The eBay Thread.

[Rob McCow]

We were very excited by THIS item - only a snip at 100!
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1-1-Sutekh-mas...QQcmdZViewItem
Expensive? But your 'expensive' is my 'cheap'!
Abase yourself your grovelling wallet.

But for maximum enjoyment we went to the bottom of the page and clicked on the two photos rapidly, saying 'Kneel!'

[WhiteCrow]

We were very excited by THIS item - only a snip at 100!
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1-1-Sutekh-mas...QQcmdZViewItem
Expensive? But your 'expensive' is my 'cheap'!
Abase yourself your grovelling wallet.

But for maximum enjoyment we went to the bottom of the page and clicked on the two photos rapidly, saying 'Kneel!'

I'm tempted to big against you just because I am evil ...

I'll restrain myself though for the simple "wtf" reaction from my wife if I actually won it.

[Si Hunt]

It's totally the wrong shape. You'd have to be a moron to buy it.

Si.

[Captain Tancredi]

It's totally the wrong shape. You'd have to be a moron to buy it.

Si.

Well, at least one person was...

Don't you just love it when you list your payment options as Paypal and personal cheque and somebody sends you a load of US dollar bills?

[Ralph]

I just sold my Fantasia 2000 DVD for 29.99 - I didn't expect to sell it for that! Felt a bit guilty but what the hell...

[Wayne]

I just sold my Fantasia 2000 DVD for 29.99 - I didn't expect to sell it for that! Felt a bit guilty but what the hell...

Good one!
No need to feel guilty. They obviously wanted it enough.

[Si Hunt]

After 290 positives, I've just got my first bit of bad feedback. The feedback system is crap, I knew after I left my first -ve bit of feedback for someone else the response would come as a retaliation.

Basically I bought some Cyberman socks before Christmas but returned them because they were the wrong size. The seller claimed I hadn't sent them back. I was polite, but she only replied to half my e-mails and wasn't interested.

Now she's left me back feedback saying I was rude, I didn't get my payment OR the socks back and a negative feedback blighting my record!

Si.

[Dirk Gently]

That stinks Si. The system is crap & ebay themselves don't give a flying ... so long as they get thier slice of the money.

[Doctor Vendetta]

Today I recieved a 1/6th scale 1948 Indian motorbike from California.

It's black and red and die cast metal and the exact right size for my Action Man!

[Wayne]

I haven't bought anything off eBay for ages, but i was just lucky enough to nab both complete series' of 'Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads', new for 5.99 each on 'Buy it Now' auctions that had only been up a few hours.
Ok, 1.50 for each set on postage, but i've asked for a discount.
But even if i end up paying full wack on postage i'm happy with that, because these aren't cheap, even on-line.

I put these back on eBay now that i've *'seen'* them. So far, i'm a fiver in profit.

[MacNimon]

I just won a new, sealed copy of The Baron complete series dvd boxset for a reasonable 24.95. I love these old ITC series!

Any comics fans out there with a few bob to spare? You can pick up a copy of Batman issue 1 (from 1940) for a cool 8,995.00 plus postage here. Even The Incredible Hulk issue 1 from the early 60s will set you back 2,695.00!

[Pip Madeley]

The Baron!

Dave Tudor will get that.

[Pip Madeley]

Insane Who memorabilia price of the day:

YE GODS!

[MacNimon]

I sold my copy of Lungbarrow to that same seller a few months ago for about 30. He immediately put it back up for sale with a price tag of 80, although he's now dropped it to 69 (if it's even the same copy). If I'd asked for 80 no-one would even have looked at the listing....

[Dave Tudor]

The Baron!

Dave Tudor will get that.

I am evil!!

I need to put some stuff on eBay, but just lately I can't be bothered. I was doing loads before Christmas, but there was a bit of hassle with the delivery of some items, and I founf some buyers were being a bit arsey, especially if you didn't leave feedback the moment you sent the item. That put me off a bit, and the fact that all the money I made seems to have disappeared again disheartened me a bit. But I will get selling again soon.

[Pip Madeley]

I need to put some stuff on eBay, but just lately I can't be bothered.

You might want to on the 10th and 11th - they're doing 5p listing for CDs and DVDs with free Gallery upgrade.

[Dave Tudor]

Ooh, interesting. I may have to get writing some listings at the weekend, then.

[Pip Madeley]

More info here if anyone needs it

[Pip Madeley]

Going for 117 at the time of posting... get yerself a bargain!

[Wayne]

especially if you didn't leave feedback the moment you sent the item.

I never ask for feedback. It's too much like grovelling.
I always leave feedback in good faith on every transaction as soon as i've been paid or receive goods in good order. But if i don't get a return feedback, i can't say i'm bothered, to be honest.

Meanwhile, i've just had to pester someone who's not paid for something he won 7 days ago. He's not contacted me, nor done his 'checkout' so that i know how & when he's going to pay. So he's had a polite message today giving him another 7 days before i file a non-paying bidder report with eBay.
Luckily, this has not happened to me very often, & the non-paying bidder action has always worked in the past. So fingers crossed this one will pay up sharp-ish, too. I bet diamonds that it'll be someone who hasn't got Paypal, because in my experience Paypal users usually pay up more or less straight away. It's too easy not to. I keep thinking about going Paypal only, actually.......

[Rob McCow]

From - my usual source - The Register:

For at least the third time in as many months, a malicious hacker has gained unauthorized access to parts of eBay's network despite the best efforts of the company's security team to fortify its system against the embarrassing breaches.

A miscreant who went by a variation of the name Vladuz was able to secure credentials reserved for employees of eBay and post on at least two of the company's forums, including (ironically) one dedicated to trust and safety. The intrusion, like the others preceding it, is fueling suspicions that eBay suffers from systemic security problems, contrary to the online auctioneer's assurances that the hacker hasn't breached servers that store customer records and other sensitive data.

Over the past two months, the volatility in the number of auctions being posted and then pulled has skyrocketed. Critics say the spike is a result of a security hole in eBay's system that allows cyber-crooks to take over established accounts at will and post a flurry of fraudulent auctions. Once eBay's security team catches wind of the scams, the postings are removed, creating the sudden declines in listings.

eBay spokeswoman Nichola Sharpe said company security employees are taking measures to put a stop to Vladuz's intrusions. "We are in the process of putting lots of behind-the-scenes things in place to stop him," she said. "We're as confident as we can be" that the measures will work. Sharpe said members of the security team know exactly how the perpetrator is breaching the network. She declined to describe that method or to elaborate of the fixes being implemented.

There is no evidence today's breach was any different from previous times, when the hacker was able to penetrate servers that administer employee email and possibly other functions such as an intranet, Sharpe said. She was emphatic that the intruder has never accessed more sensitive parts of the network.

Those assurances have done little to assuage a small but vocal group of users who say fraud is running rampant on eBay. Indeed, just prior to the most recent breach, some forum participants were bemoaning the exploits of Vladuz and what they claimed was eBay's inability to fix the problem and its refusal to acknowledge it publicly.

"We have to be very patient until these problems rise high enough to get some attention by the wide public," a user with the handle thorbenhauer wrote at 10:24 AM German time. "And even then eBay will still stick to their good old tactics: plausible deniability, disposing every bit of proof they can lay their hands on and accuse others of misinformation." At noon, a posting appeared with the pink banner that is supposed to be reserved for official eBay representatives. Quoting part of thorbenhauer's message, the impostor, who used the nick vladuzpower, responded: "Turn on CNN on march 15, you might have a surprise, however I'm not promising anything." He didn't elaborate. The intruder also made pink postings on a US-based forum, Sharpe said.

Today's exploit is only the latest headache for eBay security personnel. Last week, an eBay user posted the personal information of at least 15 people, including first and last names, social security numbers, mother's maiden names, addresses, phone numbers, bank account numbers and credit card numbers. A call to one of the names listed confirmed that the information was accurate.

It was unclear how last week's poster, who did not log in as an eBay employee, acquired the information. eBay does not collect much of the data posted, so it's safe to assume at least some of it originated from a source other than the online auctioneer.

Probably nothing to get overly worried about at the moment, but do take care out there people!

[Si Hunt]

Critics say the spike is a result of a security hole in eBay's system that allows cyber-crooks to take over established accounts at will and post a flurry of fraudulent auctions. Once eBay's security team catches wind of the scams, the postings are removed, creating the sudden declines in listings.

You don't need a "security hole" or access to an "established account" to post a fraudulent auction. You can just create a new account and then do it.

I don't follow why removed postings (which happen all the time) mean a security breach.

Si.

[Wayne]

On another note; I listed Stu's 'Daemos Rising' that he gave to me. It's up to 6.00, with 5 days to go.
I shall of course be sending him the money. Honest.

[Pip Madeley]

You didn't decide to keep it then?

[Wayne]

Well, i haven't actually watched it yet, but i never intended to keep the original.