Secret Ebay bidder IDs

Nazi NecroPhile · 03/06/2008, 04:57 PM

Ebay used to only hide IDs on high dollar auctions, but now they're doing it on every single one of 'em. It seems that this new tactic will only make it easier for shill bidders to evade detection, though you can still check how often a bidder has bid on the seller's various auctions. I've never been inundated with junk messages as a result of placing a bid, but perhaps others have. If not, then what the heck's the point?

nat · 03/06/2008, 06:15 PM

Is it really every auction? I was pretty sure that was settable by the seller. Maybe all the auctions you're looking at the seller has chosen to enable that feature.

Turbo D · 03/06/2008, 11:02 PM

I have read about it too. I didn't realize it had happened already. I haven't been on ebay in awhile. Ebay likes shill bidders though. The higher the ending cost, the bigger piece they get.

Nazi NecroPhile · 03/07/2008, 12:54 AM

Quote from: nat on 03/06/2008, 06:15 PMIs it really every auction? I was pretty sure that was settable by the seller. Maybe all the auctions you're looking at the seller has chosen to enable that feature.

Perhaps, but I checked out dozens and dozens of auctions today (working hard, eh?), and each one had anonymous bidders. When you click on one of the bidder's names, you're taken to a page that explains why it's anonymous (to protect bidder's privacy), and I think that sellers can only set a auction as private, which won't show any of the bidder's info. and has 'private' in place of the bidder's name.

MurderDate · 03/07/2008, 08:55 AM

As of yesterday it's every auction. Kinda crazy. The days of using eBay as a tool to educate yourself in certain fields are over. I learned sooo much about music by paying attention to what people who I thought were cool were buying. Guess I'm now the over-educated generation and people to come won't be able to make it there quite as easily. Kind of a shame.. I thought I had witnessed progress in mankind.

quoth09 · 03/08/2008, 03:53 PM

I have noticed the same a couple of months ago, and really noticed it the other day.
It's all just a bunch of crap, and if they keep on doing changes like this, it will continue to drive more people away, and as a result, it drives more sellers away b/c they aren't getting as many bids or making as much profit.

It also opens up for certain sellers to easily make 2nd accounts, and shill bid their own stuff without anyone knowing about it, which is a bunch of crap.

MissaFX · 03/10/2008, 04:19 AM

If every auction hides the bidders now, then that is indeed a crap change. I kinda understood the purpose of doing this with some adult auctions, but I agree with everyone who thinks it will only encourage shill bidding if this is the way things are now.

offsidewing · 03/11/2008, 09:06 PM

Quote from: quoth09 on 03/08/2008, 03:53 PMIt also opens up for certain sellers to easily make 2nd accounts, and shill bid their own stuff without anyone knowing about it, which is a bunch of crap.

This was a couple years back, but I bid on a baseball glove where the seller was from the same city, had the same ISP, and my bids kept getting kicked back.

Ebay is designed to do one thing, make EBAY money. They are following the same business model as Ford Motor Company did after the boom of the 90's. They focused more on making profit than finding ways to satisfy the customer and provide sustainability.

COUNT SMRIFNACK · 03/16/2008, 09:05 AM

I just noticed this recently. I don't find it usefull at all.