ebay finds that PWCC engaged in shill bidding?

[Peter_Spaeth]

The email sure looks real. Of course if it isn't I'll delete it.

As one of the world’s largest marketplaces, eBay has policies in place to protect our buyers and sellers. eBay was founded on trust, and we work every day to ensure a fair and positive experience for the entire eBay community.
Recently, it was determined that individuals associated with a trading card seller, PWCC, have engaged in “shill bidding,” which is prohibited on eBay. As a result, eBay has restricted PWCC’s selling privileges and listings, effective today. eBay’s policies and standards were designed to ensure a trusted marketplace where our community can transact with confidence. If we determine that a buyer or seller is not acting in good faith, eBay takes this seriously and takes action. Our customer service team will work directly with anyone who has a question about a recent PWCC transaction [link].

eBay is the destination for buying and selling trading cards - built over 25 years with our passionate community of collectors and sellers, as partners, on that journey. Trust is the cornerstone of eBay, which is why we felt it was important to share this information with our community. We assure you that eBay will continue to take actions to deliver on our commitment.

eBay sent this e mail to you at XX about your account registered on eBay.com.

eBay will periodically send required e mails to you about the site and your transactions. Visit our Privacy Notice and User Agreement if you have any questions.

Copyright © 2021 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners. eBay and the eBay logo are trademarks of eBay Inc. 2145 Hamilton Avenue, San Jose, CA 95125.

[vdad1981]

I received it as well … not sure what it means for past purchases.

[ZiggerZagger]

Got it too. Wow….

[Leon]

Dunno but a quick ebay search turns up almost 700 results..and they listed as recently as yesterday. Of course it could be a Today policy..

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...acat=0&_sop=10

.

[ejharrington]

Yup, just saw this.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Leon

Dunno but a quick ebay search turns up almost 700 results..and they listed as recently as yesterday. Of course it could be a Today item...

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...acat=0&_sop=10

.

That has to be a fraction of what they had?

[scooter729]

There are at least 18,000 PWCC auctions running at the present moment....

[theuclakid]

Peter, I got the email too....about time some action was taken regarding the shill bidding

Bruce Perry

[nickers]

I got it as well and am awaiting a call back from Ebay, do you think they'd have to credit winner bidders a portion of what was paid?

[Leon]

Originally Posted by scooter729

There are at least 18,000 PWCC auctions running at the present moment....

Yes there are. I guess my search was flawed .

This should be interesting...

[marzoumanian]

This is huge, in my humble opinion. The evidence had to be overwhelming for eBay to take such action. Rock my world. Peace.

[mrreality68]

Have not gotten it but Wow

Let's see what the next steps/fall out might or might not be

[scooter729]

Originally Posted by Leon

Yes there are. I guess my search was flawed .

This should be interesting...

They don't list "PWCC" in the subject line of every listing any more, so that search only showed the cards that got an extra special sticker for being from their special consignors....

[Jcosta19]

I was as excited as everyone else when I read my email and even started a thread right at the same time as Pete (locked now).

But is this confirmed to be a legit email? I haven't gotten one in my eBay messages.

There is also a link to a page to discuss if you have had concerns about recent purchases. Is that link legit and to an ebay secure page?


Smells like a phishing scam to some degree.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[ullmandds]

run...run...empty the vault!!!!

[bobbyw8469]

Now, do they mean PWCC engaged in shill bidding or the members that use their services engage in shill bidding?? There needs to be a distinction. If it is the latter, that is like blaming a casino for allowing card cheats to frequent their establishment.

[Aaron Seefeldt]

I too got the email. Not good by any means

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by bobbyw8469

Now, do they mean PWCC engaged in shill bidding or the members that use their services engage in shill bidding?? There needs to be a distinction. If it is the latter, that is like blaming a casino for allowing card cheats to frequent their establishment.

Individuals associated with PWCC is the language.

Might mean they were using employee accounts to run stuff up?

I don't know of course, but I've said for years the way PWCC items jump up so fast out of the starting gate was strange.

[Johnny630]

They have known for years, sadly this is a big nothing burger. As always nothing will change, nobody will be held accountable it’s 2021.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Johnny630

They have known for years, sadly this is a big nothing burger. As always nothing will change, nobody will be held accountable it’s 2021.

Like the FBI investigation probably will boost consignments and sales.

[Fuddjcal]

I didn't get it but my buddy just called me a told me about it.
I'm shocked

[darwinbulldog]

I assumed it was fake. Wouldn't a real email from eBay include my name? All the other ones for the past 20 years have.

[ajjohnsonsoxfan]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Individuals associated with PWCC is the language.

Might mean they were using employee accounts to run stuff up?

I don't know of course, but I've said for years the way PWCC items jump up so fast out of the starting gate was strange.

100% this

[RL]

I did not get the email.

Hope its true, but I kind of doubt it with all the pwcc listings still up.

[chlankf]

About damn time.

[Jcosta19]

I've read unconfirmed reports on Twitter and blowout of vault listing getting pulled and inability to list from the vault.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[chadeast]

Originally Posted by darwinbulldog

I assumed it was fake. Wouldn't a real email from eBay include my name? All the other ones for the past 20 years have.

I got it too, and I think that it is real. There is no other reason that anyone would have to send this email to my particular email address associated with my Ebay account. Even PWCC should not know this email address, so there couldn't be a master PWCC email list somewhere that someone could hack and use to send out fraudulent emails. I'm not surprised, and I also share the lack of confidence that anything will actually come from this.

[IndyDave]

I received the e-mail as well. I had purchased a card from PWCC last month.

The only link in the e-mail takes you to an eBay page that takes you to a page where you can click on a link to have eBay call you. Says wait time is 53 minutes (up from 17 minutes when I looked about 45 minutes ago). That page opens up with my user information including my cell phone number

The e-mail passes all the anti-phishing lessons I've had to take with my company.

I can't wait for a call back while I am at work, but will probably ask for one sometime over the next few days. Imagine they are getting deluged now.

My card cost enough for me to invest the time to find out what is going on.

[Peter_Spaeth]

If it's fake Brentsy can come here and say so, put out a statement, etc.

[iwantitiwinit]

I received it too. Ebay has to be culpable here too, they most certainly have had the ability to have discovered this earlier and most likely did. Don't know how there would be or could be any restitution. The dollar amounts we are talking here in excess of the price the cards would have traded at are most likely in the 10's of millions and are impossible to quantify. I smell class action suit.

[Johnny630]

Maybe this is a CYA move by eBay. Could they have got notice form an outside entity that a investigation is going on.

A little late if you ask me, I still predict a big nothing burger.

[ZiggerZagger]

I agree with Peter it looks and sounds legit. Still waiting for wider confirmation though.

However, the email came from “ ebay@reply5.ebay.com” which troubles me.
Other eBay missives have come from “ebay@ebay.com”

Got the popcorn popping, waiting to see this one play out!

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by iwantitiwinit

Don't know how there would be or could be any restitution.

Each net54 member gets to go to the Vault and pick out a card.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Casey2296

Each net54 member gets to go to the Vault and pick out a card.

Can I bring a blacklight?

[Leon]

Maybe, hopefully, the FBI investigation is paying some dividends in putting pressure in certain places. I never got the email but don't doubt what everyone is talking about.
.

[Carter08]

I agree that eBay probably knew about it and its hand is being forced by an outside entity like the government doing an investigation. I called to ask about a large item I purchased a few months back just to see if they could tell me if I was up against a shill. End price was fine with me but it was trending so low and I feel like the seller had a fail safe in place. I also saw pwcc auction a Goudey Ruth two months in a row and couldn’t help but think they had a shill accidentally buy it.

At any rate, not sure if she’s right or actually knows all the details, but the eBay customer service rep said they are removing pwcc from the site completely and that will take some time to do. This was just a customer rep but that’s what she thought was happening.

[darwinbulldog]

Originally Posted by Carter08

I agree that eBay probably knew about it and its hand is being forced by an outside entity like the government doing an investigation. I called to ask about a large item I purchased a few months back just to see if they could tell me if I was up against a shill. End price was fine with me but it was trending so low and I feel like the seller had a fail safe in place. I also saw pwcc auction a Goudey Ruth two months in a row and couldn’t help but think they had a shill accidentally buy it.

At any rate, not sure if she’s right or actually knows all the details, but the eBay customer service rep said they are removing pwcc from the site completely and that will take some time to do. This was just a customer rep but that’s what she thought was happening.

[ajjohnsonsoxfan]

I know there were a couple of high level ebay executives who were at the National. Wondering if there were a lot of complaints that led to this action. The timing after the National seems to add to the theory.

[Brian Van Horn]

https://ludkinsmedia.com/pwcc-restri...shill-bidding/

[D. Bergin]

If Ebay just curbed bid retractions and cancellations, this problem would go away tomorrow.

If this e-mail is legit, it's Ebay throwing one of their biggest clients under the bus to shield themselves from their own negligence and malfeasance.

With advance apologies to one of my favorite posters on NET54, it's like Jose Canseco ratting everybody else out, for the drugs HE provided or turned them on to, and then acting like he's somehow the hero in all of this.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by D. Bergin

If Ebay just curbed bid retractions and cancellations, this problem would go away tomorrow.

If this e-mail is legit, it's Ebay throwing one of their biggest clients under the bus to shield themselves from their own negligence and malfeasance.

With advance apologies to one of my favorite posters on NET54, it's like Jose Canseco ratting everybody else out, for the drugs HE provided or turned them on to, and then acting like he's somehow the hero in all of this.

There are potential problems beyond retractions if in house shills are bidding on items.

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by D. Bergin

If Ebay just curbed bid retractions and cancellations, this problem would go away tomorrow.

If this e-mail is legit, it's Ebay throwing one of their biggest clients under the bus to shield themselves from their own negligence and malfeasance.

With advance apologies to one of my favorite posters on NET54, it's like Jose Canseco ratting everybody else out, for the drugs HE provided or turned them on to, and then acting like he's somehow the hero in all of this.

BTW, Ebay is still providing that drug to whoever wants or NEEEEEEDS it.

You get a bid retraction, you get a bid retraction, you get a bid retraction............................EVERYBODY gets a bid retraction!!!!

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

There are potential problems beyond retractions if in house shills are bidding on items.

Sure, there's always a workaround, but it makes it a lot harder to cheat.

Ebay wants everybody else to police shilling, while they have the keys to most of the problem hidden right in their pocket.

[Brian Van Horn]

So,

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...ed/1929959001/

When will all of this finally result in some level of judgment in the courts?

[maniac_73]

Originally Posted by D. Bergin

Sure, there's always a workaround, but it makes it a lot harder to cheat.

Ebay wants everybody else to police shilling, while they have the keys to most of the problem hidden right in their pocket.

Unlike AI for grading, it's relatively easy for Ebay to create an algorithm to detect suspected shill bidding and confirm bids.

[packs]

Wow

[nwfsteve]

I got the letter too. I bought a couple things from them in the past. My beef with PWCC was in February, I consigned a nice 1961 Topps BB set and a graded 1960 Koufax Morrell Meats. They never listed them despite repeated and ever more edgy inquiries. I had to file an arbitration case against them before they responded and finally sent back the items to me in June.

[Jewish-collector]

This is one of those times that sometimes you just gotta say "WTF"

[Jersey City Giants]

It came from an email address I have never seen before at eBay. Hence, instead of following the link I just went to the help page at eBay and requested a call back. 39 minutes so will wait until they call me and will confirm.

[bobbyw8469]

Originally Posted by nwfsteve

I got the letter too. I bought a couple things from them in the past. My beef with PWCC was in February, I consigned a nice 1961 Topps BB set and a graded 1960 Koufax Morrell Meats. They never listed them despite repeated and ever more edgy inquiries. I had to file an arbitration case against them before they responded and finally sent back the items to me in June.

What!?!?!??! Did they ever say why they didn't list them?