Now this has got to be a record. Or shill bidding.... - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

nuckingfuts · #1 06-12-2006, 04:03 AM

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4647744496&sspagename=ADME%3AB%3AWNA%3AMT%3A12

nhdoc · #2 06-12-2006, 07:18 AM

My vote is for shill...the runner up is from a town less than 5 miles away from the lister's location. It seems more than a coincidence that someone would place a bid of $20,000 even on that car and be located just down the road and not know the seller...

perhaps I am just being synical but the fact that the runner up was a "local" is usually a tipoff that something hinkey is going on

POS · #3 06-12-2006, 08:18 AM

I just can't believe than anyone would pay $20k for that. Got to be BS somehow - either the Seller's pumping his own bids or the Buyer had no intention of paying.

junqueyardjim · #4 06-12-2006, 12:30 PM

Looks to me like a female buyer found the car of her dreams. It is a beautiful car, and if the owner cares much, it does have all the service records. The buyer might have no knowledge that the engine might have a weak place or two. She might find out. But look at the car from the point of a prospective buyer who wants a 3 seat wagon. Do you think she could get a comparable car for less from the Stealer? It is a great color, obviously very clean inside and out, and if the buyer was close enought to go look at it and possibly test drive it, I don't see where the buyer is that far out of line on the price. Everyone who does not know the "ins and outs" of diesel vehicles thinks they will last forever.

TWeatherford · #5 06-12-2006, 12:55 PM

So what are the rules of ebay and "shill bidding." I'm assuming you mean that either the seller or a sellers friend is bidding on the vehicle to stimulate bidding. Is it allowed/legal? Certainly not ethical. I think I've seen it a few times, one bidder bidding higher and higher, but somehow not quite winning it. Ebay can't track it, unless they get lots of complaints about one specific buyer I guess.

thorsen · #6 06-12-2006, 01:03 PM

People are different. Some like at that car and see low value vs high price. Someone else looked at it and saw a higher value than price.

rhodes2010 · #7 06-12-2006, 01:06 PM

Although the retail kbb.com on that car is maybe $6000 tops, market value is something else entirely.

I have driven to see many cars before bidding on them.
So, I bid on cars that are close to me, and am more confident because I have seen them. I can bid more money, safely.

Look at the history on the winner, and the positive feedback left, I do not think shill.

And yes - Ebay takes a dim view of shill and has rules against it, you can get banned from Ebay for doing it. Prosecuted by courts for doing it (big art scam got busted a few months ago for driving up prices on ebay).

d.delano · #8 06-12-2006, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by junqueyardjim

Looks to me like a female buyer found the car of her dreams. It is a beautiful car, and if the owner cares much, it does have all the service records. The buyer might have no knowledge that the engine might have a weak place or two. She might find out... Everyone who does not know the "ins and outs" of diesel vehicles thinks they will last forever.

heheh
assuming it has the #14 head, she/he/whoever will find out real quick if it has problems, especially if they just drive the car in blissful ignorance without giving it a once-over to ascertain it's actual operating condition(and allow it to overheat once or twice). The '87s are a pig-in-a-poke, and expensive to fix. That does look like a good car though. What will you wager the buyer backs out?

pdxwaker · #9 06-12-2006, 01:36 PM

I don't really understand the 'shill bidding' accusations. Its one thing to drive the price up with shill bidding but another to actually win the auction. If you accidently win with your shill bid you're responsible for all the selling fees associated. Regardless, it takes more than one person bidding to drive the price up over $20k. Unbelievable!

nhdoc · #10 06-12-2006, 05:03 PM

The auction seems hinkey for several reasons;

Besides the fact that the runner up bidder, who I suspect was the shill, is in the next town from the seller, which in itself raises suspicions. Next, the buyer and seller both exchange feedback within about an hour after the auction ends. This seems really suspicious. Especially when it was the buyer who left feedback first (also unusual) and the buyer is supposedly registered in Texas but the car is supposedly in Oregon.

These facts combined with the fact that the car's only worth less than half of the price it sold for leads me to conclude it was not a normal "arm's length" ebay transaction.

TX76513 · #11 06-12-2006, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by d.delano

heheh
That does look like a good car though. What will you wager the buyer backs out?

The buyer already left positive feedback.

TheDon · #12 06-12-2006, 05:33 PM

if i have to spend 20k+ to have a better wagon that Z then it will be just!

Hatterasguy · #13 06-12-2006, 06:39 PM

Anyone who spends $20k on a car like that must have a huge amount of money to burn. A modern E320 wagon would get the same if not better mileage.

Something is up. Why would someone spend $20k on a car like that if they cared about saving a few bucks running WVO?

engatwork · #14 06-12-2006, 08:12 PM

I don't know ya'll. As mentioned earlier on mbshop it is definitely a diesel sellers market right now. Take a look at what this '81 Nissan diesel truck brought.

diesel Nissan truck

nhdoc · #15 06-12-2006, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by engatwork

I don't know ya'll. As mentioned earlier on mbshop it is definitely a diesel sellers market right now. Take a look at what this '81 Nissan diesel truck brought.

diesel Nissan truck

I'd sooner buy that than the wagon...that's a cool old truck in great shape!

Seriously, I only paid $26K for our '04 wagon C240 4-Matic in 02/05 when it only had 9K miles on it...why would anyone pay over $20K for a 20 year old one with 160K miles? It's just nuts, IMHO.