[Beermaker]

Take a look at this Ebay auction:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=013&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=230076325568&rd=1,1
And this one.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=013&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=230080261091&rd=1,1
I noticed this before the first auction ended and emailed Ebay about it.
I also emailed the seller asking why he was selling the same item in two different auctions (no response).
Now you would think that a seller with zero feedback selling the same item in two different auctions running concurrently would indicate a problem right?
What did Ebay do about it?
Nothing! The first auction ended with a buyer and the second one is still up.
Whats the point in reporting suspicious auctions if Ebay does nothing about them?

 

[mjsca07]

Maybe the other winning bidder didn't pay for some reason. The auction seems legit to me. Just the fact that he/she accepts paypal is a good sign. And yes, he/she has no feedback, but everyone has to start somewhere right? I personally wouldn't sell a bike as my first item. Now, if he/she decided to try and get more money for the bike and shaft the other bidder, I doubt they will be on e-bay for very long.

 

[energetix]

Well it's either a scammer or a newb who has no idea.

 

[Beermaker]

As I said above the two auctions were running at the same time. One ended before the other. The second was a ten day auction.
This eliminates the possibility of an item being relisted because of a non paying bidder.

The main problem is that Ebay has done nothing about an obvious problem here even when it has been pointed out.

 

[mjsca07]

As I said above the two auctions were running at the same time. One ended before the other. The second was a ten day auction.
This eliminates the possibility of an item being relisted because of a non paying bidder.

The main problem is that Ebay has done nothing about an obvious problem here even when it has been pointed out.

I missed when you said running at the same time. You're right. It's a problem EBAY should look into.

 

[RideFaster]

As I said above the two auctions were running at the same time. One ended before the other. The second was a ten day auction.
This eliminates the possibility of an item being relisted because of a non paying bidder.

The main problem is that Ebay has done nothing about an obvious problem here even when it has been pointed out.

If the guy wants to scam someone, he would "create" his own, fake posative feedback. So, if he's trying to make big bucks, he would have given himself 2,000 feedbacks and a 100% posative rating. The guy seems legit. As someone mentioned above, he probably is just a noobie to e-bay and has no clue how things work. Contact the seller and ask him all the questions you want. Ask him for a phone # so you can talk with each other. After just 30 seconds, you can tell if the guy is legit or not. Usually, scammers only want to do stuff on the internet, and may not respond to your messages.

Are you looking to buy the bike?

E-bay does suck at keeping scammers away, but I honestly think this is a good guy.

 

[RideFaster]

Oh, and also...

Maybe the winning bidder just bid on it without thinking. He later realised that he did not want the bike. The seller hoped the winning bid was higher. The two worked out an agreement - no payment, no shipment, no complaints to e-bay. Then, if the seller is a noob, he would not have ended the auction, but let it run and just started a new one.

May not make sense (?)

 

[energetix]

Looks pretty odd to me either way. The price in the 2nd listing is $400, and sold for $300 in the first listing.
Unlikely that he has two bikes exactly the same, and there is nowhere stating that the pic isn't of the actual item on auction.
Maybe he stuffed up the first listing and then fixed it up submitting the item up for auction twice and didn't know how to end it being a new & all.
Inexperience is really the only good explanation I can come up with - apart from the mutual agreement with previous buyer. All depends when the items were listed - like straight after one another or at the same time etc.

 

[womble]

The OP does state that he contacted the seller with no response. So it looks more than a little suspicious.

It's not really in Ebay's interest to pay too much attention to potential scams. The manpower required to stamp them out would be very expensive, and if they can get by with a low-ish percentage of scams that don't damage their reputation too much, then they're going to be happy with that.

As an example, has been a hotbed of fake merchandise for years (Rolexes, LV bags, any high-end branded stuff) and they have been trying to ignore it as much as possible. People on watch forums email about specific auctions, only to be ignored completely or to to be told that Ebay cannot verify whether the item is really fake. The only times that Ebay really seems to make a real effort is when they are sued by the luxury brands.

So what's the point of reporting suspicious auctions to Ebay? There's not much point, really, besides the offchance that Ebay will actually take notice. People on the watch forums tend to contact the bidders and tell them that the auction is suspicious.

 

[RideFaster]

The OP does state that he contacted the seller with no response. So it looks more than a little suspicious.

Ooops, you're right. I agree, it does look suspicious now.