Yamaha CS80

I'm not usually one to advocate "vigilante justice," but this is the
time for someone to signup for a new eBay account and bid this thing up
to $100,000 or (insert ridiculous sum here).  I've seen it done before
and it seems to gain eBay's attention. ;)

I'm getting less trusting of the eBay-PayPal juggernaut.  Though I'm
sure they do expend a lot of resources on fraud prevention and
enforcement, the problem is getting worse and the company has not
reacted in kind.  IMO, eBay is interested in keeping the level of fraud
low enough that it doesn't deter the average person from using their
site, but nothing more.  eBay is also working diligently to distance
themselves from being considered an online auction, instead trying to
characterize themselves as a marketplace that brings together third
parties.  Legally, it could spell the difference between vicarious
liability for fraud and exemption under provisions of the DMCA (the same
protection from liability that ISPs currently enjoy).  eBay's fighting
this very issue out in a federal appeals court right now while PayPal is
settling an ugly class action suit for their heavy-handed approach to
fraud management.

Anyhow, sorry for the rant.  I don't yet think that eBay fraud is of
epidemic proportions (you have to think that 99%+ of eBay's daily
transactions are valid), but I'm also untrusting of a company who
singularly controls the information, the communications mechanism and
the financial transaction engine (which, unlike a bank or credit card
company, is unregulated, BTW).  When something goes wrong, who does one
appeal to?  Not yet a defined monopoly, but damn close in reality and
acting more like one every day -- read PayPal's terms of service if
you're ever in doubt.

-Synth80s (who still uses eBay and PayPal, albeit carefully)

:: All - I'm pretty steamed here - so far as I can tell, me 
:: (the legit buyer), the seller, and somebody from this group 
:: informed eBay of the fraud taking place.  Yet, at least 24 
:: hours later in all cases, the auction IS STILL THERE.  While 
:: only at $122, no telling what 
:: happens by the end.  I can't even find a cust service # on the 
:: 5,000 pages of help drivel to call somebody there to b!tch 
:: about it. On a recent parallel situation with a Mellotron 
:: (legit then fraud auctions), some guy that I have anecdotal 
:: evidence is for real just lost some ~$1500 on this type of 
:: fraud.  Whether he was beyond naive or worse to do something 
:: like that is beyond the point.  I 
:: can only conclude eBay is really at fault here for not 
:: lifting the auction after more than ample warning.  Some guy 
:: in Finland sending $$$ to London doesn't have much recourse 
:: against the host.  I guess that's why these things 
:: proliferate like emails to renew your 
:: personal information with Citibank.
:: DF