"D Peter Maus" wrote in message
...
Michael Lawson wrote:
"mike maghakian" wrote in message
...
a couple of weeks ago I listed on eBay a broken FRG-7700
receiver.
the buyer
was gottahaveit1995. it was paid for and shipped to Martyn
Allison.
today, Radio-mart has listed that identical FRG-7700, including
the
CD I
made and included. he made up a story that was not true that he
had
sold
this receiver in working condition and it was returned broken.
Radio-mart also happens to be Martyn Allison. and this is not the
first time
he bought something from me under gottahaveit1995 and sold it two
weeks
later as radio-mart
the auctions in question a 5837723543 and 5833316809
judge for yourself how honest this person is and if you can ever
believe
anything he says in his auctions.

Yeah, I was bidding on a radio 2 weeks ago, and he tried
to sneak in at the last second and win it, but was denied
by someone who really really wanted that radio.

--Mike L.





Both he and Radios4You regularly read this forum and adapt their
practices by what they read here, resulting in things like the
hidden
bidders and feedback. On at least two instances after technical
discussions in which I participated, I was contacted by one of them
with
a request to take on a project for one of their newly acquired
radios. I
declined both times. I'm sure I wasn't the only one contacted.

Wouldn't surprise me in the least. The best thing
to do when bidding is to become knowledgeable
on what you're bidding so that you know what's
really going on.

One of the things that happens when you post something to a public
forum such as this, is it attracts attention from those you'd rather
not
have looking over your shoulder. Radio-Mart and Radios4You being
only
two. And when someone, as happens here, telegraphs a distaste for a
vendor and suggests, as has happened here, an intent to interfere in
a
transaction by contacting bidders directly, such comments provoke a
response.

In the case of these guys and eBay in general, be
skeptical of anything unusual, such as private auctions.
Sure, there are probably plenty of nice private auctions
out there, but let's face it: if you can't see what's going
on before you bid, then maybe you ought to not bid
on it. After all, stuff comes up all the time.

Commenting on absurd prices, or questionable products is one
thing.
Not unlike telling your friends that a different vendor has better
pricing, higher quality, or more diversified offerings. We do that
every
day in recommending Universal, HRO, Grove or any of the other
vendors
with whom we deal. Stating an intent to follow someone into a store
and
tell him/her about bad experiences, questionable ethics, or
misrepresented products is quite another matter. And the vendor, no
matter how shady, shifty and malintended he/she may be has the right
and
the power to close doors to such direct accusations, especially in
their
own store. eBay's analog to that is the hidden bidder/private
auction.

If someone would really wish to do something effective in having
an
impact on these guy's business practices, stop telling the world
what
you're going to do. Once the intent has been stated, preemptive
defense
is the next step.

If neither of these guys openly state, "I'm going to buy
questionable
goods, put them up for sale at inflated prices and sell them as New
In
Box," then don't openly state what you're going to do to impact such
questionable practices.

You don't win a chess game by laying out your moves in advance.

Or better yet, create a budget and stick to it. Don't
get sucked into bidding more than you want to,
and if you can, instead of an online auction go
and look at the thing at a hamfest.

--Mike L.