Ebay Rule Change - No More Sellers With Private Feedback
Tuesday October 10, 2006
Beginning Oct. 26, 2006, sellers who keep their feedback private will no longer be able to list items for sale on eBay. This is an important change that coin collectors have been clamoring for ever since private feedback was implemented on eBay a few years ago. The problem with private feedback is that there is no way for the community to police itself (and put pressure on bad sellers) by notifying auction winners when they have bought a fake coin, or have fallen victim to some other sleazy selling practice such as graded coin value fraud.
As welcome as this change is, however, eBay has still failed to address the primary vehicle for fraudulent coin sales: the private auction. When a seller conducts a private auction (even with public feedback,) the bidders' identities are hidden to all but the seller himself. This fact prevents marketplace watchdogs from warning a bidder that the coin he is about to buy is a fake. Sellers of fake coins love the private auction feature, because they can sell with impunity and not have to worry about watchdogs ruining their sales. At least with the new private feedback rule, the watchdogs can tell the buyer after the fact that he has bought a fake, hopefully before the item is paid for.
Speaking of watchdogs in the numismatic community, Alan Van Arsdale is one of the most vigilant. He formed the eBay-based Coin Forgery eBay (CFE) discussion board as soon as eBay began its user created Community Forums service, and has more than 1,000 members now who have taken an interest in preventing coin fraud on eBay. If coin fraud on eBay concerns you, consider monitoring the CFE discussion board, and keep in mind that you can also report fraud directly to eBay via their coins consumer watch page.
As welcome as this change is, however, eBay has still failed to address the primary vehicle for fraudulent coin sales: the private auction. When a seller conducts a private auction (even with public feedback,) the bidders' identities are hidden to all but the seller himself. This fact prevents marketplace watchdogs from warning a bidder that the coin he is about to buy is a fake. Sellers of fake coins love the private auction feature, because they can sell with impunity and not have to worry about watchdogs ruining their sales. At least with the new private feedback rule, the watchdogs can tell the buyer after the fact that he has bought a fake, hopefully before the item is paid for.
Speaking of watchdogs in the numismatic community, Alan Van Arsdale is one of the most vigilant. He formed the eBay-based Coin Forgery eBay (CFE) discussion board as soon as eBay began its user created Community Forums service, and has more than 1,000 members now who have taken an interest in preventing coin fraud on eBay. If coin fraud on eBay concerns you, consider monitoring the CFE discussion board, and keep in mind that you can also report fraud directly to eBay via their coins consumer watch page.
Comments
Even with a normal feedback things can be faked in some time but there is more time needed to get that feedback.
In this matter its a good step forward but still i say its better to know the seller and see a personal site on his profile which refers to his online business.