Don't sit on it, sell it!
eBay UK has a new commercial that's causing a stir. It features the rainbow people and this time Green is cleaning out her closet/wardrobe (designer handbags). Her rainbow friends get pretty fired up and suggest she sell them on eBay. Then the slogan - "Don't sit on it, sell it!" comes on.
Sellers in the UK are concerned by the ad because:
1. Do we really need more sellers?
2. Green's friends (pictured) enter stage left and Blue says: "i'll buy them", followed by Red who says: "i'll bid!" As any professional seller will tell you - encouraging your friends or anyone to connected with you to bid/buy your items is a clear violation of eBay's Shill Bidding Policy.
The big question is will eBay Trust and Safety nuke the ads like they would a seller caught in the act of shill bidding like Yellow and Red?!
Firstly, eBay’s ban on shill bidding effectively exists in words only; unless, of course, there is media coverage. And now that absolute anonymity of bidding is in place In the UK, Ireland and Australia, shill bidding has “disappeared” and is no longer a problem (for eBay).
The more interesting question is why is eBay suddenly self promoting itself on prime time TV in the UK and Australia? Could it have anything to do with a fall off in buyer activity caused by a reduction in buyer confidence in the platform caused by eBay’s removing of the ability of genuine bidders to watch for and thereby protect themselves from such shill bidding?
For those of you with a longer attention span, a lengthy critical analysis of this matter appears at:
http://www.auctionbytes.com/forum/phpBB/viewtopic.php?p=6498345#6498345
I apologise in advance for the length of this linked “rant”. Needless to say eBay would not tolerate it on their discussion forums and I have spent time on eBay’s “naughty chair” for posting links to it.
Posted by: Philip Cohen | July 20, 2008 at 07:12 PM
Looks like shill bidding to me. It is just another example of how it is so messed up at eBay. The right hand does not know what the left is doing.
The really sad thing is that they are using our money that we pay them to put out this garbage. No wonder all of us good sellers are slowly but surely moving to our own sites and just using eBay as a marketing tool.
Bill
Posted by: Bill | February 06, 2007 at 05:20 PM
PMSL, I thought I was the only person who worried about the shill bidding policy while watching that advert :-D
Posted by: Biddy | February 06, 2007 at 02:15 PM
"Sellers in the UK are concerned by the ad because: 1. Do we really need more sellers?"
Sellers that think that haven't understood the end result, the adverts are not designed to attract more seller competition as explored in a
Posted by: Chris | February 06, 2007 at 10:34 AM