As the title says.

http://cars2.ebay.com.au/Volkswagen-Country-Buggy-Rare-Item_W0QQcmdZViewItemQ...

Looks like KO 496 to me.
http://www.manxgallery.org/gallery/album534 

he bought it of us 8 weeks ago for 3,000,
now flipping it for quik buck.

only say this as we DO NOT want to be assocated with him, & as we owned this CB for few years & live in the ballarat district people could easily get us confused.
cheers.

Sold
30-Apr-09 20:37:20 AEST

4,150.00 AUD = 3,043.70 USD

CB policeman is doing his job perfectly...
Good on you Steve

looks like his cousin was pushing up the bids!

Officer Steve here..........

Something odd is going on. This CB is listed on eBay again by a new seller......supposedly.
At least there's a different user name given.
it's a five day listing ending May 07, 2009.
Starting bid $4,000 AUD.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300312086236&ssPag...

The previous ad,
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&am...
stated it was sold Apr 30, 200903:37:20 AM PDT

Funny thing is, the ad copy is exactly the same, including the same phone number!
A few more pics have been thrown in.....that's the only difference I note other than the user name.
There's no way I know of for eBay to actually know if money and title have been exchanged.
I'd be surprised if that's the case.

I speculate there's some private jockeying going on here.
Maybe to keep increasing the bidding and arriving at a maxed out sale price.
Again, no way to prove that I know of........

Interesting and intriguing.

Regards,
Steve

also notice the winning bidder of the first auction had a feedback rating of 8 and current seller has a feedback of....yup 8
coincedence? i think not

as ponybeetle said hes just out to make a quick buck of it even if it means playing dirty by pushing up the bids himself

notice the red flash trim beetle in the background in one of the pics in first listing?, it was sold recently by this same seller.
check feedback left for this seller, by previous listed seller...

Dig a little deeper and you will find it's a common practice for him.
he had a VW Beetle"Rare" 68 Model-Disc Brake-Swingaxle Rear on ebay which sold to a retroresto67

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130291676709 

It's on ebay now. for sale by him again

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130303904165&ssPag...

So it looks like there are more then just the 2 accounts

I would like to amend my investigation.
My first assertion was incorrect.
All the pictures are the same....I was in error pointing out new pics had been added to the second ad.
Caulk it up to being a rookie too quick to make comparisons. Duh

Also, I'd like to state I'm all for any seller (whether the sale object is listed on eBay or not) getting as high a price for what they are attempting to peddle as they can. No harm in that......as that's the way capitalism works. I think everyone kind of expects that to happen.
Having stated that, I'm also supportive of any potential buyer trying to keep a sale price at a low level and in being hesitant in bidding the sale price upward. All of us are looking for a good deal......and I think sellers know that.
What has to occur is a meeting of the minds in order to conclude a deal/sale.
I think most people want that to happen in a fair and balanced way.
eBay has created a wonderful marketplace in which anyone can participate as a buyer or seller. It has given us a worldwide tool to find very rare, very odd, even common everyday objects, which none of us would have had easy access to a decade ago. Along with this incomparable opportunity to shop and search until you drop, has come more undesirable aspects......misrepresentation of products, funny business with PayPal, non payment for goods purchased, and non delivery of paid for items. eBay reflects what goes on day by day in our world. Some good, some not so good.

What this appears to be, observed from afar, is a ruse, a deception to build value based on a previous "sale".
I beleive most readers here would conclude there is no reason this vehicle would suddenly, and magically, increase in value by 25% (or more) literally overnight.
It's likely that no "sale" ever occurred, and that this is part of a crafted plan to simply maximize return through the use of an internet sales tool.
One of the great things about the internet and AVD and this forum n particular is that it provides readers with information to help them make judgments about all manner of things. I don't think anyone begrudges anyone maximizing return on what others are attempting to sell, as long as it is done in a reasonable, fair, and honest way.

I don't know that there are any legal problems with what appears to have occurred. eBay wouldn't likely care for the use of their site for such activities, especially if all this sleight of hand was created by one individual, not multiple sellers. But I'm sure most readers and potential buyers would agree there are some moral and ethical questions raised by this deceptive tactic of creating the illusion this particular vehicle suddenly is much more valuable than it was a few weeks or months ago, when it is in fact the same unchanged and unimproved product sold previously for $3,000 AUD.

The rule which should always apply in these things is of course caveat emptor............buyer beware.
Thanks to this forum, we all have the opportunity to have more information and background to help make us more informed potential buyers.
Unfortunately, the general public outside of this sphere of acquaintance may not be so lucky.

Regards,
Steve

It is Snorkel or the US Gumshoe??????

I think you are on the money Steve.

Interesting to see if there is a bid this time around and from where it might appear from.

Personally , I dont see this as a A$4K vehicle with some of the good stuff missing.
countrybuggybill

Well, remarkably....or maybe not.....there were no bidders, and as a result no "sale".
Huummm.....
That can happen from time to time if one runs out of user names to be able to post ads...............oh .......and bid, too.




Update 11:15 EST (US): Looks like the world is going to have another shot at this one......
Listed again:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300313386320&ssPag...

so how many names is that?
oldbird49
emjnl
retroresto67

Any more?

Unfortunately, shill bidding is very prominent on ebay. It is against ebay's rules, but they turn a blind eye because they make money from all transactions whether they are legitimate or not.

Shill bidding is also a way to prevent a sale for a price that the seller considers too low without the expense of setting a reserve. The shill bids it up at the end, wins the auction, and then *surprise* doesn't complete the transaction. This fellow apparently wants to make at least $1000 on his flip of this vehicle.

If a seller is shady about his auction practices, I wouldn't expect him to be more honest in finalizing the transaction. The buyer is likely to end up minus his money without a vehicle to show for it.

GeorgeL,
Very well stated.
I believe most readers here recognize this scam for what it is.
Anyone besides ponybettle know this seller and his history selling VWs???
I believe it would be a service to the CB community in particular, and VW owners generally to be forthcoming about this seller.....as well as others who utilize this modus operandi.

In 12h 13m 41s we'll know if there are any gullible fish to hook.....or maybe another pseudo buyer will suddenly appear.

It would appear by market reaction, it's still a $3,000 AUD CB.


Regards,
Steve

No bids.
No sale.
Will we see this one listed again?

Actually I've met the guy at Nationals this morning....he doesn't know much, he's in for some extra buck...