Re: Serial# 2 apple on eBay

[mjmahon@aol.com (Michael J. Mahon)]

In article <W9-cnXLfA_JNNe-jXTWcoQ@comcast.com>, "Bill Garber"
<willy46pa@comcast.net> writes:

>Bryan Villados <news002@macgeek.org> wrote in message
>1d68a208.0303141646.7c1e1f16@posting.google.com">news:1d68a208.0303141646.7c1e1f16@posting.google.com...
>
>> Someone actually bidded on this thing. And someone with 0 feedback,
>> too. Something's really strange about this transaction.
>>
>> I just had a thought, though I'm not saying this has anything to do
>> with this particular bid. If someone wanted to become a "Power
>> Seller", all you'd have to do is run up $1000 in total sales within a
>> 3-month period.
>
>No kidding wish I'd have thought of it first. ;-)
>
>> What would stop someone from posting something really bogus like the
>> item above for $1000, then have a buddy bid on the item? The seller
>> probably knows that no other sane person would bid on the item. The
>> seller gets the $1000 credited towards his total sales, making him
>> qualify (or keep for that matter) the Power Seller status, and both
>> parties receive positive feedback in the process. eBay isn't capable
>> of determining if a money transaction actually occured between the
>> seller and buyer.
>> Just a thought...
>> --- Bryan
>
>Remember their names and if they both end up in a similar transaction
>later, we may be able to make them aware of it and they can check it out.

There is no way to trace anything unless the eBay user(s) want to
enable it.  It is trivial to get new email addresses and new eBay IDs,
so anyone with a low feedback number can be anyone at all.

For example, there is no need to have a "freind" to run the scam
that Bryan proposes--the auction lister can also be the bidder, under
another ID and email address.

Internet anonymity is a two-edged sword.

-michael

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