Bidders With Private Feedback

When I have buy it nows and someone with private feedback buys something, there is nothing I can do about it... It does make me nervous but every transaction has been fine with the exception of one lunatic, but the seems on par with ebay in general, the way I think about it, it's about the same as selling to a new buyer with little feedback history... That being said, if I receive a best offer from a buyer with private feedback, I will more than likely pass on the offer (unless it was someone I have previously dealt with)

Some people don't want to be tracked. I work in information security, and I can understand the logic behind some one purchasing collectibles. lets say I was evil. I could eventually track down a person if I knew they had purchased a lot of high dollar collectibles. Through links in here via ebay, their quotes or usernames they use on more than one site, to include all the social media chatter, it very possible.

I am sure there are many VIP's, actors and high end collectors that just want to be left alone. They want to buy and high tail it outta there. They don't want to be bothered with any emails or other material and do what they must.

For private buyers, let them know when you received payment and that its in your policy to wait 1-2 business days before you ship a product to a member with private feedback. Why? I hate to mention it, but if I was an evil person, I would have a private feedback so I could rack up buys using stolen credit cards and compromised ebay accounts. Ship only to the address listed in paypal. If there is a conflict, and their address is not the same in paypal and ebay, its understandable, ask them why. If your unsure what to do, ask ebay. They will document your concerns and help you make a decision.

As for sellers, some of that may apply, but they are all subject to ebay rules, and if you pay via paypal, there is an electronic chain of evidence there that will keep most people honest. In the end its your choice of what to do, you may try using your favorite search engine and looking up their username to see if anyone has said anything about them, keeping in mind if it is a common name, it may not be them at all.

As long as a private buyer/seller has been around for quite some time - meaning months - and has made purchases on a semi regular basis, all should be well and good. Most of what I have mentioned is about buyers who have private feedback with sporatic feedback written up by the sellers. To me when I used to sell on ebay, it didn't matter as long as the payment cleared and I waited a day or two before shipping the merchandise to a buyer/seller with private feedback.

ebay nixed private feedback for sellers a while back. It's probably a good thing - if something truly needs to be private, private auctions can be used, but buyers really do need to see a seller's feedback to make an informed decision on whether to buy from them or not.

After doing a bit more research, it seems this person in particular has made thousands of bids in the last 90 days. I didn't check every single one, but the ones I did peek at were always just one bid per auction, in the lower dollar levels (as compared to where the auction ended up). So they are a bargain hunter, perhaps, bidding on many and ending up with very few. I probably won't end up with them as a buyer unless nobody else bids.

General purpose research shows a majority of people think bidders with private feedback have something to hide, with only a few people chiming in with plausible reasons why someone might have it. I think you, CollectorCorner, actually made the best argument out of everyone I've read. I can certainly understand someone with the mindset of, "It's nobody's business what I buy." Privacy, or lack thereof, online being what it is, it makes sense for some people to get it where they can.

As a seller, personally, I try to get to know my buyers a bit, even before they win. I look through feedback of bidders sometimes, and always of people who make offers. I like to see a potential issue before it arrives so I can try to avoid it. Taking away that tiny bit of transparency is disconcerting.. but sometimes you just have to take a chance. If you cover your bases in every other way, there's a high chance of it being a positive experience.

jdmern, buyers with 0 or very few feedbacks make me nervous, too. I've sold to them, but made sure to cross my T's and dot my I's, and kept my fingers crossed as well.

basebal21, you seem more relaxed than most sellers Yes, many feedbacks are left automatically by big sellers, but there is other information to be learned in their feedback that could be enlightening. It takes time, of course, and not everyone finds it worth the trouble.

Thanks, all, for the comments.