3ballsgolf Shill Bidding on Feebay eBay

[Dr.Green]

Why all the hate?

If you're shill bid against and lose well don't do business with them.  But I would think Ebay would go out of their way to investigate this stuff.  Their entire business relies on the integrity of their system.  if their system fails miserably so will they.

I made an error on a listing a couple years ago and I thought a set of clubs would certainly sell for at least $150.  Well with minutes left I couldn't change the listing so i had my wife bid it to $150.  I got a warning letter the next day.  I learned my lesson.  But I made a mistake and the clubs were going to sell for $5.  I guess I could have pulled the auctions but I thought I could just get out of it by having my wife win so i was just out the listing fee.  bad move on my part but at the time i couldn't afford the mistake I had made.

3 balls has some pretty good deals and I have bought a few things there and never had any thoughts that I was being shilled against.

The only way eBay is going to take action with one of their top customers is if they think doing nothing will hurt their business. If this grass roots effort continues to build it will force them to take some sort of action.

[3ballsgolf]

We'd like to add one more clarification to our recent post.  The primary reason there is so much exclusive bidding activity with 3balls is because we  have, by far, the most $.99 first bid/no reserve auctions on brand name golf clubs on eBay of any seller.  At any given time, we generally have over 1,000 auctions in this auction format.  At the present, our eBay store has 1,113 auctions (97% of our total auctions) in the $.99 first bid/no reserve format:  http://stores.shop.ebay.com/3balls-Golf__W0QQLHQ5fAuctionZ1QQ_sidZ1469339QQ_trksidZp4634Q2ec0Q2em14?_sop=2&_sc=1   Resellers large & small - who are primarily international - apparently focus on our auctions exclusively because they know we have a large volume of these $.99 first bid/no reserve auctions for top quality name brand equipment live all the time.  They bid to try and win these auctions (at a tremendous value) exclusively from 3balls so that they can work with a single seller (3balls) to consolidate shipping on multiple auction winnings to make their purchases easier to execute and the best value possible.  It makes more business sense for them to do this versus trying to bid and buy from multiple sellers and then have all the auction winnings shipped separately overseas where they pay shipping, duties, & taxes for each seller's shipment.  It is easier & more cost effective for them to deal with a single seller - especially one who is such a large, trusted, and respected seller on the eBay platform who they know they will consistently receive excellent product, values, and service from.  One the most telling aspects of a good business is customer loyalty (in the form of repeat business and/or bidding activity in the case of eBay), and while we have worked extremely hard to achieve that loyalty and trust over the past 11 years with buyers on eBay (as evidenced by our record), it is unfortunate that this is somehow being spun into a negative against 3balls.   

[jimbonecrusher]

We'd like to add one more clarification to our recent post.  The primary reason there is so much exclusive bidding activity with 3balls is because we  have, by far, the most $.99 first bid/no reserve auctions on brand name golf clubs on eBay of any seller.  At any given time, we generally have over 1,000 auctions in this auction format.  At the present, our eBay store has 1,113 auctions (97% of our total auctions) in the $.99 first bid/no reserve format:  http://stores.shop.ebay.com/3balls-Golf__W0QQLHQ5fAuctionZ1QQ_sidZ1469339QQ_trksidZp4634Q2ec0Q2em14?_sop=2&_sc=1   Resellers large & small - who are primarily international - apparently focus on our auctions exclusively because they know we have a large volume of these $.99 first bid/no reserve auctions for top quality name brand equipment live all the time.  They bid to try and win these auctions (at a tremendous value) exclusively from 3balls so that they can work with a single seller (3balls) to consolidate shipping on multiple auction winnings to make their purchases easier to execute and the best value possible.  It makes more business sense for them to do this versus trying to bid and buy from multiple sellers and then have all the auction winnings shipped separately overseas where they pay shipping, duties, & taxes for each seller's shipment.  It is easier & more cost effective for them to deal with a single seller - especially one who is such a large, trusted, and respected seller on the eBay platform who they know they will consistently receive excellent product, values, and service from.  One the most telling aspects of a good business is customer loyalty (in the form of repeat business and/or bidding activity in the case of eBay), and while we have worked extremely hard to achieve that loyalty and trust over the past 11 years with buyers on eBay (as evidenced by our record), it is unfortunate that this is somehow being spun into a negative against 3balls.   

BULL$HIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SC Golfer]

I wish with the unlimited power of the internet you were able to let us know how you truly feel on his reply.   

[LBlack14]

BULL$HIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

+1!!!

[Jaylasvegas]

Dear 3balls,

I understand you have many auctions that start at .99 cents, but how do you explain all of the winners of your auctions that out bid people by a dollar and win the auction,  yet they do not get feedback, and then we can see that they have bid 100%percent of the time with you, yet a company that prides itself on feedback, doesnt give them feedback in return? sorry but that doesnt make sense.

[KappaRaider]

ZING!

[garygolf]

We'd like to add one more clarification to our recent post.  The primary reason there is so much exclusive bidding activity with 3balls is because we  have, by far, the most $.99 first bid/no reserve auctions on brand name golf clubs on eBay of any seller.  At any given time, we generally have over 1,000 auctions in this auction format.  At the present, our eBay store has 1,113 auctions (97% of our total auctions) in the $.99 first bid/no reserve format:  http://stores.shop.ebay.com/3balls-Golf__W0QQLHQ5fAuctionZ1QQ_sidZ1469339QQ_trksidZp4634Q2ec0Q2em14?_sop=2&_sc=1   Resellers large & small - who are primarily international - apparently focus on our auctions exclusively because they know we have a large volume of these $.99 first bid/no reserve auctions for top quality name brand equipment live all the time.  They bid to try and win these auctions (at a tremendous value) exclusively from 3balls so that they can work with a single seller (3balls) to consolidate shipping on multiple auction winnings to make their purchases easier to execute and the best value possible.  It makes more business sense for them to do this versus trying to bid and buy from multiple sellers and then have all the auction winnings shipped separately overseas where they pay shipping, duties, & taxes for each seller's shipment.  It is easier & more cost effective for them to deal with a single seller - especially one who is such a large, trusted, and respected seller on the eBay platform who they know they will consistently receive excellent product, values, and service from.  One the most telling aspects of a good business is customer loyalty (in the form of repeat business and/or bidding activity in the case of eBay), and while we have worked extremely hard to achieve that loyalty and trust over the past 11 years with buyers on eBay (as evidenced by our record), it is unfortunate that this is somehow being spun into a negative against 3balls.   

I am going to get killed for this response but I see some logic in the explanation.  Agreed this does not answer questions about feedback but on the surface this makes some sense. 

I do not believe we will ever have access to data to prove the shill bid beliefs about 3balls, so everyone has to rely on gut feelings (and act accordingly). 

In my case I will be cautious but will continue to bid on 3balls items.

[3ballsgolf]

In regards to feedback, 3balls leaves feedback pretty much 100% of the time (when managing 1,000+ auctions everyday, we obviously use systems to manage them, so feedback is left automatically by our system when an item ships to the buyer).  Two things to note:

1.  If a single reseller buys 1,000 items from 3ballsgolf and none from any other seller and we leave him 1,000 positive feedbacks, his overall feedback rating will remain at 1.
 
2.  Most of the larger resellers we deal with, however, aggregate auctions for 2-4 weeks before paying for them (to save $ on shipping), so you may be looking at the feedback status prior to us actually leaving the reseller feedback for the auctions in question.

[Jaylasvegas]

In regards to feedback, 3balls leaves feedback pretty much 100% of the time (when managing 1,000+ auctions everyday, we obviously use systems to manage them, so feedback is left automatically by our system when an item ships to the buyer).  Two things to note:

1.  If a single reseller buys 1,000 items from 3ballsgolf and none from any other seller and we leave him 1,000 positive feedbacks, his overall feedback rating will remain at 1.
 
2.  Most of the larger resellers we deal with, however, aggregate auctions for 2-4 weeks before paying for them (to save $ on shipping), so you may be looking at the feedback status prior to us actually leaving the reseller feedback for the auctions in question.

Curious as to why a reseller would buy 1000 items via auction, at that methoid he would never have a total figure for how much he is spending until all items ended.
If a reseller is buying a thousand pieces, they are doing so usually at a discounted price when buying in bulk,
I know thats how it works when I have sold you guys club sets in bulk in the past

[DaveT319]

1.  If a single reseller buys 1,000 items from 3ballsgolf and none from any other seller and we leave him 1,000 positive feedbacks, his overall feedback rating will remain at 1.

Sorry, but that makes no sense. So you're telling me that if I buy 4 items from the same seller over a period of, say, 4 months, and they left me positive feedback each time, then I would only get 1 rating point, since they were all from the same seller? Sorry, but I don't believe that. Can someone confirm if that is in fact true?

Dave

[Jaylasvegas]

Sorry, but that makes no sense. So you're telling me that if I buy 4 items from the same seller over a period of, say, 4 months, and they left me positive feedback each time, then I would only get 1 rating point, since they were all from the same seller? Sorry, but I don't believe that. Can someone confirm if that is in fact true?

Dave

It is in fact


untrue

[mosesgolf]

It is in fact


untrue

Actually.  That is correct.  If you buy 2 or 100 from the same seller within a certain time period( I think it's one year) and that seller leaves 2 or 100 pos feedbacks, you're pos feedback rating goes up only 1 point.   I've bought multiple mulitple items from golfhabit and 3 balls over the years and my rating doesn't go up after the first pos feedback.

[ShaneNZ]

Sorry, but that makes no sense. So you're telling me that if I buy 4 items from the same seller over a period of, say, 4 months, and they left me positive feedback each time, then I would only get 1 rating point, since they were all from the same seller? Sorry, but I don't believe that. Can someone confirm if that is in fact true?

Dave

very much true and common for all auction sites as our new zealand site trademe is exactly the same as i have got stuff of a seller 5 times and after the first time my feedback rating did not go up.

[DaveT319]

Well then, off the subject of 3balls, that seems like a really stupid policy. You're basically being punished for being loyal to a good seller.

Back to 3balls though, can someone confirm for me if you can tell by looking at the old (completed) auction page if the item was in fact relisted? I mean, if an item is "won" by one of the supposed shill-bidders, is there any way to see if that exact same item was relisted? Obviously if a shill-bidder were to win, that wouldn't do them any good, so they would either want to relist it, or give a "second chance" to the next-highest bidder. Is there any way to find out if that is happening?

Dave

[bcheeks]

I bought a couple shafts from aldila store last week and a couple this week and got a positive feedback for both transactions. He's full of sh!t imo. If it looks like a turd and smells like a turd then chances are its a turd.

[DaveT319]

OK, then it's not true? The conflicting information is not helping us sort through this situation.

Dave

[bcheeks]

Bcheeks2 on ebay. Check my feedback from aldila store. Each time I bought a couple shafts, that counted as 1 feedback, but I got one feedback last week and one this week. I believe it is based on how you pay. If you pay for multiple items at once that is one feedback but if you buy several items over a period of time and pay seperately you can get a feedback for each transaction.

[Jaylasvegas]

Actually.  That is correct.  If you buy 2 or 100 from the same seller within a certain time period( I think it's one year) and that seller leaves 2 or 100 pos feedbacks, you're pos feedback rating goes up only 1 point.   I've bought multiple mulitple items from golfhabit and 3 balls over the years and my rating doesn't go up after the first pos feedback.

I have bought from the same seller numerous times sometimes within 2 weeks and every single transaction will increase your # and level, thats the way they have it designed.

Dont let this guy try and pull the wool over your eyes, resellers are not purchasing items in bulk via auctions, it would never work unless they won the item at the starting bid. If anyone is buying in bulk, they are doing so with a buy it now or behind the scenes on EBAY.

[ShaneNZ]

must be only when you buy multiple at one go that you get only 1 feedback as i got 5 shafts from aldila and only had my feedback go up by 1.

[Jaylasvegas]

must be only when you buy multiple at one go that you get only 1 feedback as i got 5 shafts from aldila and only had my feedback go up by 1.

correct, thats only one transaction

[ND fan]

Well I have resellers would not be buying 1000's of items, prices are good but not that good, and certainly not worth sitting through thousands of auctions to get a Cally X fairway wood for 90 bucks.  3 Balls is now off my radar, thanks for the heads up.  I thought you guys were just being paranoid but I checked out a couple of the things mentioned and even though names are now protected you can still see enough to know whats going on.

[ravinesGator]

They have been doing it for years !!  Won't stop

[Prut]

Until seeing this thread today, I had never read or heard anything about this. Nonetheless, I've been using ebay for about a year and a half I came to suspect it myself a few months back, As a result if 3 Balls is the seller, I don't watch or bid. Thanks for confirming my suspicions.

[ShaneNZ]

I brought some Ping wedges off 3balls ebay a few weeks ago and there was no signs of shill bidding - i got them for a bargain