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Does eBay even really investigate claims of fraud from vendors?
Summary: dreamangel and friends suspect fraudulent activities by vendors on eBay, noting consistent patterns of shill bidding and multiple listings for the same items, which contradict the platform's policies. Despite reporting these practices to eBay, they were informed that no violations were found. eastlaneave suggests various reporting methods and encourages further attempts to contact eBay's customer service for resolution, although dreamangel remains frustrated with the lack of response from eBay and seeks further advice on handling the issue.
A couple of friends and I have recently been searching for crystals and have found several vendors here that have been posting the exact same item labeled as "1 available" for sale AND auction, at the same time, and on multiple user accounts. If we put one of the crystals on our watchlist we will get an offer to buy it at a pathetically discounted price literally as we are doing the auction on a different page for THE SAME CRYSTALS! If that wasn't bad enough we ALWAYS find ourselves bidding against someone named "private bidder identity protected"; every time we bid we are outbid, BUT this "private bidder" somehow can change their bid SEVERAL TIMES FROM DAYS AGO! We ALWAYS LOSE then THE NEXT DAY the crystals we were bidding on GOES UP FOR AUCTION AGAIN! This has happened at least 5 times on several crystals in the last week so we reported them because it's CLEAR that they are breaking eBay's terms and conditions for selling and are clearly it's the sellers bidding trying to up the sale price "shill bidding" I believe it's called which is HIGHLY ILLEGAL, so we reported that vendors and since eBay only allows 3 pictures to be in the initial report made sure to inform them we each PLENTY of other screenshots to prove this was what was going on and which vendors were involved. So, were pretty surprised to find eBay come back and say THEY DIDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH WHAT THE VENDORS WERE DOING! WTF?? Is eBay in on this crap?? These vendors shouldn't be getting away with this. Is there anything else that can be done at this point? I mean how many others have these vendors messed with already? 🤬
eastlaneave
Mentor2 weeks ago@dreamangel
I'm sorry that is happening
A) If the seller cancels your order for 'buyer asked to cancel' or 'problem with buyer's address' but you didn't ask to cancel, then you SHOULD report this.
Report the seller here:
https://www.ebay.com/help/buying/resolving-issues-sellers/report-issue-seller?id=4022
Choose
Suspicious seller activity
Seller doesn’t want to complete the sale
Explain in the box that the seller canceled for 'buyer asked to cancel' or 'problem with buyer's address,' and there is nothing wrong with your address or and you didn't ask to cancel.
The seller won't be forced to complete the sale, but he will get a mark on his account for a policy violation.
Report as many times as it has happened.
B) If the seller cancelled for Out of Stock, they already got a defect on their account for the cancellation.
Next, wait 24-48 hours and contact eBay Customer Service.
Try eBay's social media-based customer service to get assistance
Â
- https://www.instagram.com/ebay/
Just sent a private message to the page explaining what happened.
You'll get a message to authenticate yourself, then wait for the reply
The team works 6am-6pm PST, Monday-Friday.
dreamangel
OP2 weeks ago · EditedThat's the problem, I've never gotten to purchase because it's clear the vendors are bidding against me to drive up the bids, and when I lose(which is ALWAYS) the item is right back in auction the very next day and if that wasn't bad enough the same item is also on several listings "for sale" at a ridiculously high price. Each of these items is a "1 available only" so I KNOW they are breaking policy and breaking the law with the "shill bidding" but even after reporting this to eBay they claimed that these vendors aren't doing anything against policy. I don't understand how eBay can't see this. I've got so many screenshots of the bidding, the multiple listings of the 1 available-only items, and of their offers to buy at a pathetic discount on the crystal if it's on my watchlist even if I'm in the process of bidding on it as well on another page! Here are a couple of screenshots of what I'm talking about, look at the for-sale listing I linked to the side in purple, this listing also has 3 other listings at 3 other prices on 3 different usernames selling the 1 ITEM AT THE SAME TIME AND HAVE IT UP ON AUCTION yet it says on each listing there is only 1 available like ALL of their inventory. This particular crystal I've actually bid on and lost about 5 times now, I'm ALWAYS bidding against "private bidder identity protected"(for all the auctions in their stores it's the same "private bidder" that I find I'm up against)and this as well as all the other crystals I've tried to win just keep going back up for auction as well. I have literally encountered the same things going on with at least 10 different items so far over the last week and a half within this vendor's "circle" of stores with all different usernames, which I gave to eBay when I reported them. This is just an example of 1 of the MANY ITEMS this vendor is doing this with, look at the crystals in the picture I sent that are listed multiple times for sale, there are 3 more listings for it "for sale" you can't see AND it also keeps going back up for auction as well, I know this because as I said I've bid on it multiple times, ALWAYS against "private bidder..." and ALWAYS LOSING. If you look at the last "Sold" auction picture That's from one of the more recent times it went up for auction that I tried to bid on it and all l as ALWAYS it was "sold" to the "private bidder identity protected" BUT IF it was "sold" at auction and there's ONLY 1 available, how can the seller offer it to me when I put one of the EXACT SAME CRYSTALS listed "for sale" on my watchlist? This is also common, I'll lose the auction, the crisis will go back up for auction, the same ones with new in multiple listings "for sale" at the same time as you see this crystal here, and if I put a crystal on my watchlist I will be offered to buy it at a pathetically discounted price, even if I'm in the middle of bidding it on a different listing!
Why
I don't understand how eBay came back saying the vendors weren't going against policy when I reported this behavior last week because it's VERY CLEAR THEY ARE. They shouldn't be allowed to get away with this... But since I've already reported them and eBay said they decided they weren't breaking policy what else can be done?