Ebay changes

[Reideen1313]

Ebay has started to change the ability to view bidder's names. Here's their statement about the reason for the change:

As the internet evolves, eBay continues to strike a balance between preserving transparency and protecting our Community of members. eBay has decided to change how bid history information is displayed so bad guys cannot target bidders with fake offers using this information. In certain cases, some bidders will no longer be able to view Bidder User IDs on the Bid History page. Your User ID will be shown only to you and the seller of the item you're bidding on. Other members will see an anonymous name, such as Bidder 1, applied consistently to the Bid History page.

Reading between the lines, I'd say Ebay has realized lots of business is being conducted behind the scenes with members emailing other members about similar items and they're cracking down on the practice.

Good for Ebay, bad for members.

When I'm bidding on items sometimes I like to see who I'm bidding against. Sometimes it doesn't matter. In both communities I'm active in - minimates and jumbo machinders - there's a small group of collectors/sellers. If a certain collector is bidding on say, a Japanese version Grendizer and I know they have deep pockets, I probably wouldn't bother bidding. The same is true if it's a friend who's been looking for that particular item - I wouldn't bid against them, knowing they've been searching for that piece for their collection.

For me, this change is only going to make me bid if I have to have the item - meaning I, as a casual Ebayer, won't be bidding on nearly as many auctions in the future.

Maybe I'm way off base on this? Does anyone else see this as a problem?

**Edit - it doesn't look like this policy is in effect on all auctions - just random ones for some reason. I wonder why?**

[AdyCarter]

I dont like this change.

I can see why they've done it, I also have my theories about it (harder to see shrill bidders....hmmm..)

Quite glad I rarely use it now..

[Webhead]

it bothers me as I collect original comic art, and I like to know who's bidding on what, so I know if I have a chance to win. Plus as a community(art and minimates) I like to see who wins what.

[Amazing.JL]

Man this bites. I agree with what's already been said. I hardly use it anymore. If I bid on something, I usually go the extra mile, but sometimes I won't if I know someone here needs the item and I already have it.

[Webhead]

like JL said, it's definitely gonna suck. In the end it will drive up ebay's fees since items will start to sell for more since you will be blindly bidding against your friends....hell even your own family sometimes.

[Glomit]

It probably will suck, because you won't know if your bidding against experienced, veteran bidders or fresh, amateur bidders. Then again, I know that some users have the tendancy of going out on vendettas agains those who have outbid them.

All that said, some of the older members just might find a way around this new system. You never know!

Glomit

[Reideen1313]

OK. After further research I've found out that this only impacts auctions with values over $200.00. So it probably won't hit the minimate group too often.

[The_Donster]

Thanks for the heads up Reid, I've noticed this on a few auctions I've been looking at. Like Webhead, I try to pick up original art or litho's, especially the one's I missed out on at the WB Stores back in the day. Hopefully this will stay in the higher end stuff and not spread to the lower cost auctions eventually. As I can see them using this as a testing ground eventually. Sometimes I miss the old eBay, because the new one seems to be getting too big for it's britche's these days.

[Cappy]

This is one policy that's there for eBay's benefit, no matter how they try to spin it. To us, the consumer, the biggest hit is it makes spotting a shill bidder much harder. But then, it's never been in eBay's interest to stop shill bidding, since the higher the bid, the higher their fee income. :mutter, grumble: