Auction Frustration...

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FarmMom
Posts: 687
Joined: 1 year ago

Re: Auction Frustration...

Post by FarmMom » 10 months ago

You know the crazy thing? I went to reply to this conversation and poof it was GONE! No longer on the forum.

I was like, what the heck? That one gone too?! So I clicked the back button until the last page loaded in and copied the whole post (just in case). And then when I went to re-load the forum again it was back. So weird.

My conclusion is it's someone at the company, and here's why:

We KNOW they read the forum, and like to erase what we write. We KNOW they also ban members and can use IP blockers to prevent them from coming back easily. Is a forum a GREATER threat to the company than a BUNCH of crazy no pay bidders? I really doubt that.

They KNOW it's happening, and I believe THEY are doing it. Months ago when I used to use the auction, I noticed an item wouldn't begin jumping price until the day it was up for bidding. Often certain items I was looking for, I'd bid 3 days in advance so I could watch everything and narrow down my final pick. Then like clockwork, the day of the final bidding it would shoot up.

I think too, were it a bunch of angry shoppers, it would have been the case much longer ago (or maybe long ago it WAS angry shoppers back then). Long ago (last year) I made a habit of auction shopping and won several great items. I stopped when they increased the shipping, and no longer allowed you to pay $50 worth of items and get free shipping. It was no longer worth it.

The shipping increase allowed the company to make back a good chunk of the money they were losing. But I think it may not have been enough, so they opted to jump bids too.

While it would drive most away, they could keep recycling the items until some unlucky soul (likely an elderly, less computer savvy individual) would happen across it and place a winning bid for more than the item's worth. This also allows them to retain less inventory. I had assumed auctions were where they sent all the "returns" people sent back. I think now, they dump all that stuff into clearance events . . . and you are STUCK with someone else's rejected piece.

My last bit of evidence, is going back to my LAST auction win in February. I had wanted a rose gold, pink tourmaline ring. I finally caught one 3 days in advance and tracked it to the winning day. Placed a winning bid of $33 for the $130 ring and WON!

Sadly, the ring was never shipped, and customer service kept telling me it was in the mail, just wait. Finally i CALLED customer service instead of the stupid text employees, and the lady offered to look into it for me. 3 days I waited, finally she called me back and explained they had "lost the ring". But her voice didn't seem calmly apologetic like you'd expect. It seemed edgy, nervous and a bit irritated by the news she had to deliver. I knew instantly SOMETHING was up, and she wasn't happy with it. She was the ONLY CS person to ever call me back on an issue. I think she was one of the FEW who actually had a soul working for this company.

At that time I KNEW, the company had claimed back my win, to be recycled and up-bid to something awful later on. And I was furious. I had REALLY NEEDED a rose gold ring! Still don't have one. Lucky for me I have a massive collection of loose gems I can now just make my own . . . but wanted to take the easy route . . .
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Shopper7192
Posts: 94
Joined: 11 months ago

Re: Auction Frustration...

Post by Shopper7192 » 10 months ago

@FarmMom
The more I am noticing of the crazy🤪 antics in the action site I am starting to believe that you are right!! It's a jungle out there, LOL!!!
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Lanai
Posts: 254
Joined: 3 years ago

Re: Auction Frustration...

Post by Lanai » 9 months ago

As I have stared many times, I have NO Doubt whatsoever that these Auctions are fixed. Computer Generated Bids, same items recyled over and over. If they were actually real Buyers, they would have been banned a long time ago for running up ridiculous bid amounts and then not paying and the same items returning to be auctioned with the same group of names bidding. This is a scam to promote online traffic and evidently they know that if someone wants something bad enough, they will get frustrated and just go to to the website and purchase. It's the only thing that makes sense. No Company that is running a Legit Auction is going to let people bid prices up to ridiculous amounts just to have them Win and Not Pay, then items go back into Auction Circulation. If it was legit these people would have to pay or be banned from bidding. Instead it's always the same names playing the same bidding games.
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User avatar
FarmMom
Posts: 687
Joined: 1 year ago

Re: Auction Frustration...

Post by FarmMom » 9 months ago

Lanai wrote:
9 months ago
As I have stared many times, I have NO Doubt whatsoever that these Auctions are fixed. Computer Generated Bids, same items recyled over and over. If they were actually real Buyers, they would have been banned a long time ago for running up ridiculous bid amounts and then not paying and the same items returning to be auctioned with the same group of names bidding. This is a scam to promote online traffic and evidently they know that if someone wants something bad enough, they will get frustrated and just go to to the website and purchase. It's the only thing that makes sense. No Company that is running a Legit Auction is going to let people bid prices up to ridiculous amounts just to have them Win and Not Pay, then items go back into Auction Circulation. If it was legit these people would have to pay or be banned from bidding. Instead it's always the same names playing the same bidding games.

Completely correct.
1 x

Shopper7192
Posts: 94
Joined: 11 months ago

Re: Auction Frustration...

Post by Shopper7192 » 9 months ago

Both of you are right! Same names in every category that contains anything of real value ie: Diamonds, Sleeping Beauty Turquoise, Tanzanite, Moissanite, etc..
These types of items get pushed way beyond the normal online price to the point where no one can actually win one within a decent or reasonable amount! Then these same items just get recycled right back into the auction listings and it is like dejavu! Boom, there are the same names showing up AGAIN to bid them right back up again. It is a ridiculous vicious cycle! :evil:
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