Scam "On the topic of shill bids". A message from DomainLore founder.

[Sound]

Very interesting blog from Deny"s on domainlore "On the topic of shill bids". http://domainlore.co.uk/info/2.

Maybe Admin can ask for the list of banned members and add it to his collection of rogues who shrill bid and cheat.

I am the victim of one of these dick heads who left me my only negative rep after failing to pay for a name he brought on Acorn he was also banned by Deny's for shrill bidding some time ago but still post here on Acorn from time to time.

 

[Retired_member41]

I'm editing this as I felt bitter in my original post.

I agree with Graeme later on in this thread that it's good to talk about things in the open but family comes first and last thing i want is my elder two girls finding posts where mum is arguing online when googling one day. Ok if it's about something really important but not this.

Ps i said i was banned earlier. I wasn't. Just received minus points.

As for the reasons why and my discussion with the site it's best left there for me.

I wasn't one of the shill bidders by the way, just foolishly voicing my opinion on a similar matter.

 

[foz]

The bidding isn't very transparent, don't do much business their now. If good domains come up I won't bother anymore. Users would be better off putting it on Acorn.

 

[Sound]

Deny's has now updated his post and it makes interesting reading...

 

[GreyWing]

I haven't noticed Denys to be anything apart from upstanding and honest in all his dealings with me.

A stand up guy who says it how he feels regardless of the financial consequences to himself. In all my dealings I with him (maybe over 60/70k) I haven't needed to raise an issue with him.

I have thought about doing a sales /auction platform before but the amount of flak he gets for putting stuff in the gems section, shill bidders etc I just think sod that. It's a good safe platform but ultimately Denys can't stop people wanting to ruin the system.

 

[Admin]

I have noticed that the number of actions on DL seems to have dropped off a lot, only 2 running right now and I wondered why so buyer confidence could be part of it.

In some ways it's interesting to me to see too that it's not only AD that has suffered lately with difficulties with sellers behaviour around sales transactions, I think people are just generally more desperate for money in these times, so morals take a back seat over hard cash.

Admin

 

[foz]

Turn it around with a credit card or Paypal transaction ~£10 to register. Have bidder names and a link to their competency (the number or newly registered). Let the buyer decide if they want to take part.

 

[Edwin]

Turn it around with a credit card or Paypal transaction ~£10 to register. Have bidder names and a link to their competency (the number or newly registered). Let the buyer decide if they want to take part.

It's a difficult balance. It would be wonderful to have access to an auction platform (DomainLore or elsewhere) where all buyers and sellers are "known" i.e. there are no obscure aliases to hide behind, but that might backfire and kill the critical mass of interest in the platform as a sales venue.

There would still be some room for anonymity even in a "full disclosure" scenario in that trusted auction participants could provide a fee-based service (% or flat fee) whereby they bid on behalf of (hidden) others up to an agreed maximum. A bit like telephone bidders at real-world auctions - those manning the phones at the auction end bear responsibility for the "real-ness" of the bids they're placing on behalf of others, but the end purchasers are hidden from view.

 

[Sound]

I have noticed that the number of actions on DL seems to have dropped off a lot, only 2 running right now and I wondered why so buyer confidence could be part of it.

In some ways it's interesting to me to see too that it's not only AD that has suffered lately with difficulties with sellers behaviour around sales transactions, I think people are just generally more desperate for money in these times, so morals take a back seat over hard cash.

Admin

Alan can you explain why people caught shill bidding on DL and left bad traders rating on acorn are allowed to still be members and leave bad feedback for other honest members.

 

[foz]

I'm just cautious of "buyer1" and so on......

 

[foz]

I know of a member here that had their Sedo account closed for shill bidding. But I'm not saying. It's a wide spread issue and in no way are my comments a discredit towards Domainlore.

 

[GreyWing]

I'm just cautious of "buyer1" and so on......

I imagine that a buyer called "Microsoft" might draw some unwanted attention. People should be allowed to bid with anonymity. If they didn't have buyer1, people would just register under "JoeBloggs423785943". Then not even Denys would know who they really were.

But there is nothing broken about the system, the system works perfectly well if people behave. If people don't behave then it is them that should face questions not a few lines of code.

If people don't behave then they will find their way round most security steps.

 

[foz]

My earlier comments would apply to Sedo auctions also. I think sellers would get a better deal on Acorn. This is in the scope of the wholesale re-seller market.

 

[Edwin]

I have noticed that the number of actions on DL seems to have dropped off a lot, only 2 running right now and I wondered why so buyer confidence could be part of it.

That's a misconception. Only "top" auctions or hidden auctions with bids make it to the front page, but there are 26 hidden auctions running right now, which is probably one of the largest number I remember seeing recently.

It could be that the average quality of listed names is dropping, which is why fewer names are making it out of "Hidden" and onto the front page (an automated process, btw - as soon as a bid is placed the name migrates to the FP)

 

[Admin]

What I meant by "auctions running" was actions with bids, the homepage used to be full.

Admin

 

[Skinner]

I don't have conclusive input but when my buyer name was the same as my seller name, I feel I was paying way more. Since the ability to change it with each buy, I feel I am getting better details.

Altho I do find myself constantly bidding against PsychicMedia or something like that

 

[Retired_member41]

I was posting something but decided not to be drawn in.

 

[foz]

Why blog about the subject, just asking for bad press. Deal with things internally.

 

[Retired_member41]

I agree foz. I'll email Denys.

 

[foz]

My statement was more to do with Denys outing the situation. Most auction houses would keep quiet and work away at it.