30 Sep
2010
30 Sep
'10
3:03 p.m.
It can be, but my assertion is merely that it's
more difficult than
that with a virtual auction. ?There, the only thing you have is IP
addresses and whatever eBay cares to let you know about the bidders
(less now, with their obscuration policies)
The Ebay police have much more than just IP address - they have
registration info and access to all sorts of databases we mortals do
not.
That's certainly true. ?I have been to numerous
estate auctions, and
the auctioneer has a lot of ability to control the flow of things,
push to get the bids up, direct the win at a particular bidder, etc.
And pulling bids out of thin air.
Of all the auctions of all time everywhere? ?Probably
pretty few. ?Of
the items I've personally bid on? ?More than merely "a bunch of
times".
Give me some estimated percentages.
Across all of eBay, almost certainly. ?I'm not
claiming that all of
eBay sucks for everyone equally. ?I'm merely pointing things that I
have personally experienced (vs repeating stories of others) and found
unpleasant enough to impact my use of their services.
Yes, unpleasant experiences tend to get exaggerated, and weigh far
more than they really are.
--
Will