A seller just lost more than $5000 in sales for using private and blocking tools...

[world_of_opals]

I was recently blocked for no legitimate reason.  What happened was I had last week installed Norton Anti-Track app on my PC and was not aware that following my first bid a message was sent from Seller to me to verify that I was legitimate buyer as I apparently have low score (which I disagree as I have Turquoise star for Feedback score from 100 to 499 100% - member since 2000 - 20+ years and never ever blocked).  Anyhow, I responded about 1/2 to maybe an hour after auction finished only when I discovered this message because my next bid stated I was restricted and to contact seller. Well I did but he has never looked at my polite responses - never rude. In fact pleaded my case. Ebay apparently do something as well but my software blocked their attempts as spam! So they obviously concluded I was a risk.  What a load of Bull Dust!!!!   I am one of the BEST buyers you could ever hop for.  

I am just annoyed that you are never given the opportunity to plead your case and prove who you really are.  I sent 6-8 messages to seller with zero response.  I aven sent a copy as attachment photo of my business registration with ASIC to prove who I am.  Nothing. 

Very unhappy with this Seller that he does not check out or respond to top eBay buyers.

Thanks for letting me vent - I feel better now!

[domino-710]

Geez - I'm just grateful I don't have school age kids. 😀

[padi*0409]

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@domino-710 wrote:

Geez - I'm just grateful I don't have school age kids. 😀

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.................or people in your life that act like them................

[janeababe]

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@padi*0409 wrote:

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@domino-710 wrote:

Geez - I'm just grateful I don't have school age kids. 😀

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.................or people in your life that act like them................

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….. aweeee, come on, you both know sometimes I can’t help it! 😉😊😎💋

[domino-710]

'Sometimes' - hello. 🤣

[springyzone]

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@world_of_opals wrote:

 I have had two other people successfully place bids on my behalf.  The first got the restricted message and sent this seller a request and then permitted to bid. They did this but could not increase their bid at any time before the end of the auction as still came up restricted and the seller did not respond to their second request 1 day prior to the auction ending. .  Everything had been done properly by this bidder yet the seller never responded to any further request to bid on other items - very strange - again why block this bidder? No reason. 

I then got another bidder from a different town and state - totally unrelated in any way to me to place a bid on my behalf. This bidder has more than 1600 positive purchase feedback over past 6 months.  Again, they where restricted initially and then sent message and ok to bid .  They bid several hundred dollars on an item and led the auction for more than 4 days till outbid. They went to increase their bid and received restricted message again. Send message to seller and AGAIN NO RESPONSE - Although this seller has about 100 positive feedback (100%) something tells me they do not know what they are doing. . 

This buyer is going to attempt another bid on another item with a winning opening bid.  I don't care if I pay excessive for one item - I just want to see how legitimate this seller actually is.  

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This has me stumped as I can understand you're having trouble on your computer because of the app you installed, but if you have 2 different people bidding on their own ebay accounts using their own computers or devices, then you'd think they should not be hitting the same problem.

The possible reasons that come to mind are these:

-Are the items in Australia? If they are not, it could be that the sellers have restrictions on where they will sell to.   I think a seller can over ride those restrictions on request (if the seller wishes to, that is). Perhaps that happened in the first case you mentioned?

-Depending on the seller, it could be that your friends struck people who were not experienced sellers and didn't log on every day. If that is the case, it is possible the seller wouldn't see the message till it was too late.

With regard to seeing 99c items relisted again and again. It could be a seller has multiples of the item, that is not uncommon. Or if it is a dearer or more unusual (or perhaps used) item that sells at 99c and well under what it is worth, then some inexperienced sellers decide not to go ahead with the sale because it didn't get the sort of price they expected. Mind you, if that is the case they should just raise their starting price second time around.

Your decision to have a friend bid your absolute max is a good one. The max amount will never show to the seller, as you probably know, but will only come into play if someone else is bidding up. I think it works better to put in a higher max rather than to be outbid and then rebidding etc in a bidding war.

If there are going to be a few different bids, they will often come in right at the end and you don't want to risk wanting to make a higher bid and then striking technical troubles in the last seconds.

[chameleon54]

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@springyzone wrote:

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@world_of_opals wrote:

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This has me stumped as I can understand you're having trouble on your computer because of the app you installed, but if you have 2 different people bidding on their own ebay accounts using their own computers or devices, then you'd think they should not be hitting the same problem.

The possible reasons that come to mind are these:

-Are the items in Australia? If they are not, it could be that the sellers have restrictions on where they will sell to.   I think a seller can over ride those restrictions on request (if the seller wishes to, that is). Perhaps that happened in the first case you mentioned?

-Depending on the seller, it could be that your friends struck people who were not experienced sellers and didn't log on every day. If that is the case, it is possible the seller wouldn't see the message till it was too late.

With regard to seeing 99c items relisted again and again. It could be a seller has multiples of the item, that is not uncommon. Or if it is a dearer or more unusual (or perhaps used) item that sells at 99c and well under what it is worth, then some inexperienced sellers decide not to go ahead with the sale because it didn't get the sort of price they expected. Mind you, if that is the case they should just raise their starting price second time around.

Your decision to have a friend bid your absolute max is a good one. The max amount will never show to the seller, as you probably know, but will only come into play if someone else is bidding up. I think it works better to put in a higher max rather than to be outbid and then rebidding etc in a bidding war.

If there are going to be a few different bids, they will often come in right at the end and you don't want to risk wanting to make a higher bid and then striking technical troubles in the last seconds.

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From ebays buyer policies.........

• Members must not create additional accounts to circumvent selling restrictions, buying limits, suspension, or to manipulate any site feature

From past experience using another persons account to circumvent blocks IS regarded as

" manipulating any site feature " ( ie seller blocks ) and is taken seriously by ebay. I have had this happen before and have reported the buyers involved. Ebay have followed up with their standard message about " thankyou for reporting blah blah we can not tell you what action we have taken blah blah etc. "

Not sure what happened to the buyers involved ( probably just an ebay warning message ) but they never did it again.

It is a breach of ebay policy to use another persons ID to circumvent buyer blocks.

OP - I dont support the way some regular posters here habitually attack new people who come to these boards seeking help, but personally as a seller, I would find your behaviour quite creepy and stressful. I would probably be reporting you to ebay for buyer harassment  ( 6 - 8 messages ? ) and trying to circumvent buyer blocks.

[springyzone]

My understanding from the opening post was that there were no blocks as such on this buyer, that he had a good history and it was his new app on his computer that was causing problems.

That seller who messaged him and had no response most likely did block him but I took that as an individual bloack, not an official strike against the buyer's account and again, my impression was the later bids were not with that seller but with 2 different sellers.

I can understand if a seller blocks you, it isn't right to try to get around the rules bvy having someone else bid. But I am not sure if that is what happened here. I could be wrong.

In any case, I am not sure ebay would necessarily catch someone if that someone had a friend bid and pay from another house on another computer on a different ebay account and if the name and address for postage was completely different.

What is intriguing me is these other, independent bidders are also striking blocks. I was under the impression the bids were being made from a completely different account. Again, I could be reading it wrong.

But that's why I suggested maybe it could be an overseas seller with blocks on sales to certain areas.

My last comment-about putting in your highest max reserve, was just a general one about how I think it is best to approach bidding in an auction, not necessarily specific to this particular bidder.

[chameleon54]

Fair enough Springy, you are one of the most helpful and moderate posters here, so not disputing the fine details or personal interpretations of posts with you. My response was to the opening line in the opening post on this thread. " I was recently blocked for no legitimate reason.  "

A buyer will know if they have been blocked by the seller because they receive a message which says something along the lines of " this seller is not accepting bids or offers to purchase from you at this time. " it then goes on to direct buyers to ebay policies on buying.

OP have you actually received a message such as this ? If not, how do you know they blocked you  ?

[countessalmirena]

It would be pertinent to know the stated (or inferred) reason for being blocked.

Is the seller in another country? Are the items unusual? Oh, just let me cave in and ask for an item number, as that might illuminate the situation.

Perhaps we can work out why the OP is being blocked, and why this might affect the ability to increase the bid.

I’m a little cautious, particularly as the OP has said:

❝a message was sent from Seller to me to verify that I was legitimate buyer as I apparently have low score❞

Could that signal NPB strikes rather than low feedback score?

[gutterpunkz05]

Oh Teacher your subjects must really run amok, what with no rules to follow.

OP seems to think they are in the entitled class, wake up call required (duster to the head shot),  The seller can block anyone they like or dislike as the case may be, no reasons required.   Maybe the sellers intuition/radar has alerted him to a potentially troublesome buyer.

Forum rules apply to all, even self entitled teachers, who think they can name and shame sellers and get

away with it, and even include their own personal details, not very smart teacher.

Likewise ebay rules also apply to all, even the teacher who seems to think otherwise.  I wonder if they had the brains or courtesy to advise  those acting/bidding on their behalf, that they risk having their accounts restricted or terminated.

Now  I wonder what will happen if I press the  red button,  maybe a stick of jelly will land in the sellers chook house