We've had numerous threads about auctions on the bay that look a little fishy. You know the ones I'm talking about: "Minty NOS AFX Nomad" when it's a JL or AW X-Traction. Or the ads that proclaim "gigantic, turn key" slot car set that is designed by a "master track builder" that show tons of cars and other accessories except none of that stuff is actually included. We post comments on how bogus the items are and wonder if the potential buyer will get a clue after the deal goes down.

Here's what I want to know from you. The people who make these sales often have really high seller ratings. They do their thing over and over again. How do they get away with it? Is this a cse of most slot car buyers really not knowing the difference between original items and the newer clones? Bo people not fell cheated when the parcel only contains a fraction of what was pictured in the ad? Are most buyers really cut off from product access and knowledge that they don't see the screw coming?

Without getting personal or nasty, post your ideas on how the wolves keep fleeing the sheep. Please. :)

An inquiring Hutt really wants to know. :drunk::hat::freak::dude:

I honestly have no clue, I can't even get a good sale on new stuff on the bay. It seems almost everyone snips my stuff in the end or bids and they are the only bidder... where other guys get bids all day long.....

Well, that would take some cooperation on the part of Ebay.
And it just ain't going to happen.

Sadly, a large portion of it is pure ignorance on the part of the buyers. I'll use an old example from our buddy floosa. He listed a JL 59 chevy in black on a used Aurora tjet chassis. He made sure to have worn chrome wheels on it, just to give it the "vintage look". He then listed it on the high side and some poorly educated buyer in Germany got into a bidding war with some other bidder. Needless to say, a $5.00 JL body (that's with crystal clear glass, untouched wheel wells and perfect posts by the way) and a used $10.00 chassis can hit the $210.00 mark. The buyer receives the item, places happy feedback for it, and 6 months down the road he discovers a website loaded with the same body for $15.00 NEW!!! Too late at this point to file a dispute, or even change the great feedback for this scam he has taken a ride on.

There's another thing about our NC buddy.. He has at least 2, quite possibly 3 ebay accounts, and you don't find out until he buys from you. Generally he only buys under the extra names. Ebachooch is his HO RR buyer name, and Nate### is the other. He will go and place a few small bids for items on the boosy name, but the majority of his buying is under the Nate name. Reason being feedback vs. turnaround time. Suppose he buys a batch of bodies from Bud's for 3.99 each. If he buys them on the Boosy name, the scam is ruined as he can't refer people to his feedback and have them see $4.00 bodies on 10.00 chassis he's trying to sell for 25.00. It kinda ruins the illusion of the cars being "vintage".

I give the guy credit, he is shrewd. No scruples, but shrewd. He takes the bottom of the pile stuff and makes a killing at it. When you list 400 items a month, you are going to rack up the feedback. Remember, the majority of his sales are kosher. And he does occaisionally take a loss, and once in a while gets the big red dot in the feedback... Most people do read the listing and are aware they aren't getting everything shown. It's the occasional shafting that someone gives themselves that we end up focusing on...

How about unclear pics & disclaimers of not having any knowledge about slot cars. Funny how these sellers don't know how to properly describe an item,
but seem to be able to come up w/the cars.

I have my own theory on some of these scam artists.

They have their friends buy a few items at absurd prices and pay the fees so that after a while... people think, "Well this item Must be worth good money, look how many others have sold for this price, I better get it before it goes up like the last one"

So, they are setting up a long con. And all they need are a few suckers and it all pays off.

I see guys selling the same guitars over and over. No feedback from most... until the pigeon bites.

One other thing, I reported a small combo Crate Guitar amp auction 2 weeks ago where the seller was charging $100 for shipping. There is no way this amp costs more than $40 to ship from NJ to CA and yet Ebay let it ride AND even let the seller relist it when it didn't sell
All the while they send me an email saying "Thanks and please keep policing Ebay, we will take action" and they did nothing.
They just cash the checks :)

Thanks,
Keith

You guys got it right on the shill bidders - a couple years ago I saw ol floosa14 post "questions" to one of his track sets. "Wow, another great set....." Gag me. Musthave been too obvious, even for him, it was a short-lived ploy. It doesn't cost much money to fake a sale, just the fees, mark the item paid, feedback is superb and the sellers value is inflated. Just good (false) advertising expense. Seems like people like this don't try to make a killing on every sale, small ones set up the big ones.

One negative side effect of anonymous bidder listing - nobody can see if a single bidder is repeatedly running up auctions but not winning many.

A few weeks back I seen on the news a seller was suing someone because of a negative feed back. Anyone know more about this?

I was bidding on a resin Austin Healey 3000 on a T-Jet chassis. It went for over
130 bucks. I quit a 50, and felt a fool for going that high. I later learned from the seller that it had been bought by a guy that had a 1:1 Healey. He didn't know buku about slot cars. So the possibility exists that non slotters find a use for slotcars non related and sometimes overbid like crazy people to get what they want. I had another guy that kept calling me to resin cast a certain year GTO. Johnny lightning made one similar..BUT it had vent windows. He wouldn't buy one and cut the posts out of it. I did, casted the thing and charged him 50 bucks and set it on the same JL chassis that the goat with the posts sat on. So that angle exists in auctions also and is something to look at when a price seems way out of line.

I was bidding on a resin Austin Healey 3000 on a T-Jet chassis. It went for over
130 bucks. I quit a 50, and felt a fool for going that high. I later learned from the seller that it had been bought by a guy that had a 1:1 Healey. He didn't know buku about slot cars. So the possibility exists that non slotters find a use for slotcars non related and sometimes overbid like crazy people to get what they want. I had another guy that kept calling me to resin cast a certain year GTO. Johnny lightning made one similar..BUT it had vent windows. He wouldn't buy one and cut the posts out of it. I did, casted the thing and charged him 50 bucks and set it on the same JL chassis that the goat with the posts sat on. So that angle exists in auctions also and is something to look at when a price seems way out of line.

Wow, that is an excellent point TomH. I had totally overlooked the aspect of people wanting a model of their current or past car. I did run into that in the1:43 resin/white metal kit arena. Guys would come up at a show and say "Starter or Provence Moulage (Feanch companies) should make a (fill in obscure road car here)". I'd ask why only to be told that the guy used to have one. Producing for a sure market of one is not a good idea.

Thanks for the insight!! :thumbsup:

A few weeks back I seen on the news a seller was suing someone because of a negative feed back. Anyone know more about this?


I've seen that too. Since selling on ebay can be considered a "business", it could be laiable to give to someone negative feedback if it's unwarranted.
Have you seen the warning you get when you try to leave negative feedback?

because we allow them.

you should only give feedback after you get the item in the mail, not after you buy it.

IMO you shouldn't bid on it if the pictures are not in focus too. And as a seller, wouldn't you want a nice clean/clear picture of you product. i don't sell, but i think you pay for pictures, why wouldn't you want nice crisp images to sell..... or do you assume, like me, they are trying to hide something? :)

IMO you shouldn't bid on it if the pictures are not in focus too. And as a seller, wouldn't you want a nice clean/clear picture of you product. i don't sell, but i think you pay for pictures, why wouldn't you want nice crisp images to sell..... or do you assume, like me, they are trying to hide something? :)

I agree. If I can't get a clear picture of the item, I don't bid.

I just don't know how people can do something like this & face themselves,but then again that just me.
I would assume that unless they are built like Mr. T they never actually go to any Slot show's for fear that they may wind up facing their victim's.
One day they will cheat someone like Mr. T & suffer serious repurcusion's.

:mad: "I pity the Fool !'' :)



Neal:dude: