That eBay Scandal I Saw Coming Is Here

[darkacre]

I watch eBay sales on VMK stuff all the time. Constantly. It helps me gauge the relative values for things and in general, tells me (along with the trade board on the DIS) what people are clamoring for, and what nobody cares about. One thing I noticed was that there are certain buyers that roll in right away and buy up tons of stuff on ebay. One of these is an ebay account called <name removed>!

Holy moly! It hit the fan today. Three negative feedbacks, as well as updates from another seller, also today, who previously left positive feedback. The items at issue include a Stitch set, Haunted Mansion quest set, Sparrow Suit, Cyan Ariel Treasure, old pirate quest items, five star magic. And that's just the ones where the sellers are complaining! The same buyer also grabbed black candle, yellow candles, pink slipper, cowboy suit, VIP codes, five infernos, blue dresses, mansion suits, green throne, etc., etc., etc.

<Link Removed>

I know the names of the VMKers who obtained some of the purchased items in the game, but I don't know if those characters are the scammers, or if they are the victims of identity theft. Anyone who wants to know who they are can PM me. You don't want to trade with these people if its possible that they are trading stolen goods that VMK can take back away!

 

[Koolkidq]

Wow, that's unbelievable!

 

[DaraAllen]

No, it's not unbelievable. It's been happening since ebay started. Every time they add some protection, someone hacks their way in. Ebay accounts have been stolen for years, as have paypal accounts. This is nothing new.

I use eBay for a lot of things. You have to be as careful. But, whenever there is suddenly a lot of activity from a brand new user ID, it is always wise to be extra careful. The fact that these sellers did not verify addresses is not good. Paypal makes it very easy to do so.

For every <name removed>!out there, there are hundreds of hard working, honest people just making a living. Making them all out to be bad guys is wrong. The sky is not falling! Ebay is a great gauge for what is happening and what is not, in every category on the planet.

Having said all that, I've never sold anything on eBay because I don't want to take that chance. A buyer has much more protection than a seller.

Wow, that's unbelievable!

 

[Goofy05]

I have sold many things on ebay. None were vmk items. LOL I've only ever had one bad experience with a buyer. I sold mostly electronics. Most of the people who purchased from me were honest. Even the newbies. Always be wary of bidders with low bid numbers, but at the same time, give them a chance.
Buying "virtual" items is risky. I don't think ebay has much control over non-physical items, so buy at your own risk. Also, I would think Disney would be very unhappy about people selling VMK stuff, seen as how it's printed on the back of the cards that they are not to be sold.

 

[Someybody]

Yup. It's great that you told us this. Even though I don't use ebay, this is still wrong. I don't know why people would want to do this.

 

[darkacre]

And <name removed>!! was banned by eBay just a few minutes ago. Hooray. He or she will probably try again with a new account, though.

 

[Darthmatt]

Hmm.. I think there is a credit scandal going on as of now, people trading 1,000,000 credits, with 100 quality. I smell hackers

 

[mtlhddoc2]

Hmm.. I think there is a credit scandal going on as of now, people trading 1,000,000 credits, with 100 quality. I smell hackers

Yes, I always thought that was a little much too! 100k credits, who has those hanging around? Not I. but then again, if you play 10 games of fireworks a day and can get 240k every time, you can get 12k credits a day in only an hour, play 25 or 30 games and you are up to 35k credits in one day. I am not one of those that can get 240k though, darn it.

 

[darkacre]

I once had 100,000 credits. Then spent them all on rooms for the slide-a-thon, including what the DDs needed for their rooms.

 

[debbi801]

I'm not trying to be snarky here, I really don't understand. Maybe it is because I'm relatively new to VMK compared to the rest of you.

But, why would someone spend all that money to buy a virtual object on Ebay? It has zero value outside of VMK. I can *almost* understand paying 6.50 for the Peter Pan hat, that isn't a huge investment. But hundreds of dollars for a rare Ariel's Chest? Can someone please explain this to me?

Thanks!

 

[ladyleopard1106]

Debbi-

It's like anything else on ebay. Things only have a value if someone is willing to spend x amount of dollars on something. Like the cyan treasure chest. You and I wouldn't spend anything like that for a bunch of pixels on a screen, but someoen with so much money that they don't know what to do with would!

And as with anythign else that's sold on an online auction site, you have to worry about that caveat emptor!

 

[darkacre]

I suppose for a small number of people, they make a lot of money and use the game as a form of relaxation and entertainment. Earning some of these items can actually make the game suck. For example, trying to get through a pin trading event can be three hours of sitting around doing nothing fun, just watching the screen until you dc. Suppose you are a stockbroker who makes $250,000 a year? Wouldn't it be easier to just plunk down $50, or for that matter, $400 for something that you can trade in the game for everything you want?

Then there are the profiteers. I know that someone said a yellow Ariel chest was worth three or four infernos. A yellow Ariel sold on ebay for $400. Maybe the buyer bought it to trade for 4 infernos, then planned to sell the infernos on ebay for $300 each. That's an $800 profit! (Assuming you don't get ripped off by <name removed>!)

 

[mtlhddoc2]

<name removed>!! was the person that bought that chest
lol

 

[darkacre]

Oh, duh! I hadn't noticed that. Ok, so then the third situation is:

You'll pay $400 for something because it's like those commercials on TV with the old ladies sitting around using redneck voices to talk about their motorcycles. "They's free! Shoot." "Yeah, shoot."

You know, I wonder if any of those ppl walking around with 8 infernos on their character got them the <name removed>! way.

 

[Jwharmsby]

Hmmm.
Im a little concerned today I was contacted by a random VMK Player saying 'you have been stealing from eBay'. I stood and just looked like @_@.
Apparently, this user got the whole room to report me?
I am fully aware of a VMK user who has participated in such activities but I personally have not used eBay, I am far too young, and wouldn't even be able to figure out if I was old enough.

It is a shame that things liek this happen, but one solution would be to stop selling on eBay, but some eBayers make tidy profits from selling on eBay.

Can anyone confirm whether or not I was one of these 'Stealers' because at the moment I am worried I am at the centre of a false accusation?

 

[Tailfeather]

No surprising.

This happens with ebay in many, many online games. My brother used to play WoW and Asheron's Call and had very similar things happen to him, except from the side of the honest buyer getting cheated by dishonest seller.

My recommendation would be to only buy virtual items from folks with very VERY good ebay ratings, look at every negative comment (if any), and see how long they have been on ebay. Also, if it is a high dollar amount item/s, you should probably consider whether or not the person is verified by ebay. That cost like $5 to do and it can give you more protection...as a buyer. As a seller...if it looks too good to be true, don't trade until you have the money in your hand, so to speak. Take screen caps of the item you traded and keep them for proof in case it is disputed through paypal. Make sure you have vmk names, too. If the person is cheating ebay, they may want to report to VMK.



Unfortunately, some people just can't be trusted.

 

[Dragonlord11_7]

This is why I think mini-transactions are the way to go.

 

[darkacre]

Hmmm.
Im a little concerned today I was contacted by a random VMK Player saying 'you have been stealing from eBay'. I stood and just looked like @_@.
Apparently, this user got the whole room to report me?
I am fully aware of a VMK user who has participated in such activities but I personally have not used eBay, I am far too young, and wouldn't even be able to figure out if I was old enough.

It is a shame that things liek this happen, but one solution would be to stop selling on eBay, but some eBayers make tidy profits from selling on eBay.

Can anyone confirm whether or not I was one of these 'Stealers' because at the moment I am worried I am at the centre of a false accusation?

If your DIS name is the same as your VMK name, then, yes, I can confirm that you are one of the names that has been circulated as being among the list of VMK characters who have gone into the game to accept trades that were bought by <name removed>!! and paid for on eBay from a hacked Paypal account. Have you let someone else use your VMK account?

 

[peasy]

Yes, I always thought that was a little much too! 100k credits, who has those hanging around? Not I. but then again, if you play 10 games of fireworks a day and can get 240k every time, you can get 12k credits a day in only an hour, play 25 or 30 games and you are up to 35k credits in one day. I am not one of those that can get 240k though, darn it.

even if you could...believe me you couldn't...it would make you mental. I used to love fireworks and now it's about as joyful as paying taxes to play it. Ughhh...I still do - for the credits, but it's very tedious...

 

[Jwharmsby]

Yes I am confused and also very worried.

Unfortunately, I had let 'UndercoverSpy' access my VMK account, which has now been stopped.

I worked really hard from the opening months of VMK to get some of the items I had on VMK, the others, shamefully came from UndercoverSpy.

We are not the same person, but good friends, she shared my acount and maybe that is why we are getting confused.

I personally, have been away from VMK for a long time, and only after the second week of me being back, does all this happen :-(.

I have written to VMK Staff explaining the situation and asking them to look into it. They also said I must change my password immediately. Which I did

For those of you who have emailed me, and sent pictures of me and my family. Thank you! . But I am in no way connected to <name removed>!! unfortunately, there is no way to prove it :-(...