Bots

[dmldds3]

Has any on else have had problems with bots winning a bid?

[bonjourami]

Thats not possible.Unless you mean buyers using a bidding service.

[simba6]

Need more info as to what your question is.   As long as they pay, there is no problem.  Or are you having a problem with a snipe service?

[a_c_green]

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@dmldds3 wrote:

Has any on else have had problems with bots winning a bid?

Denise

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@dmldds3 : You'll need to click the blue Reply button below and give us more details on what the problem seems to be. The winner of your $1,375 Lego set seems to have a history of bidding in that category, and I see no other strangeness in the bid history: no retractions, bid shielding, etc. Is the winning bidder sending you messages of any kind instead of just paying?

[coolections]

No, bots do not win bids. You are confused.

[brian9zeke]

I've had multiple auctions in the past month that the winning bidders don't pay.  When you look at the account they have no feedback, are fresh to eBay, and similar generic account names.  Most are also based out of Florida and have some random woman's name and address attached to it.  I've been trying to block these users but they just create new accounts.  I've also tried to change my buyer preferences to reduce this type of traffic.  This morning I even called eBay to discuss it.  They simply said they are working on banning accounts of this nature.  I suggested that they either force buyers to link a bank account the same way sellers have to and/or to give sellers the ability to see who is bidding/watching  their auctions.  That way we can assess them and block them from bidding if their account appears suspicious.  I encourage anyone having these issues to call and advocate for sellers to have this type of access.

[eburtonlab]

The fact that a bidder does not pay is not an indication that you are dealing with a bot; just an indication of a nonpaying bidder. All bids and purchases are initiated by humans using computers, though some humans still insist on blaming their cats for some purchases.

You may be seeing a common freight forwarding address in Florida. Many legitimate overseas buyers use freight forwarders in Florida or elsewhere. Delaware is also popular, as there is no sales tax in Delaware. Some scammers use forwarders as well.

eBay is unlikely to require new buyers to link bank accounts in order to bid. Getting sellers to link bank accounts in order to get paid was difficult enough -- and those sellers were getting money from eBay. Nor is eBay likely to allow sellers to automatically block all new or zero feedback accounts from bidding or buying. eBay has not done so in the past despite many similar calls for such from sellers, and eBay shows no indication of changing that. eBay does not want to encourage or allow any off-eBay sales, so eBay providing identifying information of bidders to a seller prior to a transaction payment is not likely to happen, either.

You can avoid unpaid items by listing for a fixed price with immediate payment required and by not making or accepting any offers. That way the buyer has to complete checkout and pay, or the item remains listed.

[bimm_corp]

@brian9zeke 

>I encourage anyone having these issues to call and advocate for sellers to have this type of access.

A waste of time. eBay doesn't care one whit about sellers' opinions on anything. Buyers-can-do-no-wrong is still the eBay mantra. When they recently made immediate payment an option for offers, why didn't they extend that to auction high bidders? It's the same answer that Rhett Butler gave to Scarlett at the end of "Gone with the Wind".

[inhawaii]

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@coolections wrote:

No, bots do not win bids. You are confused.

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Haven't you seen the Terminator?    😉

[mam98031]

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@brian9zeke wrote:

I've had multiple auctions in the past month that the winning bidders don't pay.  When you look at the account they have no feedback, are fresh to eBay, and similar generic account names.  Most are also based out of Florida and have some random woman's name and address attached to it.  I've been trying to block these users but they just create new accounts.  I've also tried to change my buyer preferences to reduce this type of traffic.  This morning I even called eBay to discuss it.  They simply said they are working on banning accounts of this nature.  I suggested that they either force buyers to link a bank account the same way sellers have to and/or to give sellers the ability to see who is bidding/watching  their auctions.  That way we can assess them and block them from bidding if their account appears suspicious.  I encourage anyone having these issues to call and advocate for sellers to have this type of access.

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You can resolve a non paying bidder problem by requiring Immediate Payment on all your fixed price listings.  If the buyer doesn't pay they can't purchase.  This option is in your listing set up.

Your suggestions aren't new.  Many sellers have tried to get things changes on this subject.  Some great ideas too.  But to date they haven't changed things.  We have been trying for many years as this is not a new problem.  

[soh.maryl]

Not sure how that could happen.  Are you referring to the latest sale you made or to another?

Were you paid for all those sales?  Please feel free to return and give all the details.  

[mam98031]

@dmldds3 

You really need to give us an example so we can better help you.  We are happy to help, but we need your cooperation in order to do that.

[femmefan1946]

When you look at the account they have no feedback,

New buyers are encouraged by eBay, which gets fees from completed sales.

are fresh to eBay, and similar generic account names.

Sounds like "guest accounts"  newly opened. EBay gives generic names to newbies and guests which can be changed if the buyer wants.

Most are also based out of Florida

Google the address, these are likely using a freight forwarder.  If the address is a strip mall or an industrial park you don't need to know anything else to confirm that.

and have some random woman's name and address attached to it.

Just one name? Guest buyer who doesn't know how to combine purchases.

I've been trying to block these users but they just create new accounts.

Again a guest buyer. She  gets a new ID (it's not exactly an account) each time she bids.

I've also tried to change my buyer preferences to reduce this type of traffic.

You can't Block 0 feedback buyers, since we all start somewhere.

You can open an Unpaid Item Dispute for each one when four days have passed. This gives the deadbeat time to pay, but if she doesn't she gets a Strike.

Most sellers have set an automatic Block against bids from deadbeats with Strikes.

About freight forwarders.

Although some sellers are terrified by them, they have a couple of advantages.

Once the (paid) shipment reaches the US address, your responsibility for delivery ends.

You are not filling customs forms for the client, which is not all that onerous, just what the enclosed item is and how much was paid for it.

And while they sometimes have poor reviews, most are respectable businesses, who occasionally attract crooked clients.  They will cover all aspects of importing goods to your customer's country and charge the customer for the service.

Basically the only safer destination is a USPS mailbox.

The drawback is that  because he is using a non-US account to pay you, you will be charged an International Processing Fee by eBay.

There is a simple way to avoid these (or any) non-paying customers.

Don't use auctions.

Use Fixed Price listings and opt for Immediate Payment Required.

Your listing will stay active for 30 days or until someone actually pays.

[fashunu4eeuh]

@brian9zeke wrote:
“That way we can assess them and block them from bidding if their account appears suspicious...”

I only block accounts if a buyer fails to pay after an auction, or has done something egregious like committed fraud, for example. In other words, i don't try to block them before i am certain the circumstances warrant it. And that can only happen once the sale has taken place.

Otherwise, trying to anticipate who might be a problem after a sale carries with it the danger of blocking or cancelling legitimate buyers. It would be like throwing the baby out with the bath water.

To manage the problem, I found it can be more productive to accept that, with auctions or Best Offers, an unpaid item might occur. So i set my Buyer Requirements at their strictest levels to block serial non-payers, and then give a strike to those who don’t pay. Lastly, i study the policies and eBay announcements so i know as much about eBay as the scammers and deadbeats do.

[katzrul15]

Is the OP coming back??

If this is another "new" glitch, I'd like to learn more.  🙂