what does 'private listing - bidders' identities protected' mean?

[life.on.mars]

I just bid on this item twice with the phrase 'private listing - bidders' identities protected'. 

Even my bids are now hidden- I do not trust this secrecy and I won't be bidding again unless this is removed.

Seems very much like a price ramping ploy and even if it isn't then it fails because it LOOKS like it.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/351152483009?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

Eric

[harley_babes_hoard]

normally sellers only used this for sensitive items or very expensive items when ID's were completely visible to everyone who cared to poke around. These days ebay have disguised normal buyers ID's from public view (h***b38) is all you see so private bidders identity auction are really not needed anymore.
I guess there is no difference as far as shill bidding goes they can do it when identity hidden or not.

[chameleon54]

Sellers can make their listings private. It is usually done for "personel items" that require some discretion or for valuable collectables and artworks. Some sellers do it "just because" and like you mention, it does look a bit suspicous now and again. One strategy to use if you want the item, is to snipe bid. This involves only placing one bid for the maximum amount you are willing to pay in the last few seconds of the auction. This prevents any tampering going on with your bid 

[chameleon54]

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@harley_babes_hoard wrote:
........These days ebay have disguised normal buyers ID's from public view (h***b38) is all you see so private bidders identity auction are really not needed anymore.

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The codes certianly help, but in smaller fields of collectables etc. you soon get to know after awhile who's code is attached to who's real ID. I know in my field, I know who many of the codes relate too.

[life.on.mars]

Thanks everybody

Still don't like the hidden bidders idea- don't care for it and I wont bid.- good tip on the sniping thing- never thought of that.

It was just a vacuum cleaner for goodness sake- why the obfuscation I wonder?????

Not often I hear the word 'shill'- thanks for that- good to hear some expanded english in a world full of 'nice' and 'ok'

eRYq

[cristbow]

Yes I agree, who's to know if the seller isn't bidding to ramp up the bidding prices. 

[padi*0409]

Please, take note of the age of threads and avoid dragging up old ones like this.

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

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@cristbow wrote:

Yes I agree, who's to know if the seller isn't bidding to ramp up the bidding prices. 

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who'd have thought?

[sandypebbles]

For a start, a seller can't bid on their own stuff

AND even if the seller had another ID and was using that to bid with, nobody would know it's 'them under another name'  'bumping up the bids'

Most sellers are'nt stupid enough to risk eBay closing all their accounts down for the sake of 'more bids', seeing as they would be banned from ever opening another account again 

Ten years is a long time to wait to disagree 

[countessalmirena]

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@cristbow wrote:

Yes I agree, who's to know if the seller isn't bidding to ramp up the bidding prices. 

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@cristbow,

The thread was last posted upon on 04-09-2014.

2014. Years ago. So long ago that the corpse has gone from black putrefaction right through butyric fermentation and into the dry decay of death’s skeleton.

Please… let the dead thread rest in peace. Why not start a new thread if shill bidding is a matter of concern for you now, so that it can be discussed in a relevant way…?