eBay Gremlin UPDATE!

[digitalpress]

Part of our weekly feature column line-up, the mysterious and dangerous "eBay Gremlin" presents his first in a series of investigative and devilish cases.

This column will focus on giving headaches to eBayers who give us headaches. If only there were more eBay Gremlins to go around :)

My intro won't do it justice. Go check it out HERE! (http://www.digitpress.com/columns/ebaygremlin.htm)
http://www.digitpress.com/columns/ebaygremlin.htm

http://www.digitpress.com/columns/ebaygremlin_sm.gif (http://www.digitpress.com/columns/ebaygremlin.htm)

[Sotenga]

Heh... great story, that is. This shows why I have a "crotchety English teacher" personality. Whoever this gremlin is, s/he deserves my congraturation! :D

[gamergary]

Cool story, I hope to see many more from this hidden person.

[WiseSalesman]

heh.....I have a guess who the gremlin is....

[autobotracing]

that is great! LOL Look at that feedback ! :evil:

[kainemaxwell]

I loved it. LOL

[WiseSalesman]

that is great! LOL Look at that feedback ! :evil:

What feedback? :hmm:

[Evil E]

LOL!!! I loved the whole quick sticks thing!! " I may be near my ending *cough*. I need to have the answers quickly, quickly like the sticks"---classic!! :evil:

[Cmosfm]

WOW! I love this column. This, in my opinion, is the best new column yet. The e-mails are excellent. Keep em coming, can't wait to see more.

oh, and best. quote. ever. "THIS CHRISTMAS GIVE YOUR KID THE SAME THING WE ASK SANTA FOR, JOY AND FUN."

[Simply Dave]

Hehehe, that was a great read. LOL

[Half Japanese]

Just a quick note: the title of the page is "invading spaces." ;)

[punkoffgirl]

It was pretty entertaining, but I kinda thought it'd be more "out there".

[Mayhem]

Funny stuff, but it is incredibly like an eBay version of "Ring Sir", a spoof phone computer shop Q&A that used to be published over here in the UK...

[DigitalSpace]

LOL

Once again, Digital Press entertains.

Nice feature.

[Raedon]

Ahh.. this is like the Ebay forum taken to the next level.. Great stuff!

This Ebay prankster should go after those "sealed" Genesis sports titles I always see up.

[Ed Oscuro]

Just a quick note: the title of the page is "invading spaces." ;)
'tis true!

Gotta love the style of this post. Similar to what I've seen many times on many sites, but the classic gaming scenario makes it all click :)

[Kim Possible]

Ok, maybe I'm too old to get the joke. Harassing innocent people on ebay who are just trying to sell stuff, is funny? I guess I just don't get it. Just seems mean to me.

Ah well, best I stick to playing video games and reading books....

Flame away. :roll:

[ClubNinja]

Ok, maybe I'm too old to get the joke. Harassing innocent people on ebay who are just trying to sell stuff, is funny? I guess I just don't get it. Just seems mean to me.


Admittedly, I felt the same way with this one. I think it might be more appropriate if the target was, oh say, someone selling bootleg Dreamcast discs or another "non-legit" item. This poor sap just seems to be selling some 2600 consoles. What's the real problem?

Either way, to each their own, and just because I wasn't entertained doesn't mean that anyone else shouldn't enjoy it. Just didn't want Ben to feel all alone in his personal opinion. Carry on! :)

[sisko]

Ok, maybe I'm too old to get the joke. Harassing innocent people on ebay who are just trying to sell stuff, is funny? I guess I just don't get it. Just seems mean to me.

Ah well, best I stick to playing video games and reading books....

Flame away. :roll:

I'm going to have to agree with this as well. Sure her feedback is absolutely horrid, but I don't think that gives anyone the right to harass her. Especially given the fact that she did nothing to provoke anybody.

Perhaps if the article was actually investigating shady deals rather than just mercilessly tormenting someone for shits and giggles, I would have enjoyed it.

[autobotracing]

that is great! LOL Look at that feedback ! :evil:

What feedback? :hmm:


the sellers feedback

[jonjandran]

Ok, maybe I'm too old to get the joke. Harassing innocent people on ebay who are just trying to sell stuff, is funny? I guess I just don't get it. Just seems mean to me.
:

Well as an Ebay Seller that gets crazy and stupid e-mails all the time......It's simple to block the buyers e-mail and block him from bidding.
If I get a question from buyer that is weird or stupid or irritating, I immediately blobk the bidder and then reply and then block the buyers e-mail.
So it's really not a big deal to most sellers. :P

[digitalpress]

Ok, maybe I'm too old to get the joke. Harassing innocent people on ebay who are just trying to sell stuff, is funny? I guess I just don't get it. Just seems mean to me.

I'm sorry you feel that way, and I'll bet that I'm even older than you!

C'mon, it's all in good fun. If the seller didn't see it as an obvious joke or a "harrassing" (which I just don't see here) e-mail, she could have opted to just ignore it as well. I know as a buyer my "ask seller a question" e-mails are USUALLY ignored. Though I'm not much brighter than eBay Gremlin pretends to be here.

All in good fun.

[Raedon]

I guess I just don't get it. Just seems mean to me.



Your a long way from Wal-Mart there BillyBoy.. That forum is the one with the happy smilely roll-back, and that ain't here.

[Quintracker]

Ok, maybe I'm too old to get the joke. Harassing innocent people on ebay who are just trying to sell stuff, is funny? I guess I just don't get it. Just seems mean to me.


Admittedly, I felt the same way with this one. I think it might be more appropriate if the target was, oh say, someone selling bootleg Dreamcast discs or another "non-legit" item. This poor sap just seems to be selling some 2600 consoles. What's the real problem?

Either way, to each their own, and just because I wasn't entertained doesn't mean that anyone else shouldn't enjoy it. Just didn't want Ben to feel all alone in his personal opinion. Carry on! :)

Migh as well throw in my opinion (feedback is welcome, right?) ;) I agree with their statements (that's not to say I didn't find it entertaining). I do believe I would enjoy it tenfold though if the target were the bootleggers and such on ebay.

[Felixthegamer]

I liked it and thought it was some good natured fun. I could see how somebody might view it as otherwise and I respect that view also.

[Griking]

Ok, maybe I'm too old to get the joke. Harassing innocent people on ebay who are just trying to sell stuff, is funny? I guess I just don't get it. Just seems mean to me.

Ah well, best I stick to playing video games and reading books....

Flame away. :roll:

I'm going to have to agree with this as well. Sure her feedback is absolutely horrid, but I don't think that gives anyone the right to harass her. Especially given the fact that she did nothing to provoke anybody.

Perhaps if the article was actually investigating shady deals rather than just mercilessly tormenting someone for shits and giggles, I would have enjoyed it.

Unfortunately i'm going to have to agree as well. If you feel the need to harass people then why not go after the sellers who are legitimately scamming people and not just the dumb ones. I also have to say that I'm somewhat surprised by the "they can just ignore my being an asshole if they don't like it" attitude. Should they really have to?

Hey I have a great idea for a practical joke, lets stage a DOS attack on the DP website, wouldn't that be fun?!? Great laughs for everyone

[calthaer]

Note that at this point she's also not a registered user any more.

[Raedon]

what a bunch of bleeding hearts.. not a SINGLE ONE of you read the feedback on that seller. :roll:

If you people are going to complain about funny stuff that happens here please LEAVE..

[punkoffgirl]

Hey I have a great idea for a practical joke, lets stage a DOS attack on the DP website, wouldn't that be fun?!? Great laughs for everyone

That's different, and you know it. This did not hurt the seller in any way; it did not interfere with the regular proceeding of their auction, nor anyone else who may have been interested in bidding.

[Kid Ice]

what a bunch of bleeding hearts.. not a SINGLE ONE of you read the feedback on that seller. :roll:

If you people are going to complain about funny stuff that happens here please LEAVE..

It wasn't funny. That's the problem.

I think this idea has great potential. The seller here obviously has a poor grip on the English language, e-mail, or both. This is obvious in the first e-mail message, so it gets sort of redundant. As others stated before, it would have worked better with another seller (like a scammer) than some person who just doesn't have a clue.

I didn't find it offensive or anything, it just kind of fell flat for me. I'm curious to see the next one though.

[tynstar]

Ok, maybe I'm too old to get the joke. Harassing innocent people on ebay who are just trying to sell stuff, is funny? I guess I just don't get it. Just seems mean to me.

Ah well, best I stick to playing video games and reading books....

Flame away. :roll:


I agree. It might be funny if the person was selling copies or scamming people but thats it. I just dont think it is funny harassing innocent people. I don't like the Jerky Boys for the same reason.

On the other hand the Invading Spaces column rocks.

[Ed Oscuro]

Hay guys.

The seller, is no longer here. Nor there. Nor anywhere, not on eBay, on this page, or in my headphones.

There's a reason, (TM) as C.W. Post's mom would say.

I don't begrudge anybody the right to comment on this, and I don't argue with anybody who's worried about this making DP look bad (I suppose it could, and that's a legitimate concern). All that said...I have no sympathy for this seller, other than that I wish sometime earlier in their life they'd been hit less often and with less intensity by the stoopid stick.

[sisko]

what a bunch of bleeding hearts.. not a SINGLE ONE of you read the feedback on that seller. :roll:

If you people are going to complain about funny stuff that happens here please LEAVE..

Yes, I did. If you are going to skim posts missing crucial details, and then run about posting false accusations, then please LEAVE.

You seem to have this problem a lot.... :hmm:

[tynstar]

what a bunch of bleeding hearts.. not a SINGLE ONE of you read the feedback on that seller. :roll:

If you people are going to complain about funny stuff that happens here please LEAVE..

I didn't think is was funny. With that said what is considered funny is an opinion. So if we don't agree with your OPINION that is was funny we should leave?

[Ed Oscuro]

what a bunch of bleeding hearts.. not a SINGLE ONE of you read the feedback on that seller. :roll:

If you people are going to complain about funny stuff that happens here please LEAVE..
Yes, I did. If you are going to skim posts missing crucial details, and then run about posting false accusations, then please LEAVE.
Hey hey... what crucial details do you speak of? Eh. What's crucial is that the seller is less than a great seller. Maybe not a crook or two-timer, but with feedback like that you've got enough problems as it is.

Clicked around on feedback/winning auctions, crazy stuff. One of the folks who bought from this seller had bid on This (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=36045&item=2224588825) auction. Man...cesspool...is that the word?

[sisko]

what a bunch of bleeding hearts.. not a SINGLE ONE of you read the feedback on that seller. :roll:

If you people are going to complain about funny stuff that happens here please LEAVE..
Yes, I did. If you are going to skim posts missing crucial details, and then run about posting false accusations, then please LEAVE.
Hey hey... what crucial details do you speak of? Eh. What's crucial is that the seller is less than a great seller. Maybe not a crook or two-timer, but with feedback like that you've got enough problems as it is.

Clicked around on feedback/winning auctions, crazy stuff. One of the folks who bought from this seller had bid on This (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=36045&item=2224588825) auction. Man...cesspool...is that the word?

He stated that none of us read the feedback, where I even said in my first post "sure her feedback is absolutely horrid" indicating that I had indeed read the feedback.

[tynstar]

Clicked around on feedback/winning auctions, crazy stuff. One of the folks who bought from this seller had bid on This (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=36045&item=2224588825) auction. Man...cesspool...is that the word?

Whats wrong with buying a knife?

[Raedon]

what a bunch of bleeding hearts.. not a SINGLE ONE of you read the feedback on that seller. :roll:

If you people are going to complain about funny stuff that happens here please LEAVE..

Yes, I did. If you are going to skim posts missing crucial details, and then run about posting false accusations, then please LEAVE.




I didn't skim, and I didn't point a finger at you; However, your head is sooo fucking big you actually THINK it was all about you. Get over yourself Sisko, go save people with Jesus or something.

I found that Ebay Gremlin bit funny as hell! "quick sticks" lol!


You seem to have this problem a lot.... :hmm:

I seem to think that things just the other side of PC are funny? Hell yea! Especially when it deals with people marketing my main hobby.

False accusations? what are you talking about man?
It's not like I work with anyone on this forum and just tried to undermine their work so I could get the big promotion. O_O

Sometimes.. I really miss the battlezone.

[Raedon]

and for the rest of you.. go save a kitten and walk an old lady across the road..

First it was the DP models being "naked with games" that men couldn't take.. I swear this hobby is full of whiny whimpy PC virgins.

[Kid Ice]

and for the rest of you.. go save a kitten and walk an old lady across the road..

First it was the DP models being "naked with games" that men couldn't take.. I swear this hobby is full of whiny whimpy PC virgins.

Is all that really necessary? People just don't like the new column. Or they like the premise but don't like this particular episode. Chill out.

[sisko]

what a bunch of bleeding hearts.. not a SINGLE ONE of you read the feedback on that seller. :roll:

If you people are going to complain about funny stuff that happens here please LEAVE..

Yes, I did. If you are going to skim posts missing crucial details, and then run about posting false accusations, then please LEAVE.




I didn't skim, and I didn't point a finger at you; However, your head is sooo fucking big you actually THINK it was all about you. Get over yourself Sisko, go save people with Jesus or something.


Hey dumbass. You said, and I quote, "NOT A SINGLE ONE OF YOU READ THE FEEDBACK" When you say NOT A SINGLE ONE OF YOU read the feed back I am included in that group.

Your false accusation? You accused EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US of not reading the feedback. HELLO! McFLY! I read the feedback! If you actually READ my post, you would have seen that.

I'm not holier than thou, thou are just really really stupid.

Go sit on a goddamned cactus, either that or remove the one that is already stuck up there.

[tynstar]

bye bye


sisko and Raedon did you guys wake up on the wrong side of the bed today?

For the record I have no problem with naked chick with games. But I am glad they are gone. At least gone from the front page.

[Raedon]

Chill out.

Actually I'm quite level headed.. It's just people take me seriously like I just barged into their house and pissed on their couch.

I have my opinions, and I'm very vocal about them in a way that people get upset about because, for whatever reason, they think I don't respect them as a human..

I just think you PC guys are odd heh.. You guys need to chill out.. x_x

[sisko]

*calm*

I just don't appreciate being called a fathead because someone either 1) doesn't read my posts clearly or 2)they can't remember what they said.

[tynstar]

It's just people take me seriously like I just barged into their house and pissed on their couch.

That was funny. LOL LOL

This has to be the most controversy for a DP column.

[crashdummycow01]

i thought parts of it were funny... the whole "quick sticks" thing was kinda funny... but also harassing ppl who are honestly just tryin to sell something also seems wrong.. also the fact that she isnt registered anymore seems kinda wrong... but i wasnt really offended by it... i'm not about to argue with somebody over anything.. i've got better things to do with my time.

[digitalpress]

This thread got a little ragged while I was away, didn't it?

Well, in a way this is EXACTLY what I wanted to see. The column is meant to be a little offensive but really, think about it. It's no more offensive than an episode of South Park or even The Simpsons. Whether you agree with this or not, it's a fact :)

Even the writer admitted to me that this wasn't his best work, and I'm sure he's seen the feedback here. What I expect is something much funnier but as a result probably more offensive to those who found THIS one offensive. I will try to persuade him to stick to the sellers who are truly ripping us off or commiting a crime, perhaps by channeling his energies he'll appeal to both sides of that "PC" fence.

But please keep it civil amongst the members here. Letting the feedback run out of control is a disservice to the writer, who - anonymous or not - did put some time into creating a column he felt would be entertaining.

[Ed Oscuro]

Hey, looks like that area effect sleep spell is finally taking hold of the forumers ;D

Anyhow, I also think that if the focus was tweaked a bit that the column would be enjoyable for more people :D

[Griking]

Hey I have a great idea for a practical joke, lets stage a DOS attack on the DP website, wouldn't that be fun?!? Great laughs for everyone

That's different, and you know it. This did not hurt the seller in any way; it did not interfere with the regular proceeding of their auction, nor anyone else who may have been interested in bidding.


It's only different because the joke would be on you (and many others here) in this case. As far as hurting the seller, what is does is frustrate the seller and waste his time.

Besides, using ebay's email system for uses such as this is against ebay's rules.

"eBay allows members to contact one another through the Contact an eBay Member feature. A message can be sent through Contact an eBay Member by clicking on the User ID of the member you wish to contact from any eBay page. The purpose of Contact an eBay Member is to provide an open avenue of communication between eBay users. Messages received through this system must be sent with the intent to facilitate a transaction."

link to rules (http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/rfe-unwelcome-email-misuse.html)

I think that it's obvious that the Gremlin had no intention in purchasing anything from the seller in question. In fact, the only purpose of the email seems to be to harass the seller which is anopther offense.

Ask yourself this, if people emailed you all day asking stupid questions over and over again about items that you had up for sale would you find it funny? Actually, I've seen members of this board complain about this very thing (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=31846) on the ebay insanity board. Funny, they didn't seem to find it funny either.

And yeah, I did see the person's feedback before my original response. Yeah, she looks like a lousy seller but since when did who wrongs make a right?

[sisko]

I will try to persuade him to stick to the sellers who are truly ripping us off or commiting a crime, perhaps by channeling his energies he'll appeal to both sides of that "PC" fence.


That's all I was really getting at. It's obvious that both the writer and column have serious potential. I just think the target could have been better in regards to what you just said.

[Flack]

It's no more offensive than an episode of South Park or even The Simpsons.

I thought it was more along the lines of Jackass, Punk'd, Crank Yankers, and other shows of that nature. It's not a type of joking that everybody likes, but as they say, it's a big-wide Internet out there. No need for all the ruckus -- find something else to read, or write something funnier.

My biggest surprise while reading it was that the lady keep replying. Recently I had someone ask me a couple of dumb questions and I simply responded with, "please don't bid" and quit talking to them.

I think the whole idea could be taken in some funnier directions. The idea of harassing illegal sellers and/or things of that nature could be downright hilarious. Don't give up on it yet!

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

The real question here, folks, is: who among us here don't like Pack-Man on Christmas Day? LOL LOL LOL

It's almost a pity that the Gremlin will have to focus his efforts on the more obvious scammers. I'd like to set him on the trail of smoogJC. :evil: ;)

[chadtower]

Actually, the real questions as I see them are these:

Do we really need to seek out others to treat with disrespect simply because they happen to have tangentially touched our tiny corner of the world? I see something wrong with doing that. I really do.

Do we really need to be violating Ebay's TOS in doing it? Harrassement of sellers or buyers via their auctions is in direct violation of Ebay's rules.

I didn't find that funny. I didn't find it offensive the same way I don't find Jackass offensive. It's just dumb and a true waste of resources. DP offers such phenomenal content that it's bound to miss with a column idea sooner or later. This one was a total whiff.

[GamecubeFreek]

i thought that the article had good potential, but it could have been better. A couple things were pretty funny, but overall, it would have been funnier to mess with scammers.

[Gamereviewgod]

Ok, I'm tossing my two cents in here simply because I can and I'm bored. I like the articles concept to an extent. However, just ripping on a seller and tormenting them because of a few typo's is NOT cool. Now, blasting those idiots with the weight loss pills, X-Box's for $.29, etc. is fine with me. They deserve it, not the newbie seller. We laugh at them enough.

[Classicgamesdepot]

While I didn't find this one to be laugh out loud helarious, there were a few select parts that were pretty funny. I pretty much agree with all the main points said thus far, attack the scam artists or horrid sellers out there, this thing definitly has mad potential, lookin foword to Gremlin #2...

[Ed Oscuro]

However, just ripping on a seller and tormenting them because of a few typo's is NOT cool.
If that's all this seller has going against them, I'm ready to declare Russia a de facto world power o_O

[den68]

hmmm, ebay rules violations aside it seems the feeling here is that this idea is cool if you're harassing a scammer but not so if it's just some dumbass or so-called "innocent"

in defense of the Gremlin, he clearly had his suspicions about this seller.

I find it curiously odd that the seller’s payment instructions are in flawless English, don’t you?

there sure are:

Seller's payment instructions & return policy:
BUYER PAYS ALL S/H WE WILL SHIP norefundable PAYMENT IS DUE WITHIN 7 DAYS WE MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO SATISFY OUR CUSTOMERS. . WE STRIVE TO MAINTAIN A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF POSITIVE FEEDBACK. IT IS OUR GOAL TO LEAVE EVERY CUSTOMER COMPLETELY SATISFIED WITH THEIR PURCHASE BIDPAY FOR ON LINE PAYMENTS the S/H $8.00

you all read the broken english descriptions of the Atari auctions. I looked through some of this sellers other auctions. here's another doozie:

sony PS1 ONE THESE I PICK UP FROM A YARD SALE LAST WEEK. IF YOUR NEEDING THEM HERE THEY ARE. I DON'T KNOW HOW WHAT OR IF THEY ARE COMPLETE,AGE,WORKING OR WHAT. PLEASE SEE PHOTO AND MAKE UP YOUR OWN MINE?????/

while this one is quite clear:

kodak carousel 4400 slide projector working fine. i have had this for years. used it on many christmas days. it shows some wear and not cosmeticly mint. but funcitional.please email me with all question before bidding.used,item in as-is condition but working.

after looking through several past auctions I have my suspicions about this(these) person(people) as well. They may not be TOTAL scammers but clearly not completely innocent either.

I read through all the feedback and it seems several people felt they were ripped off by this seller. Could be this WAS a legitimate target.

[sisko]

kodak carousel 4400 slide projector working fine. i have had this for years. used it on many christmas days. it shows some wear and not cosmeticly mint. but funcitional.please email me with all question before bidding.used,item in as-is condition but working.


This statement has many grammatical flaws, and is far from perfect. You can even say it is poor english.

Regardless, I fail to see how poor english alone makes this guy a scammer. I've dealt with many import dealers who have poor english, but the deals were always top notch.

Also, I have poor German. There is nothing Babelfish can't do to correct that. Does that make me a poor seller in Germany? What about you in Zimbabwe?

Yes the terms are near perfect. Its very feasible that the the seller had these terms written out by someone who fluently speaks english. They pay a small fee once (or havea friend do it), and then use the same statement over and over again. It's inexpensive to do once, but to do a proper translation on every single aution would get very expensive, or be a big bother to their friend.

[den68]

den68 wrote:

kodak carousel 4400 slide projector working fine. i have had this for years. used it on many christmas days. it shows some wear and not cosmeticly mint. but funcitional.please email me with all question before bidding.used,item in as-is condition but working.



This statement has many grammatical flaws, and is far from perfect. You can even say it is poor english

when compared to some of the other descriptions it's darn near perfect. the gremlin is getting hammered for attacking an innocent seller. all I'm saying is there is enough evidence to be suspicious. read the feedback, there were several people who felt they got ripped off.

maybe that's just shoddy customer service but if it is then saying this:

"WE MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO SATISFY OUR CUSTOMERS. . WE STRIVE TO MAINTAIN A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF POSITIVE FEEDBACK. IT IS OUR GOAL TO LEAVE EVERY CUSTOMER COMPLETELY SATISFIED WITH THEIR PURCHASE"

becomes an outright lie. that's a scam in my book.

[digitalpress]

The debut column was certainly controversial.

eBay Gremlin returns this week with a slightly different approach. You'll need a little time to read the whole event, it's rather lengthy!

http://www.digitpress.com/columns/ebaygremlin.htm

[gamergary]

Another good job for the Ebay Gremlin.

[Griking]

At least in this episodes he picked on a person who was a little more deserving than the last one.