PlunderHere and AlsoShop: A Web of Privacy Violations, Backstabbing, and Deceit

[bargainbloodhound]

[quote author=bargainbloodhound link=topic=9139.msg75541#msg75541 date=1259121633]
[quote author=bargainbloodhound link=topic=9139.msg75485#msg75485 date=1258423042]
[quote author=sneakymagenta link=topic=9139.msg75483#msg75483 date=1258418795]

...and the monthly sales totals on this page are a flashing warning sign to all sellers Run, run, registering on this rinky dink will kill your sales!
[/quote]

The number of sales on ASs is up slightly from last November but monthly GMV could fall 30% because average selling prices have tumbled.

Nov 2009 Sold: 427 $1047.77 full month projection 800 $1965 (ASP $2.46)
Nov 2008 Sold: 734 $2787.69 (ASP $3.80)
[/quote]

Update:
November 16th-24th ASs sales stats: 129 sales totalling $237.41 (ASP $1.84)

new ASs GMV projection for November: November 2009 GMV will fall 42.4% from November 2008 to $1606 and total items sold will decline 5.3% Y/Y to 695.
[/quote]

AlsoShop Black Friday sales stats!

ASs November 25th-27th sitewide: 48 sales totalling $176.95...that's an average of $2.06 per storeowner for the 3-day period that included Black Friday. 

Here's an update on another ASs sales metric: percentage of total items sold on ASs purchased by the 5 largest ASs sellers:  54.9% (6,739 of 12,273 total items sold)

Yet another sales metric: excluding the 8700 items purchased by the site's 10 largest buyers (all of whom are also ASs sellers), the site has averaged slightly under 6 sales per day totalling under $16 (based on the site's lifetime $2.67 ASP) from outside buyers since opening (and that's ASsuming that every single one of the remaining 3500 items was purchased by an outside buyer and not an ASs seller).  Conclusion: somebody needs to STFU and stop giving her "expert" advice about Google on the PSU/ASs boards because based on the 6/$16 per day stats it's obvious she's clueless about how to convert search engine visitors into buyers.

[sneakymagenta]

We believe your business is no one else's. Your privacy is important to you…and to us. So we'll protect the information you share with us. To protect your privacy, AlsoShop.com follows different principles in accordance with world-wide practices for customer privacy and data protection.

If I presented PSUnite with a series of IP addresses, without personal information attached, would your IP match any of them?

http://www.powersellersunite.com/post-28...tml#285312

She's willing to violate AlsoShop users' privacy and share their personal information, i.e.  IP addresses, with an unrelated 3rd party because somebody posted something on PSU she didn't agree with?  :blinkie: :blinkie: :blinkie:

Last year in New Jersey v. Reid the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that ISP's* can't disclose IP addresses without a subpoena. Minnesota Statutes §§ 325M.01 to .09 -"prohibits Internet service providers from disclosing personally identifiable information, including a consumer's physical or electronic address".  Violators of the MN law are subject to "civil damages of $500 or actual damages and attorney fees for violation of the law."  The European Union also considers IP addresses to be personal information.

*auction sites are considered ISPs under US federal law §230

[bargainbloodhound]

The European Union also considers IP addresses to be personal information.

Ummm, when the Swoopbug morons exposed their users' IP addresses and other personal info via a link to their AddFree stats service 2 weeks ago,  I believe I demonstrated that IP addresses can be used to easily identify an individual.  It took me 2 minutes using a geoIP service to identify the IP addresses of the 3 stooges involved in the site. 

[regic]

[quote author=sneakymagenta link=topic=9139.msg75557#msg75557 date=1259441085]

We believe your business is no one else's. Your privacy is important to you…and to us. So we'll protect the information you share with us. To protect your privacy, AlsoShop.com follows different principles in accordance with world-wide practices for customer privacy and data protection.

If I presented PSUnite with a series of IP addresses, without personal information attached, would your IP match any of them?

http://www.powersellersunite.com/post-28...tml#285312

She's willing to violate AlsoShop users' privacy and share their personal information, i.e.  IP addresses, with an unrelated 3rd party because somebody posted something on PSU she didn't agree with?  :blinkie: :blinkie: :blinkie:

Last year in New Jersey v. Reid the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that ISP's* can't disclose IP addresses without a subpoena. Minnesota Statutes §§ 325M.01 to .09 -"prohibits Internet service providers from disclosing personally identifiable information, including a consumer's physical or electronic address".  Violators of the MN law are subject to "civil damages of $500 or actual damages and attorney fees for violation of the law."  The European Union also considers IP addresses to be personal information.

*auction sites are considered ISPs under US federal law §230
[/quote]

Imagine the reaction of PSU members if that post had been made by John Donahoe or Patrick Byrne instead of Mo...

[bargainbloodhound]

The reaction would be minor compared to the reaction there would be if either of them had spent November chatting on forums (as Mo has done) while their site's Y/Y GMV was falling 40% (which AlsoShop's November GMV is on a course to do).

[rho]

Maybe this is some sort of loophole "...AlsoShop.com follows different principles in accordance with world-wide practices for customer privacy and data protection."

I tend to agree with bargainbloodhound that the reaction would be minor. Seller mindset is very lax when it comes to dealing with rinky dink venues.

[xwpopper]

I suspect you're right, and the business Deep South Entertainment that was on the domain registrar info posted at that forum has never been registered to anyone in Key West.

The man really has no concept of reality. He admittedly operates phantom "businesses" in Nevada for protection from liabilities.
[quote author=Fisherman]
Really depends on your asset situation, volume of sales you make, income, and what liabilities you want to have. Best to ask your tax man that may be familiar with your situation. I find anonymous corps, Nevada based, work well.
[/quote]
http://www.powersellersunite.com/viewtopic.php?t=30197&highlight=nevada#283229

[regic]

[quote author=regic link=topic=9139.msg75551#msg75551 date=1259355445]

The guy I talked to on the phone @ the pizza place must have been mistaken that the restaurant has been open "...about five years..." - the business is registered w/ the state of FL since 2007.

The fisherman probably never registered the business with FL when he owned it  -at least not under that name.  The (12 seat) restaurant has been open at least 5 1/2 years. There are (very good) reviews on City Search from '04/'05.

[/quote]

editing my own words...a pizza restaurant has been operating in that location for at least 7 1/2 years.  The first owner lasted 2 years 2002-2004.  The menu and name were changed when the fisherman took over the spot.  The first incarnation was incorporated (2798 N Roosevelt Blvd Inc, formed in 2002, dissolved in 2004) and also had a DBA (Coco's Pizzeria) on file with the state.  Still no signs of any incorporation or DBA for the fisherman years.

Ironically, considering Ray's run-ins with animal rights activists, the first owner was a PeTA supporter.

http://site.nativei.com:8080/cocospizza/

[rho]

[quote author=xwpopper link=topic=9139.msg75563#msg75563 date=1259451651]

I suspect you're right, and the business Deep South Entertainment that was on the domain registrar info posted at that forum has never been registered to anyone in Key West.

The man really has no concept of reality. He admittedly operates phantom "businesses" in Nevada for protection from liabilities.
[quote author=Fisherman]
Really depends on your asset situation, volume of sales you make, income, and what liabilities you want to have. Best to ask your tax man that may be familiar with your situation. I find anonymous corps, Nevada based, work well.
[/quote]
http://www.powersellersunite.com/viewtopic.php?t=30197&highlight=nevada#283229
[/quote]

"Anonymous" corps. Riiiiiiiiight. Perhaps Websters changed the meaning of anonymous to: "I ain't got none" recently?

State laws require nearly all businesses register with the Secretary of State regardless which state the entity was formed. 

Being registered via NV anonymous corps does not exempt one from following state regulations. One must still register with the state and point to their NV registration.  While your identity is shielded from consumers, the AG, Fed, IRS and other regulatory bodies can access personal infos.

If the fisherman has a properly registered business with the state of FL based on an anonymous NV corp registration it wouldn't make sense to jeopardize a legit business with the  numerous fraudulent business names he's used. The "anonymous corp" is a very recent development. It makes no sense at all to hide a business that's under proxy.

[rho]

[quote author=regic link=topic=9139.msg75564#msg75564 date=1259454372]
[quote author=regic link=topic=9139.msg75551#msg75551 date=1259355445]

The guy I talked to on the phone @ the pizza place must have been mistaken that the restaurant has been open "...about five years..." - the business is registered w/ the state of FL since 2007.

The fisherman probably never registered the business with FL when he owned it  -at least not under that name.  The (12 seat) restaurant has been open at least 5 1/2 years. There are (very good) reviews on City Search from '04/'05.

[/quote]

editing my own words...a pizza restaurant has been operating in that location for at least 7 1/2 years.  The first owner lasted 2 years 2002-2004.  The menu and name were changed when the fisherman took over the spot.  The first incarnation was incorporated (2798 N Roosevelt Blvd Inc, formed in 2002, dissolved in 2004) and also had a DBA (Coco's Pizzeria) on file with the state.  Still no signs of any incorporation or DBA for the fisherman years.

Ironically, considering Ray's run-ins with animal rights activists, the first owner was a PeTA supporter.

http://site.nativei.com:8080/cocospizza/
[/quote]

The state of FL is pretty strict w/ hotel and restaurant inspections and checking licensing/permits is part of the routine. Running a public establishment  under the radar for a couple of years would be next to impossible.