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Avoiding "Private auction" sellers on eBay

csxjohn

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Here's an example of why I avoid sellers using the "private auction" format.

There is no reason for the second auction to have a much higher bid than the first, especially when you consider that the second goes on for almost another month and the first ends very soon.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tropic-Shor...ach-Florida-/391254107505?hash=item5b188fe571


http://www.ebay.com/itm/TROPIC-SHOR...NG-TRANSFER-/151810236620?hash=item23589860cc

The only difference I see is that the second seller is offering BOGO in the title but not in the ad body. Could that be enticing peeps to bid or is there maybe shill bidding going on?

Neither one is entitled to their deeded week and both have the same float period.

I just don't get it.
 
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csxjohn

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Snipe bidding in the last 3 seconds brought this one to $455, strangely the exact ending bid on a similar auction that ended in July from a different seller.

I sold one of these last year for $100 when I bought my second 2br unit there. With closing my buyer paid $250.

Maybe prices are starting to rise a little.
 

timesharepro

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The auction that ended today was my auction. There was actually two snipe bids in the last few seconds. The high bidder has zero feedback so we shall see how this pans out.

I have noticed a few things increase in sales prices over the last year, mostly Wyndham and Bluegreen.

It helps when people sit through the presentation and then come to ebay right away. With the busy travel season about to come to a halt prices will drop for a while. At least that is what I have seen the last 6-7 years.
 

tschwa2

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I just wish sellers would not use private auctions or that ebay would do away with it all together. At one point (more than 5 years ago) it may have protected bidders identity but now it is often used by shady sellers who don't want buyers to know what item the feed back is for or to hide shill bidders.

Without being able to connect a good feedback with an actual auction, I pretty much assume it is a seller who props up their timeshare or higher ticket items by selling crap small items (like $1.00 baseball cards) and shipping them out fast. Knowing that a seller has successfully transferred timeshares to satisfied customers is the kind of feedback that I want to see. I know that not all timeshares transfer in less than 60 days, it is ok as long as some do.

There are a couple of sellers who I know have never transfered anything in less than 60 days, and I have my doubt that any get transferred within 90 and more than half never get transferred at 90+.
 

Roger830

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I consider the bid history and feedback for timeshares pretty much useless on ebay. Many timeshares close after feedback can be left.

Even in public auctions, there is little info to be gained in bid history. When I started using ebay in the year 2000 buying and selling hobby items, you could see not only bidders history, but also items that were bid on. Shill bidders were obvious. I met one when I went to pick up an item at his hardware store. Not an evil man.

The $205 difference in sales price isn't significant for a timeshare that has a multi $1000 cost over 20 years. It's been my experience on ebay that many buyers just don't care about prior selling prices of items. They pay what is justified by them.
 

ronparise

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The auction that ended today was my auction. There was actually two snipe bids in the last few seconds. The high bidder has zero feedback so we shall see how this pans out.

I have noticed a few things increase in sales prices over the last year, mostly Wyndham and Bluegreen.

It helps when people sit through the presentation and then come to ebay right away. With the busy travel season about to come to a halt prices will drop for a while. At least that is what I have seen the last 6-7 years.

So John...Why do you use Private Auctions?

I dont understand the concern, especially if I know the seller (like you) but its obviously a problem for CSXJohn and others. But neither do I understand your need to use them
 

Jason245

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I consider the bid history and feedback for timeshares pretty much useless on ebay. Many timeshares close after feedback can be left.

Even in public auctions, there is little info to be gained in bid history. When I started using ebay in the year 2000 buying and selling hobby items, you could see not only bidders history, but also items that were bid on. Shill bidders were obvious. I met one when I went to pick up an item at his hardware store. Not an evil man.

The $205 difference in sales price isn't significant for a timeshare that has a multi $1000 cost over 20 years. It's been my experience on ebay that many buyers just don't care about prior selling prices of items. They pay what is justified by them.

As someone who bought 2 timeshares on ebay using bid snipes, I can tell you that my biggest concern was shill bidding given how unscrupulous normal timeshare sales are and the fact that I would watch the same interval sell for significantly more than another with closing of less than 2 days apart (I would have expected the loser of the last one to bid on the other one at their max prior price, but that bidder would unexpectatly disapear).

On both of my snipes, I made the purchase for significantly less than my maximum price (which was less than half of what the suspected shill auctions were closing at), probably because the shill bidders were prevented from getting involved or the seller didn't use them.

To add further evidence, these were auctions where closing was included in cost (nothing except bid was due), wheras the ones that went for more money from suspect shills closing was not included and at the crazy high prices of ~$5-800 bucks.
 

tschwa2

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He doesn't. If you look on the first one it isn't private. I've asked sellers why and often the good ones do not. The bad ones have very snippy often rude responses about how it protects their buyers.
 

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As someone who bought 2 timeshares on ebay using bid snipes, I can tell you that my biggest concern was shill bidding given how unscrupulous normal timeshare sales are and the fact that I would watch the same interval sell for significantly more than another with closing of less than 2 days apart (I would have expected the loser of the last one to bid on the other one at their max prior price, but that bidder would unexpectatly disapear).

Well, all I can say is that I bought my 3 Wyndham timeshares on ebay, one from Timesharepro, and I paid no attention to the bid history. I sniped in the last 5 seconds and I'm happy with the results. I don't know or care if there were shills.
 

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So John...Why do you use Private Auctions?

I dont understand the concern, especially if I know the seller (like you) but its obviously a problem for CSXJohn and others. But neither do I understand your need to use them

I don't use private auctions. We don't shill bid either. Most of our auctions sell for $1, if we are lucky. No point (to me) in trying to make it $2.

If by chance one of our auctions comes up as a private auction it is because it is an old template that hasn't been updated and we missed it when starting the auction. The persons who did the ebay auctions before I got here 8 years ago used to have the some auctions set as private. That changed when I took over.
 

alexadeparis

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I just wish sellers would not use private auctions or that ebay would do away with it all together. At one point (more than 5 years ago) it may have protected bidders identity but now it is often used by shady sellers who don't want buyers to know what item the feed back is for or to hide shill bidders.

Without being able to connect a good feedback with an actual auction, I pretty much assume it is a seller who props up their timeshare or higher ticket items by selling crap small items (like $1.00 baseball cards) and shipping them out fast. Knowing that a seller has successfully transferred timeshares to satisfied customers is the kind of feedback that I want to see. I know that not all timeshares transfer in less than 60 days, it is ok as long as some do.

There are a couple of sellers who I know have never transfered anything in less than 60 days, and I have my doubt that any get transferred within 90 and more than half never get transferred at 90+.


I had my most recent timeshare on my SVN account within the time to leave feedback on Ebay and I was so SHOCKED, I almost fell out of my chair! That was one out of maybe a dozen purchases on ebay over the years.
 

alexadeparis

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As someone who bought 2 timeshares on ebay using bid snipes, I can tell you that my biggest concern was shill bidding given how unscrupulous normal timeshare sales are and the fact that I would watch the same interval sell for significantly more than another with closing of less than 2 days apart (I would have expected the loser of the last one to bid on the other one at their max prior price, but that bidder would unexpectatly disapear).

On both of my snipes, I made the purchase for significantly less than my maximum price (which was less than half of what the suspected shill auctions were closing at), probably because the shill bidders were prevented from getting involved or the seller didn't use them.

To add further evidence, these were auctions where closing was included in cost (nothing except bid was due), wheras the ones that went for more money from suspect shills closing was not included and at the crazy high prices of ~$5-800 bucks.

I agree that it is a cover for shill bids. I had a particular St John unit that was posted on ebay 4 times before it finally "sold". Each time I would put in my max, a low amount, and either it would be outbid by a shill or the auction would mysteriously end early. But a few weeks later the same exact unit (fixed/fixed) would show up again, for sale by the same seller. After the 4th time, I gave up on bidding after it "sold" for $5 over my max and never saw it come up again. I am convinced that they kept putting it up to see if I would put more $ in for the bid, and when they realized I would not, they held on to it. It was a low season EOY unit, so it was less desirable than a typical St John unit. That is exactly why I don't like those types of auctions.
 

ronparise

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I guess I just don't care if there is a shill bidder. I set the maximum I'll pay with a snipe service and I either get it or I don't. In either case I don't pay more than I'm willing to pay

I don't see shill bidding any different than setting a reserve price. As far as I'm concerned if the seller doesn't want to sell it at or below my price that's fine by me I won't buy it

Are there times I maybe could have gotten it for less if not for the shill? Sure. But I never pay more than my price. I'm ok with that
 

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I guess I just don't care if there is a shill bidder. I set the maximum I'll pay with a snipe service and I either get it or I don't. In either case I don't pay more than I'm willing to pay

I don't see shill bidding any different than setting a reserve price. As far as I'm concerned if the seller doesn't want to sell it at or below my price that's fine by me I won't buy it

Are there times I maybe could have gotten it for less if not for the shill? Sure. But I never pay more than my price. I'm ok with that
I could not agree more

Bid what you are willing to pay.
 

tschwa2

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It's not a matter of what you pay. I find more sellers who use private auctions to be shadier and less professional. There are a couple of exceptions of sellers that I won't do business at any price but my threshold bids for private auctions are usually lower and sometimes quite a bit lower because I expect transfers to take longer, communication to be worse and the likelihood of problems higher.

I guess in some ways the private auctions make it easier to know, who I probably won't enjoy buying from. I think private auctions make it more difficult to give the kind of meaningful feed back that would get the type of seller that should be banned from selling banned from ebay.
 

csxjohn

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The auction that ended today was my auction. There was actually two snipe bids in the last few seconds. The high bidder has zero feedback so we shall see how this pans out.

....

You'll be happy to know the winning bid was from the son of a friend of mine. She already owns two units at tropic shores so I don't think you will have any problems with this buyer.

I did not know this at the time I posted.

His mom is the one who bought the unit I mentioned in post #2. They are trying to get a family get together next August so he really wanted to get a week so he can make a ressie and did not want to wait for a cheaper one to come along.

This looks like a win for everyone involved.
 

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There is only 1 legit reason to use a "Private Auction" listing on eBay these days. And that's if you are selling items that you don't want to show up in your or your buyers history. There are a few categories under "Everything Else" that fit this, but timeshares and 99.9% of the items sold on eBay do not.
 

csxjohn

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There is only 1 legit reason to use a "Private Auction" listing on eBay these days. And that's if you are selling items that you don't want to show up in your or your buyers history. There are a few categories under "Everything Else" that fit this, but timeshares and 99.9% of the items sold on eBay do not.

I agree, It's my understanding that it was set up for very expensive antique and art auctions where the buyers absolutely don't want to be ID'd. Makes no sense for timeshares at all.
 

alexadeparis

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I agree, It's my understanding that it was set up for very expensive antique and art auctions where the buyers absolutely don't want to be ID'd. Makes no sense for timeshares at all.

Or for questionable items like sex toys, porn, etc. perhaps?
 

csxjohn

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Jason245

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TSs are an addiction so I think you're right.

I would classify TS as a specialized product that is designed for a specific customer type, but due to high margins, agressivly marketed to customers who should not buy them.

Similar products would be:

Annuities
whole/variable life insurance policies
most extended warranties
Ticket protection insurance from ticketmaster
Third party mortgage payment companies (that sell customers on making payments every other week to save interest, but collect a fee for doing so).
Pre-paid Gas for Rental cars
Rental Car insurance
Low end "luxury brand" cars sold at inflated prices ($30k BMW/Mercedies with less features and luxury than $20-25k non luxury brands so that people can say they drive those brands.
most brand name non generic medications.
Extra large cups of soda which cost only 50 cents more in a restaurant that offers free refills.
"Premium gas" and/or "mid Grade" gas for cars that do not require that gas.


I could go on, but you get the idea
 

alexadeparis

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visor

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most brand name non generic medications.

Be cautioned that generic meds are known to be slightly less effective, whether blood pressure meds, antibiotics, etc. ;)

(I know because I deal with them on a daily basis...)
 
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carl2591

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yourvacationservices2 on ebay.

another interesting tidbit is they ONLY accept credit cards and state the title transfer can take 90-120 days... WELL beyond the dispute period of most credit cards..

plus when you read all the text it a lot of you must do this and you must do that type stuff.. most of the stuff they handle look like a deal is the time and place work for you. strange only feedback for 6 months..

not sure about this one.

(Due to West Virginia guidelines on purchasing Real Estate; West Virginia Residents will not be able to participate in this Auction)

here something strange as well.. the above statement was posted on every auction they are doing.. it right up under the first picture on description area..

What does WV guidelines have to do with timeshare purchase and why are they not allow VW residents to buy from them???? very interesting i must say..

NOW more reason to be aware of this seller..


Here's an example of why I avoid sellers using the "private auction" format.

There is no reason for the second auction to have a much higher bid than the first, especially when you consider that the second goes on for almost another month and the first ends very soon.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tropic-Shor...ach-Florida-/391254107505?hash=item5b188fe571


http://www.ebay.com/itm/TROPIC-SHOR...NG-TRANSFER-/151810236620?hash=item23589860cc

The only difference I see is that the second seller is offering BOGO in the title but not in the ad body. Could that be enticing peeps to bid or is there maybe shill bidding going on?

Neither one is entitled to their deeded week and both have the same float period.

I just don't get it.
 
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