Ebay

jason7570 · Sep 17, 2017

Question? How trustworthy are "ebay coral auctions"? The reason being ( not to stir the pot) I've noticed for the last month or so certain coral venders bids going up from like $15 to $100 with nothing in between and it's always with 0 feedback bidders. Seems like if you're going to spend $300 on a coral you would at least have some kind of feedback. It seems like it's always the high priced items also...

Playa-1 · Sep 17, 2017

Lot's of cheezy people trying to work the system on sites like that. It's buyer beware

ChiCity · Sep 17, 2017

it's called fleabay for a reason...

Fishfinder · Sep 17, 2017

Technically the bid can jump that much. If the first bid is $1 but has a cap of $99, then next bid has a cap of $150. It will automatically go up to $100.

I buy stuff on eBay all the time but from reputable vendors like WWC and aqua sd

sundog101 · Sep 17, 2017

If the dealer is reputable. I look for r2r sponsors.

Water Dog · Sep 17, 2017

Always look for a good track record of positive feedback. Also, be sure to check that it's specifically feedback as a seller from other buyers. I recently won a bid on a Masterflex Pump for my CaRx from a seller with a very short track record and the seller flaked... got my money back but a valuable lesson was learned.

Katrina71 · Sep 17, 2017

I look at seller feedback and how long they have been a member.

Playa-1 · Sep 17, 2017

You can also be bidding against somebody that's paying with stolen credentials or they have no intention or consequences for not completing the transaction. I believe the seller can set criteria for who can bid. 0 feedback peeps shouldn't be in the mix.

jason7570 · Sep 17, 2017

Yeah, I'm quite the researcher, I usually save all my watched items and noticed the same e***e (0) for example bidding on certain items but never winning. And the fact they never bid on any other venders site.... I just find it kind of funny.

Dom · Sep 17, 2017

jason7570 said:
Question? How trustworthy are "ebay coral auctions"? The reason being ( not to stir the pot) I've noticed for the last month or so certain coral venders bids going up from like $15 to $100 with nothing in between and it's always with 0 feedback bidders. Seems like if you're going to spend $300 on a coral you would at least have some kind of feedback. It seems like it's always the high priced items also...

I don't believe that you can see bid increments on ebay unless you're logged in. That being said, there are all sorts of scams on ebay if you aren't careful. My favorite is when they price something super dirt cheap and then heap on $150.00 for shipping! The reason is because they only pay commission on the sale of the item and not shipping.

Dom · Sep 17, 2017

jason7570 said:
Yeah, I'm quite the researcher, I usually save all my watched items and noticed the same e***e (0) for example bidding on certain items but never winning. And the fact they never bid on any other venders site.... I just find it kind of funny.

I think they do it just to get the bid up.

Water Dog · Sep 17, 2017

jason7570 said:
Yeah, I'm quite the researcher, I usually save all my watched items and noticed the same e***e (0) for example bidding on certain items but never winning. And the fact they never bid on any other venders site.... I just find it kind of funny.

In situations like that, I often wonder if certain vendors have an alias to bid on and artificially raise prices.

Playa-1 · Sep 17, 2017

I wouldn't expect that from a reputable business. I have seen many individuals do it. I had one guy would post an item, I would bid and his alias would bid it up at the last minute and won the auction. Then the same guy would post the same exact item 2 days later. Repeated the process a couple of times. I reported him two or three times and he eventually stopped posting it. Hahaha, He PM'd me and told me to get a life. I thought that was special.

jason7570 · Sep 17, 2017

That's crazy, happened to me a couple of times in which a "0" feedback bidder won and that exact same piece was back on two weeks later. If you check everyone's feedback I have yet to see someone without any feedback leave one but the highest bids are zero feedback bidders. Not all just a couple I've noticed.... maybe it's just a coincidence

DHill6 · Sep 17, 2017

I've bought coral from CB many times on EB without problems. I've been an active buyer and seller, as a seller I set my standards as no bidders with 0, no bidders with marks, etc.. I don't make any money off packaging, shipping charges, driving it to shipping location, my time, etc. Some sellers list the above in their auctions. Depends on who you deal with in what you are getting, headaches or not.

DHill6 · Sep 17, 2017

Dom said:
I don't believe that you can see bid increments on ebay unless you're logged in. That being said, there are all sorts of scams on ebay if you aren't careful. My favorite is when they price something super dirt cheap and then heap on $150.00 for shipping! The reason is because they only pay commission on the sale of the item and not shipping.

They're hoping you purchase without noticing the shipping. They get the actual price they want after suckering you into bidding or purchase. There is a way out, you can remove a bid by claiming you entered the wrong amount but if you hit purchase you are locked in. Always read every word on the sale to avoid those sellers. EB will stand behind what the wording states and pictures, you have recourse if the item shows up differently than worded or pictured. Always ask a question if you have concerns, paper trail is your backup.