repeatedly for an entire week, and then retracted.

I will report the bidder this evening (still navigating my way through the ebay site)

In the meantime, I am a bit suspicious of the winning bidder... but I don't think there is really anything I can do other than send through a report.

Will keep you posted on the reply from ebay! Thanks again for your thoughts on this.

antoniomontana

can you still retract a bid till the last minute,i thought you couldnt do it within the last 24 hrs of the auction

UltraCheap_2

antoniomontana wrote:

can you still retract a bid till the last minute,i thought you couldnt do it within the last 24 hrs of the auction

This ebayer retracted their bid 17 hours before the end of the auction.