why is ebay allowing private listings? It means private feedback too-

[timtamjunkie29]

why is ebay allowing private listings for ebayers with really low feedback scores? It also means that feedback is private too. At the moment there is a few sellers ( and some of them are the same person but different user id's) selling replica handbags- they are listed as private, therefore buyers can't see that they have sold a few "authentic new" bags with reciepts. The bags are being sold from approx. $350 ( for a $2000 bag) or if the seller is really greedy for buy it nows for around $650-$800.  You can buy receipts for replica bags and having a receipt no longer guarantees a real bag. It allows them to get away with it. A few sellers who have more than one Id have less than 100% on one id and when they are caught out and then just start a new Id. I came across one seller who when you put their user id into google and the word ebay, google showed half a dozen of their previous listings ( even though on ebay they have listed everything as private.) The google search showed that they have sold 6 other " new with receipts" designer bags. All the bags were sold for around $400 ( again for bags that are around $1500-$2000 in a boutique). I asked one seller why they were selling their bag, they said that it was from an ex boyfriend, when I then asked why they had sold 6 other bags new with receipts they got nasty. Who has a boyfriend that buys half a dozen new Gucci bags and then the person has never used them? 6! yeah right. When I questioned her about the problems with her bag she said that they were bad photos/angles. Ebay used to be so strict on replica bags and I am surprised to see so many getting through. Perhaps they need a person vetting these listings who just concentrates on verifying these listings ( not to guarantee authenticity but to kick off the obvious fraud ebayers.) Really makes me angry at the greed of some people taking advantage of people who in good faith give them their money. Shame on you.

[bettyboopsadaisy]

I don't really understand this at all ! I didn't think that sellers were allowed to make their feedback private. Very strange.

[bettyboopsadaisy]

Here is the link that spells this out:

http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/feedback/profile-public-private.html

[kopenhagen5]

Betty, there are 2 options.

Set feedback to private  and  seller listing an auction as private.

You are correct, feedback to private and member can't sell.

A private auction means ID's are totally hidden and usually used for collectables or personal items.

[putney32]

Ebay used to be so strict on replica bags and I am surprised to see so many getting through. Perhaps they need a person vetting these listings who just concentrates on verifying these listings ( not to guarantee authenticity but to kick off the obvious fraud ebayers.) Really makes me angry at the greed of some people taking advantage of people who in good faith give them their money. 

it is not the responsibility of eBay to ensure things are genuine, there is no way any eBay staff member could know all different trademarks/ real/fake etc.  it is the responsibility of the copyright holder, and to that end eBay have their VERO Program, to which hundrreds of trademark holders belong and continually report and have removed fake items

problem is there are more fakes than the trademark holders staffers can cope with....

all that are reported by membes of eBay VERO Program are immediately removed.

[trickytricky73]

As I mentioned its not about ebay deciding whether an item for sale is genuine or not- its about checking that the listing is genuine. Is the same photos/descriptions being used for multiple listings but by "different" sellers or is the seller  supposedly selling a personal collection item - a bag with a serial number "brand new with receipt" but the seller seems to have a few of these. These are the listings I think ebay should flag. There are certain key words, chanel etc. that are red flags to ebay and they can be sent for assessment -where someone should be vetting them. I am not talking about the sellers with huge feedback scores that run their listings as a store- I mean the ebayers with 16 feedbacks and selling 8 different supposedly authentic luxury identical products. Not to authenticate but to protect ebayers from sellers who are trying to out smart ebay under different ids; id's that often no longer have 100% feedback once they have been caught out, so they just move on to the next ebay id. I know that I would feel safer buying on ebay if I thought someone had my back.