Ebay Salting

[JotterAddict62]

I was watching an ebay listing # 221456224572 and the winning bidder had only 1 feedback.

My question to you all is is that the seller with another ebay account or some other sort of hanky panky ? I did recognized one of the bidders.

 

What is your take on salting a sale ?

 

Ken

[JonSzanto]

Stranger things have happened. It looks like a new person really wanted that pen. I can say without hesitation that the seller is a very reputable one, and I've had a number of purchases from him. I don't suspect any weirdness here, just the random occurrence of a new person really wanting something and willing to pay for it.

[I like mango cheesecake]

I believe it happens as a way of the seller protecting his item from a low ball sale. Ebay does not allow this of course, and it can be hard to prove as well.

[Auspice]

My feedback on eBay is low (I'm a 17 with 100% positive) just because I pretty much never use eBay... But I'm starting to consider doing so due to hunting for my first Estie. So it can happen. You get people like me who really do want something, so they finally take that plunge into the seedy underbelly.

[Matth13]

I believe it happens as a way of the seller protecting his item from a low ball sale. Ebay does not allow this of course, and it can be hard to prove as well.

 

This stuff probably happens often, even though there is no reason for it. If a seller wants to protect them self from a low ball sale, then they should either put a reserve or price the item higher...

[jar]

Nothing shows signs of salting that I can see. My guess is that it is a Pontiac memorabilia collector.

[The Journeyman]

It may not be as surprising or as suspicious as you think. I have had an eBay account for some years. As most of you will know eBay was hacked recently and urged all its members to change their password. I tried to do so for several days, without success.Ebay urged that if I was having difficulty in changing the password it would perhaps be simpler to establish a new account. In the end I did so. I have now bought two pens through this new eBay persona and as such will appear as a newbie with no feedback. No salting.

[Runnin_Ute]

We all have to make our first purchases sometime. Mine was in January of this year. I have made a grand total of 7. But before I could get to there I had to get to 1.

[penmanila]

ah, that pontiac vac. now and then one turns up on ebay and it's something of an oddity if not a rarity. i think the realized price of $450--representing a premium of maybe $200 over an ordinary burgundy standard--was more than fair, so the seller didn't need any kind of protection from a lowball bid. if the buyer was a newbie with a keen interest in either red vacs or pontiacs (and deep pockets), then i think it would have been likelier for that newbie to overbid. note that whatever his actual bid was (anywhere above $450) was challenged and held up three times in the closing hours; he'd scuffled earlier with other bidders in the $280 range, and then maybe out of annoyance or desperation or grim determination doubled that bid, and so he won. just my conjecture, of course--it's fun to make up these scenarios nice pen, but i myself would've dropped out at $250.

[OcalaFlGuy]

FWIW, I have known this seller for a few years know and he has on a couple instances showed Very High integrity to me.

 

Not only would it be completely out of character for him to have a shill bid, the fact is it would be a wasted effort on his part.'

Their listings Don't Need any shill bids.They Already close among the highest priced examples on The Bay. (Because they are

high quality pens, a wide assortment of the same and they're well presented.)

 

There's a Southern sayin' for this (alleged) unnecessary shilling, it's called Fixin' something that ain't broke.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

 

 

[JonSzanto]

Thank you, Bruce. Jim Ross is a first-class operator, and he's offered me assistance after sale on a number of issues. This is one eBay seller who is so far above ill repute that it pains me to see people jumping to unreasonable and unsubstantiated suspicions.

 

Yeah, there may be bad stuff go down on the Bay. Not through this portal, though.

[Talon1138]

I've purchased from Jim Ross as well, no problems no complaints, but there are unscrupulous people abound on eBay. I purchased a classic book at below cost from a book dealer in France and after the sale the dealer stated the book was out of stock and refunded my money. A couple of days later he reported the same book, now it was miraculously was back in stock.... Hmmmm....

 

Caveat Emptor...

[jar]

I've purchased from Jim Ross as well, no problems no complaints, but there are unscrupulous people abound on eBay. I purchased a classic book at below cost from a book dealer in France and after the sale the dealer stated the book was out of stock and refunded my money. A couple of days later he reported the same book, now it was miraculously was back in stock.... Hmmmm....

 

Caveat Emptor...

But that is how inventory works. No sign of anything but normal life in your story. Things that sell get replaced.

[Talon1138]

But that is how inventory works. No sign of anything but normal life in your story. Things that sell get replaced.

Point being they didn't want to pay oversea postage on an item they didn't make profit on.

[jar]

Point being they didn't want to pay oversea postage on an item they didn't make profit on.

But the buyer pays the postage unless it was advertised a free shipping.

[pen2paper]

watchers/bidders each have a personal perspective..

times you can see something special you know is senior focus collectors eying/vying a missing slot in their collection.

 

other times it's that crossover that opens it wide.. years ago I was avidly bidding on a mandrel work glass persons pieces, working horses in correct breed confirmation, branched into correct breed dog confirmation, And, in miniature by preplan posts for our community., Two of my breed hit my hearts desire, and tossed future paychecks in the air bids with sky high intent prove fruitless. as dog conformation fanciers spent wild amounts on these pieces that had been by preplan added for our studio community wree utterly stymied. So the our world glass pieces reside in dog/equestrian community, as Mini's, rather than their intent studio art high caliber. Likely that intent will become lost in time. Pieces separated from artists name, and become a interesting under appreciated trinket.

 

One of the legit, though frustrating elements working with ebay.. Friend currently has a special boxed porcelain set, but breaking sets in an original box in fine condition is as difficult as defacing a full garment with original fasteners because they may fetch a bit more as singletons. Loved The Road show when they advised the young fellow that his Josiah era Wedgwood set was worth more as a set, that broken apart.

 

Different tactics.

[Talon1138]

But the buyer pays the postage unless it was advertised a free shipping.

Yes, the seller offered free shipping they were to pay. My apologies I failed to make my statement correctly. In this case the seller would have made no money and would have been out shipping charges.

[Uncial]

I've followed a quite a few auctions lately where the pen has sold for what can really only be described as a phenomenal price, that no doubt excites the seller no end! The bad news is that I have watched the very same pens being put up on ebay a week later with the same low starting point, but this time with a note in the description written large 'I have been having trouble with high bids and non-payment. If payment is not received within 48 hours of sale the item will be placed on the market again' (or variants thereof).

 

I think I've mentioned it here before, but I know people who sell fairly regularly on ebay and they have told me that there is a new online 'game of trolls' where two people with false accounts bid up items to a huge price but never pay. All that gets 'banned' from ebay is the false account. I'm not sure how true that is, but it would certainly make sense of some of the more extreme cases I've seen; such as watching in disbelief as a €100 pen sells for €10,000.