Someone selling 12" Exclusive Qui-Gon on eBay

[hairlesswookiee]

what a douche. i would love it if SS would ban him from ordering. makes me want to track him down and lay the smack down!!!

 

[tomandshell]

Sideshow seems to have a non-interference policy regarding eBay. They seem to leave the policing and reporting up to us--it's not their fault that this guy is doing this, and he is breaking eBay's rules, not Sideshow's. There is not much they can do about it. (He obviously has several accounts set up with them in other names--how can they know which ones to cancel or ban?) It's up to us to keep watch for things like this and report it to eBay--they are the ones whose rules are being broken and they are the ones who have the responsibility to deal with it.

(And yes, he is breaking Sideshow rules about one figure per person, but how do they know which other account is being used to buy a figure for him? There is no way for them to deal with this problem--what can they do, limit orders to one figure per city?)

 

[hairlesswookiee]

^^ouch that one per city thing would stink. i cant talk too much though because i ordered two of the mace exclusives. i plan on keeping them though, maybe give one to my brother because we both finally agree that he is a BMF!!

 

[EVILFACE]

Eh, maybe it's a joke auction.

 

[pjam]

Sideshow seems to have a non-interference policy regarding eBay. They seem to leave the policing and reporting up to us--it's not their fault that this guy is doing this, and he is breaking eBay's rules, not Sideshow's. There is not much they can do about it. (He obviously has several accounts set up with them in other names--how can they know which ones to cancel or ban?) It's up to us to keep watch for things like this and report it to eBay--they are the ones whose rules are being broken and they are the ones who have the responsibility to deal with it.

(And yes, he is breaking Sideshow rules about one figure per person, but how do they know which other account is being used to buy a figure for him? There is no way for them to deal with this problem--what can they do, limit orders to one figure per city?)

I agree on SS eBay Policy as far as pre-orders go, but this is much different. SS hasn't even offered this item for sale so not only is the actual listing illegal in that the seller is offering an item which he has no posession or proof of future possession of but he is claiming a purchase or pre-order confirmation status which does not exist and that involves SS.

This is really bad, seriously, gotta be some legal issues here for SS as well.

 

[tomandshell]

I think a joke auction would have a ridiculously high price or something to tip us off that it's not intended to be for real. This guy is out to make a quick buck. He actually doesn't even need to order one, since it will be long past thirty days when it ships and the poor buyer won't be able to leave negative feedback or get a refund if it never shows up. The best way to protect yourself is to never purchase an item that is not in the possession of the seller at the time of the auction.

I agree that eBay needs to be notified and the auction needs to come down immediately!

 

[pjam]

I agree on SS eBay Policy as far as pre-orders go, but this is much different. SS hasn't even offered this item for sale so not only is the actual listing illegal in that the seller is offering an item which he has no posession or proof of future possession of but he is claiming a purchase or pre-order confirmation status which does not exist and that involves SS.

This is really bad, seriously, gotta be some legal issues here for SS as well.

At the very least, it violates the terms and agreements of the SS Customer Account policy with this guy and therefore qualify to terminate their relationship with him. They should definitely cut him off for life.

 

[Chicky]

T&S,

If the auctions are extremely abusive such as this one, we will try to step in. Sideshow has already contacted the seller through his auction and requested removal under the Ebay delivery policy and false advertising violations. Unfortunately, Ebays reporting occurences need to be at least 5,000 before they will ban accounts and they take at least 14 days to address private complaints so the auction is usually over before they reach direct co. complaints.

If anyone would like to report auctions which take full payment but can not possibly deliver the product within 30 days, you can report them using this link.

https://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/pre-sale.html

Look for the report link in blue at the bottom and be prepared to paste in the auction/item number that is in voilation.

Best,
Chicky

 

[The Josh]

T&S,

If the auctions are extremely abusive such as this one, we will try to step in. Sideshow has already contacted the seller through his auction and requested removal under the Ebay delivery policy and false advertising violations. Unfortunately, Ebays reporting occurences are in the hundreds before they will ban accounts and they take at least 14 days to address private complaints so the auction is usually over before they reach direct co. complaints.

Best,
Chicky

Outstanding!! Your trying at least Chicky and that's all that can be asked really from SS.

 

[tomandshell]

The problem with people like this is that the seller's name and address is not listed in the auction. Sideshow can't really tell who this guy is--they just know that he is from Wapakoneta, Ohio. I would feel bad for the other guy from that city who gets his account suspended by mistake. The seller has probably contacted a friend or family member and set up a second Sideshow account with somebody else's name, address, e-mail, and credit card, who he reimburses for the purchases out of his eBay profits. Again, to Sideshow, this looks like just another customer and they wouldn't know who to cancel or ban. The seller is working his way aorund the Sideshow policies in a way that Sideshow can't effectively police. However, they are breaking eBay rules left and right in a clear and demonstrable way, and that is where the action should be taken. I would love to see Sideshow close the accounts of people like this, but since it's so hard to prove, I don't see how they could do that.

 

[tomandshell]

T&S,

If the auctions are extremely abusive such as this one, we will try to step in. Sideshow has already contacted the seller through his auction and requested removal under the Ebay delivery policy and false advertising violations. Unfortunately, Ebays reporting occurences are in the hundreds before they will ban accounts and they take at least 14 days to address private complaints so the auction is usually over before they reach direct co. complaints.

Best,
Chicky

Chicky- Awesome! I'm glad you guys can do something in this case. I know that most of the time, it is out of your hands and you can't be held responsible for people like that. This one is above and beyond the usual scalper methods, so it's good to see you guys trying to put a stop to it. (I would wet my pants if I got a warning e-mail from Sideshow.) Nice job!

 

[pjam]

The problem with people like this is that the seller's name and address is not listed in the auction. Sideshow can't really tell who this guy is--they just know that he is from Wapakoneta, Ohio. I would feel bad for the other guy from that city who gets his account suspended by mistake. The seller has probably contacted a friend or family member and set up a second Sideshow account with somebody else's name, address, e-mail, and credit card, who he reimburses for the purchases out of his eBay profits. Again, to Sideshow, this looks like just another customer and they wouldn't know who to cancel or ban. The seller is working his way aorund the Sideshow policies in a way that Sideshow can't effectively police. However, they are breaking eBay rules left and right in a clear and demonstrable way, and that is where the action should be taken. I would love to see Sideshow close the accounts of people like this, but since it's so hard to prove, I don't see how they could do that.

I totally agree, its really tough but there ways: Anyone who has purchased or purchases an item from this Seller can request his name, address, etc and I'm sure SS can find out who he is if they file a false advertising complaint.

Anyway, amazing job my fellow boarders, at least we got one and it's clear to me this guy was the worst of the lot! Thanks Chicky

 

[Dusty]

You are correct T&S. It is up to eBay users to police against this kind of auction. As an eBay user myself, I have reported it as well. Hopefully either eBay will get enough complaints and shut the auction down, or Sideshow's official email to the seller will make him/her feel guilty enough to take it down. That's really all that can be done, due to the anonymous nature of the internet.

My personal opinion about eBay is that it is a great resource, and I have used it many times to find things that I never would have found otherwise, but the unfortunate fact is that it is easy to take advantage of the system if you are a 'bad' person. Thus, eBay relies on the community to police the auctions, which can be both good and bad. I honestly think the good outweighs the bad though. Mostly I just really can't understand the benefit of this auction, as the seller MUST have known it would attract attention of the not-so-good kind, which would bring complaints raining down upon him....

The most important issue here is that eBay buyers must educate themselves about the process, or they will eventually find themselves in a sticky situation with an unethical seller. (Kind of like people who take their cars in for maintenance need to be educated, or else the maintenance guy will try to get all kinds of money out of them!!) The actions of the few can ruin everything

 

[pjam]

You are correct T&S. It is up to eBay users to police against this kind of auction. As an eBay user myself, I have reported it as well. Hopefully either eBay will get enough complaints and shut the auction down, or Sideshow's official email to the seller will make him/her feel guilty enough to take it down. That's really all that can be done, due to the anonymous nature of the internet.

My personal opinion about eBay is that it is a great resource, and I have used it many times to find things that I never would have found otherwise, but the unfortunate fact is that it is easy to take advantage of the system if you are a 'bad' person. Thus, eBay relies on the community to police the auctions, which can be both good and bad. I honestly think the good outweighs the bad though. Mostly I just really can't understand the benefit of this auction, as the seller MUST have known it would attract attention of the not-so-good kind, which would bring complaints raining down upon him....

The most important issue here is that eBay buyers must educate themselves about the process, or they will eventually find themselves in a sticky situation with an unethical seller. (Just like people who take their cars in for maintenance need to be educated, or else the maintenance guy will try to get all kinds of money out of them!!) The actions of the few can ruin everything

Thanks Dusty, Good to Know!

 

[Darth Madden]

I just sent this question to him.. not like I will get a response but its fun to pick on idiots like that..

I am just wondering how you know this sold out in less than 30 minutes when in fact it doesn't even go on sale until Friday? And also so you know there is no way it will be shipped 2nd quarter... nice scam though.

 

[pjam]

I just sent this question to him.. not like I will get a response but its fun to pick on idiots like that..

I am just wondering how you know this sold out in less than 30 minutes when in fact it doesn't even go on sale until Friday? And also so you know there is no way it will be shipped 2nd quarter... nice scam though.

Unfortunately, his listing is still up on eBay, maybe he hasn't come home from work or whatever. It's too bad SS can't set up an "undercover" Company eBay User Account, "buy this item" from fraudulent Sellers like this, get their addresses and then identify themselves as SS, file a complaint with eBay and terminate their Customer Accounts with these hacks.

 

[pjam]

I know that may sound sneaky or underhanded to some and it may also seem like an uncool thing for SS to do but in extreme cases like this, it may be the only way to identify a fraudulent seller like this and do something about it.

 

[Darth Madden]

Looks like its GONE.... to bad... jerk.

 

[LOTRFan]

It is a flat fee posting day ....

 

[hairlesswookiee]

well the auction has been removed so i guess he got the message.