eBay: Bidders' Identities Protected

[Rhotchkiss]

Originally Posted by Throttlesteer

No, but most auction houses have a vetting process to assign a bidder number. Thats not the case with Ebay.

Anson, you and Scott are both right. In a traditional AH, you have no idea who the other bidders are. However, you should be able to take some comfort that the bidders are real and have been vetted by the AH. This provides much comfort. That said, while it is a little more difficult, and may take assistance from another party, any lot in a normal AH can be shilled. No doubt that consignors have had friends or associates bid up the consignor’s lot. I even think some AH software allows a consignor to bid on their own lots, which I actually think is legal in most states (Scott knows for sure).

My point is that while ebay is a shit show and PWCC is the star of the show, all AHs are vulnerable to shilling. All you can really do is decide what you are willing to pay and stick to that; be happy if you win and move on if you lose.

I will say this - eBay has become the Wild West or the dark web. I rarely buy off eBay and only from vendors I have bought from before (most of whom I can find off eBay). I don’t think I could ever sell using eBay with all the scams, no-pays, and theft/fraud I read about on this board. I will consign to a real AH