Exposed: how eBay sellers fix auctions

[mandy]

CUSTOMERS of the internet auction site eBay are being defrauded by unscrupulous dealers who secretly bid up the price of items on sale to boost profits.

An investigation by The Sunday Times has indicated that the practice of artificially driving up prices — known as shill bidding — is widespread across the site.

Last week one of the UK’s biggest eBay sellers admitted in a taped conversation with an undercover reporter that he was prepared to use business associates to bid on his goods for him...

full article and audio clips of an eBay shill bidder:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,...50,00.html

[maggie777]

One of the beneficiaries of the boom is Eftis Paraskevaides, a former gynaecologist, from Cambridgeshire. He has become a “Titanium PowerSeller” — one of eBay’s handful of top earners — selling more than £1.4m worth of antiquities a year on the site.

December 2000: Gynaecologist suspended  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1069070.stm

October 2002:
A senior gynaecologist has resigned from his hospital job in Cambridgeshire after concerns were raised about his treatment of patients.

Two years ago obstetrician Eftis Paraskevaides was suspended while a review of his work was carried out.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/2381027.stm

Eftis Paraskevaides, who sells under the username "bidancient" at online auctions, is one of the worst fakers selling online today.
http://eftis.bravehost.com/
Eftis
http://forums.swordforum.com/showthread....eadid=4262&goto=nextnewest

He claimed eBay would never follow up a complaint against him for shill bidding because he generated about £15,000 a month in commission for the company. “Are they going to ban somebody who’s making them the best part of 15 grand a month? No,” he said.

eBay did follow up.  He was suspended yesterday or today.
http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&userid=bidancient&iid=160076489359&ftab=FeedbackAsSeller&ssPageName=VIP:feedback:2:us
Auction closed 1/27: http://cgi.ebay.com/EFTIS-PRIMITIVE-BEST...dZViewItem

We are proud and honoured to have been invited to sit at the eBay table at the British Antiques and Collectables Awards, at the Dorchester Hotel in London. The awards, saw a major eBay involvment.

[thentavius]

Creep.

[mandy]

An internet antiques dealer was suspended from eBay yesterday after claims that sellers were using the online auction site to push up the prices of their wares illegally.

The company said it was investigating Eftis Paraskevaides, who sells goods worth hundreds of thousands of pounds on the site every year, following a newspaper sting...

"eBay policies are applied equally to all users and we will take appropriate action if any evidence is found of users failing to comply with them...

full article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jht...ebay29.xml

[BellisimaJ.]

"eBay policies are applied equally to all users and we will take appropriate action if any evidence is found of users failing to comply with them...

Yeah, if the press finds them first. :

[thentavius]

eBay policies are applied equally to all users and we will take appropriate action if any evidence is found of users failing to comply with them..

Absolutely positively not.

[sneakymagenta]

Gynaecologist suspended 

An internet antiques dealer was suspended from eBay yesterday

I give him credit for sticking to his principles and being consistently dishonest in all his endeavors. 

[quote author=thentavius link=topic=6871.msg41573#msg41573 date=1170092527]

eBay policies are applied equally to all users and we will take appropriate action if any evidence is found of users failing to comply with them..

Absolutely positively not.
[/quote]

Shhh! It's supposed to be a secret.

[mandy]

Update: the suspension has turned into a lifetime ban after eBay's investigation uncovered shill bidding.

ONE of Britain’s top eBay traders has been banned from the auction site for life after a Sunday Times investigation found that an account in the name of his ex-wife had allegedly been used to bid up the price of goods that he was selling.

Computer records show that Eftis Paraskevaides, an antiquities dealer from Cambridgeshire, took bids from his former wife’s eBay account on at least 400 items. The link between seller and bidder had been hidden from customers and eBay officials because the transactions were made in her maiden name...

It is believed that no money changed hands in any of the purported sales...

full article: http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/...323967.ece

[bargainbloodhound]

[quote author=sneakymagenta link=topic=6871.msg41577#msg41577 date=1170094742]

Gynaecologist suspended 

An internet antiques dealer was suspended from eBay yesterday

I give him credit for sticking to his principles and being consistently dishonest in all his endeavors. 
[/quote]

Yep :