- Report: #912248
Complaint Review: shopgoodwill.com - Internet
Reported By:
gjojo -
seattle, Washington, United States of America
Submitted:
Updated:
-
Author Confirmed
Why?
shopgoodwill.com
Internet, United States of America
Phone:
Web:
shopgoodwill.com
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Business Rating:
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shopgoodwill.com FRAUD on their "shopgoodwill.com" on-line auction! Blatant shill bidding! Internet
After doing alot of research online and looking at reviews of Shopgoodwill.com, a common thread ran through a myriad of complaints.
I've been purchasing items from the Shopgoodwill.com online auction for some time now. For the past several months I've noticed that items would be bid up so high right before the auction ended. This seemed suspect, because there might be only 1 bid the whole duration of the auction.
I totally understand the bidding process - ex: in the case of only 1 bidder - they might not have initially put in just a minimum bid, instead they may have opted to put in their "maximum" bid. In that case, of course you wouldn't know until you put in a bid. It doesn't matter if there are 1 or several bids active, it is happening all the time now!
I did a little investigating on my own and started keeping track of the bidders (I only bid on this 1 brand). What was so obvious was that these same "winners" were the ones that always bid & "won" - even when there were no bidders the whole auction! Even if there were other bids, I saw these same people drive the price up several times before the auction ended. Can you say shilling?
I definitely agree with many other complainants, that GoodWill staff are deliberately shill bidding from private accounts in order to fraudulently inflate the prices. When an item does not bring the desired prices, a goodwill staff member will outbid the high bidder, so they will not have to let the item go for less than expected. Who do they think they are? This is fraud!
Even at the Goodwill Stores, their prices are getting ridiculous - and their stuff is getting junkier. Their ENTIRE INVENTORY is FREE and they still continue to rip people off. Non-Profit(???)
Don't take my word for it, please research complaints against Shopgoodwill.com online.
I've been purchasing items from the Shopgoodwill.com online auction for some time now. For the past several months I've noticed that items would be bid up so high right before the auction ended. This seemed suspect, because there might be only 1 bid the whole duration of the auction.
I totally understand the bidding process - ex: in the case of only 1 bidder - they might not have initially put in just a minimum bid, instead they may have opted to put in their "maximum" bid. In that case, of course you wouldn't know until you put in a bid. It doesn't matter if there are 1 or several bids active, it is happening all the time now!
I did a little investigating on my own and started keeping track of the bidders (I only bid on this 1 brand). What was so obvious was that these same "winners" were the ones that always bid & "won" - even when there were no bidders the whole auction! Even if there were other bids, I saw these same people drive the price up several times before the auction ended. Can you say shilling?
I definitely agree with many other complainants, that GoodWill staff are deliberately shill bidding from private accounts in order to fraudulently inflate the prices. When an item does not bring the desired prices, a goodwill staff member will outbid the high bidder, so they will not have to let the item go for less than expected. Who do they think they are? This is fraud!
Even at the Goodwill Stores, their prices are getting ridiculous - and their stuff is getting junkier. Their ENTIRE INVENTORY is FREE and they still continue to rip people off. Non-Profit(???)
Don't take my word for it, please research complaints against Shopgoodwill.com online.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
sweetsarahbelle
Cleveland,Tennessee,
There Are Safeguards To Prevent Fraud Bids In Place!
#2UPDATE Employee ..inside information
Tue, December 31, 2013
1. I agree with the previous poster that yes bidder names are hidden, so you have no idea who is winning the auction.
2. Other posters on this site have stated that all you need is an email address to have an account on the site and that is not true. You have to provide a shipping address and at least one phone number. As a seller, if I notice any unusual bidding activity I can click on a button on the buyer's profile that says "find similar addresses." I have found in the past that Betty Smith may have three addresses on the same street... usually because Betty's account has been shut down for unpaid items and/or fraudulent bidding (bidding items up with no intent to pay). As a seller, when I find multiple addresses that are suspicious I am able to report that to site admin and those accounts are permanently disabled.
The SGW website IS doing what it can to stop fraudulent bidding practices. Also, for those of you who think that it is an employee doing the fraudulent bidding-- that really isn't even possible. If you have three or more unpaid item strikes your account will be shut down automatically, employee or not. There is nothing a regular employee (other than the IT Admin in Orange County California) can do to reactivate an account that his been disabled for bad buying behavior. The only option for that person would be to open another account, but they would have to have another address to use... And as mentioned above, address fraud leads to the account being shut down when it is discovered, which it will be usually sooner than later.
As an employee, I am hyper-vigilant about protecting other buyers from bad bidders who drive up prices and do not pay. My location has a no returns policy for employees i.e. if I bid on anything there is no way whatsoever I will be relieved of my responsibility to pay and I cannot return any items purchased off the website. I am not sure if other locations have the same policy, but I hope it makes you feel better to know that there are locations that are serious about doing the right thing.
Thanks for reading!
consumeless
United States of AmericaBidder Names are Hidden
#3Consumer Comment
Sun, December 02, 2012
" I saw these same people drive the price up several times before the auction ended."
Not sure anyone would understand how you have access to seeing "the same people" since the bidder names all remain hidden. The shopgoodwill works just like ebay and the bidder name letters seen are randomized characters shown.
If you are able to see the names, there is definitely something shakey going on...
I think any one watching the news over the past couple of months saw the huge sale of the Salvador Dali piece on Shopgoodwill. Anyone that knows how to use search on the internet could verify the normal value of the piece was no where close to the $20,000 it sold for. Why did so many people bid so high? The buyer was in the news and lives on the other side of the country from the selling location, should we think they work for the seller? The buyer said he bid so much because he felt he was contributing to a good cause.
It would appear there are more people with Goodwill buying off the shopgoodwill site than there are posting here
