Dear Uncle Griff and Dear Aunt Flossie

The following information is provided to educate and inform. eBay™ and its employees are not liable or responsible for any type of damage or loss caused, or alleged to be caused, directly or indirectly, by the information below.

eBay's kindly old Uncle Griff has agreed to answer questions for some of our members. If you have a question you would like to ask him, email him at unclgrff@ebay.com. NOTE: Not one to be left out of anything, Uncle Griff's mother, Aunt Flossie, loves to meddle in her son's business. Aunt Flossie offers "helpful" replies to questions also (email her at unclgrff@ebay.com).

Dear Uncle Griff,

Help! There is a very annoying eBay user who has decided to follow my bidding activity. This person waits until I bid on something and then he (or probably she, since I usually bid on women's clothing) bids on the same item. It is really aggravating. Isn't there some way that I could block my bidder's list so this person can't follow me around eBay and bid up all my bids?

Had It

Dear Had It,

Uncle agrees that this sort of "monkey see, monkey do" bidding strategy can either be a source of pique or flattery. We'll assume that in your case, you are not flattered. The truth is, there is no way currently to hide your bidder's list from the world. As for the offending bidder, there is no law against such behavior. In fact, it cannot even be considered bad etiquette since anyone is free to bid on anything at eBay. You could employ a set of counter strategies of your own. For example, don't bid on anything until the very last minute (otherwise defined as "sniping") or, you might want to have a friend bid for you. This can be tricky. The friend should be absolutely trustworthy—as trustworthy as you!

As for the gender determination of the shadow bidder, Uncle would take some issue with you on your deduction of the bidder's sex based on the type of item for which he or she is bidding. Unk has a dressing closet chock full of evidence to prove it!

Regards, Uncle Griff

Dear Uncle Griff,

I received an email indicating that I had been overbid on an item, however my name and bid price remained the same on the descriptive page for the item. Today, I raised the maximum price on the item, and again nothing has changed. Is it possible that the overbid was rescinded? Thanks for any info you can provide.

Bill

Hello Bill,

Not only possible, but that is exactly what happened. You can see the bid retraction for yourself by going to the Bid History page for the auction.

Regards, Uncle Griff

Dear Uncle Griff,

I'm new to selling on eBay and I'm so confused. I thought my credit card would be debited for my account balance on the first of each month. It is the third of the month, and no debit. Could you please help me understand when I will be debited each month?

Marlise

Hello Marlise,

Not to worry. Billing usually charges credit cards sometime in the first week of the month, not necessarily the first day. Your card will be charged sometime in the next few days for the last invoice amount (not necessarily your current account balance).

Regards, Uncle Griff

Hello Uncle Griff,

I read with interest your comments on feedback in the August newsletter. My problem is a little different but I imagine other people have encountered this situation too. I haven't sold anything, but I have bought three items. Despite doing my best to drop payment in the mail immediately in all cases, I've not received one feedback response yet. All my transactions were pleasant, but everyone I bought from has hundreds of feedback responses. Therefore, I think my giving a feedback response is not as important to them so they probably didn't get around to giving one for me. That's OK, except I've noticed that sometimes sellers offer special deals to bidders with positive feedback responses. What can I do to get feedback? I've done everything I know how to earn positive ratings. Thanks.

Just Wondering

Hello Just Wondering,

Isn't it disappointing when a seller forgets to leave a positive comment for a bidder who sends their payment in a timely manner? Don't be upset with them, though. Sometimes, sellers get so busy with the time-consuming tasks of listing, packing and bookkeeping that they innocently overlook giving some of the bidders appropriate positive feedback.

There is a polite and acceptable method of increasing your chances. Wait until you receive your item and then email the seller with a gushing letter of thanks for their professional service, the wonderful item, etc. Let them know how happy you are with the whole transaction and then slip in something along the lines of, "... I just wanted to tell you that I am going to leave you a glowing positive comment to let other users know how terrific you are! (Perhaps you might consider doing the same for me?)..."

Though not guaranteed, this often does yield results. It's a clean and accepted version of "Log Rolling In Our Time."

Regards, Uncle Griff

Dear Aunt Flossie,

I am planning a trip to Hawaii for the Christmas and New Year's holidays. Have any suggestions as far as what I might take to ensure a great time while in our 50th state? P.S. I love the water!

Swimmer

Hello Swimmer,

First of all, to ensure a good time, Dear, you must take Aunt Flossie with you!!! If Aunt Flossie can't convince you that she'd be a good roomie, then Aunt Flossie suggests "when in Hawaii, do as the Hawaiians do." Begin by getting one of those great Hawaiian shirts. Something with a few flowers and a coconut will do. Next, check out eBay's Hawaiiana category. You'll find everything there from hula skirts to ukuleles! Other categories you might want to browse through include Photo & Electronics: Photo Equipment (for a camera), Miscellaneous: Clothing (for a swimsuit) and Miscellaneous:Sporting Goods:Scuba (for underwater equipment). You know, Aunt Flossie would make a wonderful diving buddy!

Toodaloo, Aunt Flossie