Over the holidays I spent some time on the computer looking up auctions, bidding on a few and having a great time at it. I had the occasion to bid on a bike that I lost. Not a big deal till I spotted something. I noticed a bidders name that kept coming up over and over again on almost all the items that interested me. I first thought that a strange coincidence. But I began to look deeper into this. I noticed that this bidder bids frequently on an item and runs the price up but stops short of the reserve price at times. Then this bidder wins some auctions but never for big bucks and often the sellers name is the same. A lot of the feedback has a similar tone to it.
I decided to keep and eye on this bidder for a while. I first thought that they were shadowing me but I could never bid on as many items in a week as this person does. Nor could I get feedback on a transaction within one day of winning a bid. This is not uncommon for this person. I have asked around privately about this person as they focus on classic bicycles and parts. No one I have spoken with knows who it is.
I am not going to name that ebayer yet as I have no proof of wrong doing. I just think it is strange that they quite often bid on a lot of bike items at one time. The pattern emerging is that they don't win many reserve auctions or high dollar items even though they bid them up. I will continue to keep my eyes on this one and if I spot something, I will bring it to this forum. I know quite a few of you and I have come to know the heavy hitters in this hobby. That is why this person stands out, the pattern is unusual. I welcome comments privately.
Ray Homiski
Elizabeth, NJ