HP Forum Archive 07

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Fake auction (HP-65 NIB) ? Message #1 Posted by Raymond Hellstern (Germany) on 10 Jan 2002, 6:11 p.m. at least it seems so, since the buyer doesn't have any feedback... http://cgi.ebay.de/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1309694005&r=0&t=0&showTutorial=0&ed=1008825603&indexURL=0&rd=1

Re: Fake auction (HP-65 NIB) ? Message #2 Posted by Ian Primus on 10 Jan 2002, 7:06 p.m., in response to message #1 by Raymond Hellstern (Germany) Sure seems like there was something fishy going on in the bidding - look at the bid history, "papamotis" outbid himself like 4 times in a row at one point. Also, there are other instances where a person bid against himself. Ian Primus ian_primus@yahoo.com

Re: Fake auction (HP-65 NIB) ? Message #3 Posted by Ellis Easley on 10 Jan 2002, 8:03 p.m., in response to message #2 by Ian Primus If you look closely at the times of papamotis's series of bids, you will see that they are all later that tomd's higher bid. Papamotis was struggling with his soul as he tried to outbid tomd, only to be automatically outbid (remember the "proxy bidding" or whatever they call it). Papamotis thought he had it (for a little more that $400) when he bid $425. Then about 15 minutes later, tomd bid $625. Papamotis kept coming back over a period of several hours, only to stop $15 short of tomd. Of course, it was all moot since the bidding went through the roof later. Then tomd came back one more time for $999. I haven't been on Ebay for a couple of years, but I remember tomd, he seemed like someone who bid in every auction and usually stuck by his original bid. This must have been a really good item. Is this the same HP65 that caused so much excitement a couple of weeks ago?

I was about to post the same question! Message #4 Posted by Vieira, Luiz C. (Brazil) on 10 Jan 2002, 11:03 p.m., in response to message #3 by Ellis Easley I felt the same. Wasn't this HP65 sold for a great amount of money?

Re: I was about to post the same question! Message #5 Posted by Ellis Easley on 11 Jan 2002, 4:50 a.m., in response to message #4 by Vieira, Luiz C. (Brazil) The link in the first item in this thread (which I can't see right now due to scheduled maintenance at Ebay) was to an auction in a German version of Ebay that closed around the 18th of December and the winning bid was a little over $2000. My memory and I are still confused by the way the date and the price were displayed (yy/dd/mm? yy/mm/dd? $2.036,xx???) Sorry I'm so provincial! I remember the price was also posted in Euros and DM. As the auction ended before the New Year, I want to go back to a current auction there and see if they are still displaying DM (though I guess they will for two years - or is it months?) Anyway, I just looked up the earlier thread and compared the Ebay item numbers in the links and they are the same. Also I learned something about Ebay: the previous link started "cgi.ebay.com" and this one starts "cgi.ebay.de", so I guess Ebay has one database and "nationalizes" it for different countries. BTW, here's a little funny thing that happened over Christmas: someone was poking fun at my sister for having once asked an African person what the flag of Africa looked like. Speaking up in her defense, I suggested that she might have put a bug in his ear and he might go on to help found an African economic union. Then someone asked "Will their currency be the Afro?" Do you think I can get $50 from Reader's Digest for that one?

Re: I was about to post the same question! Message #6 Posted by Vieira, Luiz C. (Brazil) on 11 Jan 2002, 12:33 p.m., in response to message #5 by Ellis Easley Yes, at least the photos are the same, right? I am not aware of a Brazilian e-bay, though; does anybody know some about it? Marx? About the African flag: would the 50 bux go to the founds, the guy, or to finally buy an African Flag? And, please, don't let you little sista talk to e-strangers... Regards.

Re: I was about to post the same question! Message #7 Posted by Marx Pio on 11 Jan 2002, 1:40 p.m., in response to message #6 by Vieira, Luiz C. (Brazil) Luiz & pals, IMHO, This kind of almost insane bidding are just ego match, I think nobody needs one thing that we have to pay much more than it worths (of course subjective). Imagine Bill Gates and TomD match in ebay for a HP65, sounds funny? Cheers, MPio

Or on Australian ebay Message #8 Posted by Greg Harris (Sydney Australia) on 11 Jan 2002, 6:56 p.m., in response to message #5 by Ellis Easley Check out ... http://cgi.ebay.com.au/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1309694005 The price doubles...

Multiple bids mean nothing wrong Message #9 Posted by Mike on 10 Jan 2002, 10:57 p.m., in response to message #2 by Ian Primus It is just an attempt to outbid the higher bidder. You can have any number of higher bids. If fact, you can be the high bidder and still make higher bids. I have bid a high value before, on an auction, then realized that I should have bid a higher max value. So, I go back and make a higher bid. Result, two high bids by myself. This is perfectly explainable. Nothing fishy at all when you see this.

Re: Multiple bids mean nothing wrong Message #10 Posted by thibaut.be on 11 Jan 2002, 3:26 a.m., in response to message #9 by Mike Yes, that's right... I also do the same : bidding with samll increments, to be just above the highest bid. Otherwise, when there's plenty of time before the end of the auction, if you put a really high bid, you're sure to be outbid or at least attempted to, which means you'll pay an amount that is near your highest bid.

Seller Not Fake Message #11 Posted by Mike on 10 Jan 2002, 11:01 p.m., in response to message #1 by Raymond Hellstern (Germany) Don't know the buyer but, I know this seller, not personally, but of them. They have been selling these prize items for almost a year now. Their father was a prolific HP fan and has stacked up many such calculators. I think they are just now getting to the most prized stuff. Mike

Re: Seller Not Fake Message #12 Posted by Thibaut.be on 11 Jan 2002, 3:38 a.m., in response to message #11 by Mike No, the seller is not fake. In addition, booklung did buy many items to this very seller. I assume that the seller couldn't resist the temtpation to sell his nice NIB 65 4 or 5 times its value asking friends or even creating a fake ID... And maybe he finally got to sell it to a lower price to booklung as there's no feedback left on the highest bidder...

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