[Milsurplus] eBay Hiding IDs does NOT Work

[J Forster]

Here's a a perfect case of why eBay hiding user IDs from other bidders
does not stop fraudulent "Second Chance" offers:

The first auction, ending on May 15, 2008 could well have been
legitimate. The price is high, but not out of the question:

       Hewlett Packard Laser Calibration System     Item number:
300222289987

Earlier today, a friend emailed me about this auction:

      Hewlett Pacrkard Laser Calibration System    Item number:
250257487810

He bid on it, but was outbid. Then today he got a Second Chance offer
from the seller.  There are very few of these systems out there, BTW.
There is absolutely no question that the sale pics were copied, because
one of the cases shown is not HP. Also, compare the text. I'll bet all
the bidders on the latter sale got second chance offers too.

This is a perfect example that eBay is not really trying to prevent
fraud, because they apparently make bidder IDs available to sellers.

Best,
-John