Auction Paranoia: eBay Kills a Land Rover Dakar Racer Listing When They Don’t Recognize Their Own PayPal Promo

Marc Ward, a Land Rover enthusiast from Barbados, launched his Dakar Racer auction just ten days ago with high hopes of making eBay history, since it featured one of the most unusual high-value items ever offered on the world’s most popular auction site. The high-end eBay auction item was for a custom-built Land Rover racing package, featuring a Drew Bowler TomCat racer. eBay employees, fearing a third-party security breach, de-listed the auction by mistake, killing a week's momentum.

Delray Beach, FL (PRWEB) June 23, 2006 -- Marc Ward, an avid Land Rover enthusiast from Barbados, launched his auction just ten days ago with high hopes of making eBay history, since it featured one of the most unusual high-value items ever offered on the world’s most popular auction site. The high-end eBay auction item was for a custom-built Dakar racing team, featuring a Drew Bowler TomCat racer. (See the original Press Release here:
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/6/inktomi398031.htm

The auction was generating a lot of excitement, with over 7,000 visitors and several high bids. Marc was looking forward to the final day of the auction when the action would really get hot. One day a PayPal promotion appeared in the auction in the form of a “Seller Addition.” Since Marc doesn’t use PayPal, he asked eBay to remove it. Instead, eBay employees thought their own PayPal promotion was a third-party security breach - they apparently didn’t remember that PayPal does this normally. Despite several assertions that it was not a security breach, eBay employees de-listed the auction. In the end they admitted that it was a mistake – and allowed the auction to be re-listed (go to:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1,1&item=4653966446&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT.

Though eBay is the biggest target for auction fraud, that is still only a small percentage of all online fraud. eBay however, seems inclined to err on the side of caution. Online fraud includes:

• Misrepresentation: The merchandise ISN'T what iwaqs represented in the auction description.
• Failure to ship: The seller takes your money and runs.
• Failure to pay: The use of fake money orders, bounced checks, stolen credit cards, or a number of other techniques, the to get the goods without actually paying for them.
• Shilling: Artificially inflating the price on an item by use of fake bids from phony user IDs or accomplices
• Bid Shielding: Using high bids from phony accounts to run up the price and scare off potential buyers, the actual bidder then retracts the higher bids, getting the item at a much lower price.
• Piracy and counterfeiting: The sale of pirated music and software or counterfeit art, phony jewelry or gems, and forged collectibles.
• Internet Fencing: Selling stolen goods through the auction.
• Triangulation: The seller offers to send you the item (usually new, brand name goods) on approval. They then use stolen credit cards to order the item shipped to you. You pay for the goods (in cash) after receiving them, and get a visit shortly thereafter from the police.
• Credit card fraud and theft.
• "Buy and Switch": The buyer gets the merchandise and returns a similar item that has been damaged, or a fake, with the claim, "It isn't what I expected." The seller refunds their money, and is left with broken and unsaleable product.
• Fee stacking: Fees, usually "related" to shipping costs, are added to the cost after the sale has been made.
• False Loss or Damage Claims: Often these claims are a result of the buy and switch, or careless handling by the buyer.
• Shell Auctions: No merchandise exists. The sole purpose of the auction is to get money or credit card numbers from unwary buyers.

For more information and full specs on all vehicles, please visit the website at www.XtremeLandRover.com. To schedule an interview with Marc, please contact at P.J. Ward (561) 865-9247.

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