WriteAntiques » Internet

Britons flock to online auction sales

Christopher Proudlove — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 11:18:00 +0000

Fourteen per cent of adult Britons who use the internet made their most recent online purchase from an auction site according to a survey by Apacs, the UK payments association. I bet I know which auction site … which is why I’m not surprised when fees for buyers and sellers keep rising. Problem is, there seems to be no serious alternative.

eBay robots – the latest weapons in scammer wars

Christopher Proudlove — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 14:54:00 +0000

eBay scam latest: I learned something new today – eBay power sellers use bots (web robots) to post hundreds of sales offering “Buy it Now” stuff such as e-books, digital photos and Windows wallpaper for a penny (or a cent). It’s all delivered digitally, but automating the process is the only way the sellers can make any money.

When a buyer clicks to buy and pays up, the bot is programmed to automatically email the product and at the same time, a standard generic positive feedback notice which is recorded on the buyer’s profile.

Impressed at the quality and speed of the service, the buyer responds with positive feedback for the vendor and everyone is happy. And so are the scammers.

Now the crooks have got wise to the system. They use similar bots to create a large number of fake buyers’ accounts and to locate and purchase the digitally delivered cheapo stuff, thus building up convincing amounts of positive feedback.

The rest is obvious. They then set up bogus sales for valuable kit that doesn’t exist, rake in the proceeds and vanish.

Time was when it was enough to simply check that a seller had a good level of positive feedback to feel comfortable about buying from him. Now it’s becoming increasingly important to check out exactly what goods the feedback relates to. If you find lots of 1p purchases listed – steer clear.

Christie’s play leapfrog with Internet first

Christopher Proudlove — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 10:01:00 +0000

International auctioneers Christie’s crept up quietly and stole a march on their rivals today by announcing the introduction of live Internet-based bidding for some of their sales.
Nothing new there, you might say, but Christie’s have chosen to protect their brand and have developed their own version of the technology instead of falling in with such providers as eBay Live, Live Auctioneers and others.
The big news, however, is that Christie’s version includes both sound and video from the saleroom – features that leapfrog over their competitors and potentially provide a far more compelling programme. A demo version can be seen here.

PayPal: with friends like this …

Christopher Proudlove — Wed, 01 Mar 2006 18:30:00 +0000

A cruise around eBay’s community forums throws up a raft of problem posts from sellers who claim they are victims of PayPal’s unaccountability and apparent intransigence when it comes to settling disputes.

A typical case involves an individual who sells an object on eBay, receives payment via PayPal, posts it to the winner of the auction in good time and then goes on holiday thinking no more about it.

In his absence, the winner complains to PayPal that the object was never delivered and in his absence, emails to the seller having gone unanswered owing to him being on holiday, PayPal sides with the winner, removes funds from the seller’s account without his knowledge and refunds the winner.

EBay says the seller would have been reimbursed had he had a seller-protection insurance policy and proof of shipping. He is adamant that he posted the item, but cannot prove it because it was sent first class post.

Emails to PayPal are answered either by automatic response — somewhat worse than phoning a call centre in India — or using stock responses which bear little or no relation to the issue in question.

EBay say they’re working on it. In the meantime, it’s a case of caveat vendor!

Beware the phishers and don’t get caught by this scam

Christopher Proudlove — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 15:41:00 +0000

Recognise this spoof email?

Dear valued eBay member, It has come to our attention that your eBay billing updates are out of order. If you could please take 5-10 minutes out of your online experience and update your billing records you will not run into any future problems with the online service. Once you have updated your account records your eBay session will not be interrupted and will continue as normal. Failure to update will result in cancellation of service, Terms of Service (TOS) violations or future billing problems. To update your eBay records click here: https://billing.ebay.com/aw-cg.

Whatever you do, don’t ever respond to this kind of hoax. Scammers are trying to steal your identity and clear your bank account. It’s called “phishing” in the business and anyone with an e-mail address who has bought or sold on eBay (or used PayPal) is a target.
Ignore the email and any threats it may contain about suspension of account.

Reputable companies such as eBay and PayPal never ask customers for their account or credit card details, username or password in any communications.

And get a firewall and a virus checker on your computer.

Making money? First, sell your antique or collectable

Christopher Proudlove — Mon, 09 Jan 2006 10:45:00 +0000

There is no shortage of ways to sell objects you own – and I’ve tried most of them, with differing results. One that I hope to use increasingly is the online auction. Before I do so, I intend to check out the recommendations listed here by the Federal Trade Commision and I suggest you do the same.

Bikers’ bible gets in on the bidding act

Christopher Proudlove — Wed, 06 Jul 2005 13:41:00 +0000

Bikers’ bible Motorcycle News has announced it has launched an internet site so that like-minded buyers and sellers of anything connected with motorcycles can bid for and buy or sell objects from the comfort of their homes. Click here here to read more.