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eBay – private listing – bidders’ identities protected – is it a scam?
Dear Nena, I agree with @Editor that it's not necessarily a scam. However, there is a great chance it is. Consider this: I have been on eBay since 2004, have bought from hundreds of sellers, and I can recall only one honest seller hiding bidders' identities. He was doing it 15 years ago and he stillRead more
Dear Nena,
I agree with @Editor that it’s not necessarily a scam. However, there is a great chance it is. Consider this: I have been on eBay since 2004, have bought from hundreds of sellers, and I can recall only one honest seller hiding bidders’ identities. He was doing it 15 years ago and he still does. No idea why… The rest were scammers employing hidden identities for the ease of shill bidding. Thus, the chances that you will stumble upon an honest seller hiding bidders’ identities are close to zero.
Sincerely, Anna
See lessAre KGCL gem lab certificates trustworthy?
Dear Josh, Unfortunately, @GemCollector is absolutely right. If you see a gemstone with a KGCL gem lab certificate, that's the biggest red flag you could imagine. These certificates come with a 100% warranty that a gemstone is fake. I have seen hundreds of these certificates, and all the "gemstones"Read more
Dear Josh,
Unfortunately, GemCollector is absolutely right. If you see a gemstone with a KGCL gem lab certificate, that’s the biggest red flag you could imagine. These certificates come with a 100% warranty that a gemstone is fake. I have seen hundreds of these certificates, and all the “gemstones” were no gemstones at all.
Sincerely, Anna
See lessTurkish Handmade 925 Silver Bracelet – Etsy.com – seller ISTANBULSILVERART – real emerald and topaz?
Dear Ellen, The short answer is no, emeralds and topazes are not natural in this bracelet. These all are synthetic, man-made stones. More importantly, this bracelet is not made of 925 silver. If you scroll down a bit, you will see in the details that it is "made of bronze". Thus, the seller is actuaRead more
Dear Ellen,
The short answer is no, emeralds and topazes are not natural in this bracelet. These all are synthetic, man-made stones. More importantly, this bracelet is not made of 925 silver. If you scroll down a bit, you will see in the details that it is “made of bronze”. Thus, the seller is actually lying in the title to grab your attention and then telling the truth in the details. Not very nice of him…The worst part, however, is stating it is “Emerald gemstone” in the details. Liar, liar, liar! Who would set natural emeralds in a cheap bronze bracelet? Nobody! To cut a long story short, this is a piece of cheap costume jewelry worth $5 or so.
Best regards, Anna
See lessAre Majorica pearls real? Are they wort the price?
Dear Ellen, No, they are not real. Majorica "pearls" are not pearls. The only thing they have in common with pearls is the round shape. Majorica are imitation pearls made of glass and coated with a coating that is made from fish scales. In my humble opinion, they are not worth the price. Regards, GeRead more
Dear Ellen,
No, they are not real. Majorica “pearls” are not pearls. The only thing they have in common with pearls is the round shape. Majorica are imitation pearls made of glass and coated with a coating that is made from fish scales.
In my humble opinion, they are not worth the price.
Regards, GemCollector
See lessAre KGCL gem lab certificates trustworthy?
Dear Josh, As a matter of fact, they are not trustworthy at all. This is just another bogus lab. Sincerely, GemCollector
Dear Josh,
As a matter of fact, they are not trustworthy at all. This is just another bogus lab.
Sincerely, GemCollector
See lesseBay – private listing – bidders’ identities protected – is it a scam?
Dear Nena, It is not necessarily a scam. I know at least a few absolutely reliable and honest sellers that make bidders' identities private. It is somewhat hard for me to understand why they are doing this as the real identities remain hidden at all times anyways. With that being said, I have to notRead more
Dear Nena,
It is not necessarily a scam. I know at least a few absolutely reliable and honest sellers that make bidders’ identities private.
It is somewhat hard for me to understand why they are doing this as the real identities remain hidden at all times anyways.
With that being said, I have to note that private listings are indeed a factor that should raise a red flag.
According to my personal experience, private listings are mainly used by dishonest sellers. For the most part, it is being done to hide shill bidding (placing bids on your own lots).
You see, in order to engage in shill bidding, sellers have to create new fake accounts (users) all the time. Thus, these fake bidders have extremely limited feedback scores or none at all. If bidder identities are not private, you can easily notice that one and the same bidder with no feedback score is continuously bidding on that seller’s lots. Or there is a bunch of no-feedback-bidders competing for that seller’s lots. So, there is a good chance you’ll get suspicious that something fishy is going on. They (dishonest sellers) don’t want that. Therefore, they make bidders’ identities private (hide them), and bidders have no idea with whom they are competing.
My estimate is that at least 9 out of 10 sellers who make their listings private are scammers.
Regards, Editor
See less925 Sterling silver Snake bracelet with ruby on Catawiki – what’s the true market value?
Dear Melany, I can see that you have received some quality answers already. I'd just like to add that the price in the screenshot shared by @Anna is still pretty high. Normally such bracelets sell at $40 to $60. I'm pretty sure if you are a bit patient, you can get a deal within this price range. GoRead more
Dear Melany,
I can see that you have received some quality answers already. I’d just like to add that the price in the screenshot shared by Anna is still pretty high. Normally such bracelets sell at $40 to $60. I’m pretty sure if you are a bit patient, you can get a deal within this price range.
Good luck!
Sincerely, Editor
See lessWhy do I keep getting outbid on eBay?
As @Eric rightly noted, this happens due to automatic bidding. However, it is important to note that automatic bidding, although it may seem a very convenient tool, is not a smart choice. It inevitably leads to paying more. There are other foolish mistakes bidders make, too. For example, engaging inRead more
As Eric rightly noted, this happens due to automatic bidding. However, it is important to note that automatic bidding, although it may seem a very convenient tool, is not a smart choice. It inevitably leads to paying more.
There are other foolish mistakes bidders make, too. For example, engaging in bidding wars. If you want to find out how to bid on eBay and pay less, read this post: https://www.shopperlib.com/how-to-bid-to-win-on-ebay-3-simple-tips/
This post describes in detail what mistakes eBay bidders make, how to avoid them, and what is the most effective bidding strategy.
It is not rocket science, but you’ll be surprised how many eBay bidders make mistakes and grossly overpay as a result.
Best regards, Editor
See less925 Sterling silver Snake bracelet with ruby on Catawiki – what’s the true market value?
@Freddie, you are absolutely right in that this bracelet is not antique. It's a piece of contemporary jewelry, and you have to be crazy to pay 900 EUR for it! Melany, if you want to get such a bracelet at a "normal" price, check out egemdiamond and gemsporium on eBay. It's actually one and the sameRead more
Freddie, you are absolutely right in that this bracelet is not antique. It’s a piece of contemporary jewelry, and you have to be crazy to pay 900 EUR for it!
Melany, if you want to get such a bracelet at a “normal” price, check out egemdiamond and gemsporium on eBay. It’s actually one and the same seller with two profiles. They have these cobra bangles for sale from time to time. They come in different designs – with rubies only, with emeralds only, and with mixed gemstones.
I hope this helps.
Sincerely, Anna
See less925 Sterling silver Snake bracelet with ruby on Catawiki – what’s the true market value?
Dear Melany, You can pop champagne for not bidding on this bracelet. 900 EUR is an insane price for it! An identical bracelet was sold on Catawiki for 62 EUR a few years ago, and that price is way closer to the true market value of this item. As ShopperLib puts it, "Informed shopping decision = GoodRead more
Dear Melany,
You can pop champagne for not bidding on this bracelet. 900 EUR is an insane price for it! An identical bracelet was sold on Catawiki for 62 EUR a few years ago, and that price is way closer to the true market value of this item.
As ShopperLib puts it, “Informed shopping decision = Good shopping decision” 😉
Too bad for the highest bidder for not being well-informed…
GemCollector
See less