Article about buying pins back on Ebay - Page 2

33girl · #16 08-14-2002, 04:13 PM

This is kinda OT, but have they ever discovered any collectors (of any kind, not just pins) working in "cahoots" with each other on ebay to drive up prices?

Tom Earp · #17 08-14-2002, 04:18 PM

If and only if, that Badge is reported stolen then you as the unknowing recpient can lose that Badge as having stolen merchandise in your possesion!

What happens if that is found out? You Ask?

You lose the Badge! You can but more than likely not be prosecuted. You are the Dupe who purchased it in good faith!

But if you knowingly bought it as stolen merchandise, Yep at the cost of Badges it is a felony and you can and will go to Jail!

It is a do not pass go situation!

I know we all want to save our Badges, but I think as I put on before wptw has a lot to say to the GCers about what to look for if you will listen!

I have talked to him via land line and have a lot of respect for him for what I heard and what he has put on site for knowledge pasted on to us!

Thanx wptw for your insight!

I think I can speak from experience as wrote enuff reports on stolen property in 7 yrs!

wptw · #18 08-14-2002, 05:20 PM

Thanks for the kind words, Tom. And you’re quite right. Even if you hate the tone of my posts and you just can’t get past a moral objection to badge collecting, you should still pay attention if you’re truly interested in this subject. Collectors really are one of the very best sources for information on just about every aspect of GLO badges. Design, history, construction, who made them, where to find them, how to date them, the economics of their market value, you name it. Collectors have extensive interaction with all the sides involved in this debate: Other collectors, irate GLO members, dealers and estate jewelers, national GLO officers, lawyers, ebay spokespeople, etc., so I think we are the only ones who can claim to truly see the issue from all sides.

I’ve gotten a lot of PMs from some really nice GCers over the last few months. Some think collecting is great and want to know how they can start their own collection. Some still object to collecting and want to know more about the subject so they can more effectively fight to save their badges. I care deeply about our organizations, so I was happy to meet and talk to all of these people.

33girl, good question about sellers working together to drive up the auction prices. Shill bidding has always been a problem on ebay, so it would be naïve of me to think that it hasn’t happened in badge auctions. But I’ve bought a lot of pins on ebay and I have never been too worried about it. For the most part, the sellers are either other collectors or established accounts who regularly sell GLO pins. Collectors know the buyers will likely be other collectors, and since integrity is such an important virtue in our community, it’s unlikely we would try anything “funny” with an auction. Dealers also know that their “regular” customers are the collectors, and that word of a bad dealer travels fast in our circles. So again, I’m not too worried. The suspicious auctions are when the seller has very little feedback, has never sold a badge before and is claiming to be selling their own badge or the badge of a family member. These are the people out to make a short term buck any way they can. But this goes for any auction on ebay. Caveat emptor!

I have also seen the opposite situation. Sometimes when I am selling a pin, I’ll see an unusual number of bid retractions and cancellations. Turns out the sisters are emailing the bidders and telling them to retract their bids. Since some of the bidders are my collector friends, it’s always easy to know when this is happening because they forward me the emails. Ebay is pretty quick to cancel the accounts of people they find tampering with bids, especially when you can supply the emails as proof.

wptw

shadokat · #19 08-14-2002, 05:27 PM

33girl--

I would have no doubt that pin collectors drive up these prices. There is a D Phi E badge up right now. The person who is selling the badge is a pin collector. If you look at the bid history of the badge, the seller is one of the bidders!!! I'm sorry, but that's just wrong.

I'm not saying this because I'm opposed to anything wptw has said. He's as entitled to his opinions as I am to mine. I just saw this today, and it just really struck me as something wrong.

wptw · #20 08-14-2002, 05:39 PM

Quote:

There is a D Phi E badge up right now. The person who is selling the badge is a pin collector. If you look at the bid history of the badge, the seller is one of the bidders!!!

What!?!

Where?

texas*princess · #21 08-14-2002, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by shadokat
33girl--

I would have no doubt that pin collectors drive up these prices. There is a D Phi E badge up right now. The person who is selling the badge is a pin collector. If you look at the bid history of the badge, the seller is one of the bidders!!! I'm sorry, but that's just wrong.

I'm not saying this because I'm opposed to anything wptw has said. He's as entitled to his opinions as I am to mine. I just saw this today, and it just really struck me as something wrong.

That is wrong... there is also the case of sellers on sites like eBay that make "alias" member names to bid on their own items to drive the price up.. while I do not know of any actual proven cases, I wouldn't be surprised if they do that also..

and I agree with Fuzzie's earlier comment about it's a matter of respect...

wptw · #22 08-15-2002, 09:35 AM

I still haven't found this auction Shadokat is talking about (which is strange because if the seller were really a collector, I'm quite sure they would list it such that I could find it by searching "delta phi epsilon"). So let's not get all worked up about it until we verify what she said is correct.

wptw

stacydphie · #23 08-15-2002, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by shadokat
33girl--

I would have no doubt that pin collectors drive up these prices. There is a D Phi E badge up right now. The person who is selling the badge is a pin collector. If you look at the bid history of the badge, the seller is one of the bidders!!! I'm sorry, but that's just wrong.

I'm not saying this because I'm opposed to anything wptw has said. He's as entitled to his opinions as I am to mine. I just saw this today, and it just really struck me as something wrong.

Wow, thanks for the info - I'm glad that I stopped bidding on it and I will definetly not go any higher. I actually wrote to the seller to ask a question and never recieved a response, now I know why.

I want a pin, but I don't want it badly enough to be shilled. I was suspicous of the 0 feedback, but I didn't think it was actually a collector, I thought it was a legitimate new user.

wptw · #24 08-15-2002, 11:50 AM

Stacy and Shadokat, what the heck are you two talking about?!?

The only currently active auction for a DphiE pin is this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=2130400723

The seller is NOT, repeat NOT a pin collector. They are a newly registered user with 0 feedback. And they have not bid on their own auction, at least not with the same username. Nowhere in the bid history does it show any evidence of shilling.

Go back up a few posts where I told you the people you generally have to worry about are the new sellers with no feedback. This is one of them. But this is NOT a case of a collector shill bidding on his own auction. In fact, the bid history on this auction shows no evidence of shill bidding whatsoever.

Jeez, do your homework and read through everything before you freak out.

wptw

Optimist Prime · #25 08-15-2002, 11:54 AM

People just relax. Even if someone buys your pin and is not in your GLO, then he will not know the ritual signifagce of it.

stacydphie · #26 08-15-2002, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by wptw
Stacy and Shadokat, what the heck are you two talking about?!?

The only currently active auction for a DphiE pin is this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=2130400723

The seller is NOT, repeat NOT a pin collector. They are a newly registered user with 0 feedback. And they have not bid on their own auction, at least not with the same username. Nowhere in the bid history does it show any evidence of shilling.

Jeez, do your homework and read through everything before you freak out.

wptw

I'm not outright saying this is a shiller, but just because they have zero feedback doesn't mean anything - it could be a second identity, using a main account to do the shilling.

I don't generally buy anything from someone with zero feedback, and the fact that this person did not respond to my question leads me to be very suspicous.

I do know how to do my homework on ebay, which is why I'm very very very careful before purchasing anything, sororoity related or not.

wptw · #27 08-15-2002, 12:04 PM

Stacydphie, I completely agree with you about being cautious on ebay. That's not what I'm saying though.

Shadokat started this whole "sky is falling" thing last night by saying the seller in this auction was a pin collector, and that if you look at the bid history you'll see he bid on his own auction. Neither of these comments appears to be true.

So what I'm saying is, before people start freaking out and thinking the pin collectors are shill bidding up the prices, let Shadokat give us more evidence as to why she made the comments she did. I think she probably looked at the listing wrong and made an honest mistake.

As for this particular auction, I personally would stay away from it. New seller. No feedback. Not much detail on the badge. And the listing was just edited to change "10k gold" to "gold plated" after it has already received quite a few bids.

wptw

Tom Earp · #28 08-15-2002, 04:54 PM

Folks listen to wptw, he is giving you straigth scoop!

By the way that Badge that I had that you had seen, I sent that to Jono along with a LXA Alpha Badge he got from me at my cost as was Alpha!

Check with him as he is not sure what it is either! You were the only one who had an idea!

Most if not all Collectors want to buy low and sell high! Hell that is the American way!

I have tried to tell Different Orgs about Badges on ebay but got no thank you for doing it! So I do not do it anymore! DA!

I have seen LXA Badges on ebay and if I see a Brother Bidding, I do not bid against him! I will write and try to keep a record so I can stay in touch and see what is up with them at that Chapter why dont you all try the same?

Yes I have bought LXA Badges so to keep them opff site but sell or offer to sell them back to my members at what I paid for them which usually is cheaper than National! Da have sold 2!

So you should check into who is bidding and if to much, drop out!

TTFN!