ebay grizzle

[G. Warrener]

Hello (how TOCH has changed......;-) )

I am not usually a BAD loser - but I would like to grizzle a little about EBAY developments. It will make me feel better, and stop me from kicking the cat!

Like many others, I have often bid for - and less often won - photographic prints taken by (mainly) German military personnel during WW2.

The value in cash of such prints - is intrinsic - my own ebay 'area of interest' is mainly in photographs of French aircraft or tanks in varying states of distress during the 1939-1940 period.

It is hard to place a cash value on such prints. Recently however I have lost many auctions to a Canadian bidder (S?d?k-13) who seemingly has limitless finances -as well as a very efficient software program enabling last-minute killer bids. If I estimate his financial outlay over the last months - it is clear that he is a seller's dream.

Discrete enquiries suggest he may be buying on behalf of US publishers. If so - then I must anticipate a massive work on the Blitzkrieg from the USA sometime in the future.

Earlier this evening, this bidder won an auction for a 6 x 9 cm print of a very derelict Koolhoven FK 58. The skeletal remains of the plane had no markings enabling a positive identification - beyond a/c type - as well as suggesting that it had been destroyed on the ground. When I bid - seconds before the auction closed - the price was in the region of 15 Euros - my bid was rejected by ebay - and it was evident that the winner had paid Euro 249 for this print.

The same bidder has - I am informed - paid Euro 600 for a photo of a completely nondescript German Pz Kpfw. IV tank.

My own knowledge of his purchases shows that he is buying up almost anything- at such grossly inflated prices.

I cannot top his prices. One side of me says: forget ebay photos - the other side says - keep bidding and make him pay more for his pleasures.

This bidder is of course saving me a lot of money - but I do hope (despite the evidence to hand) that all these photographs will end up eventually in print......

Graham

[robert_schulte]

From my own experiences I would say, that behind this ebay-name (s****13) is not just a single person but probably a syndicate of several people with a big money pool. I have sold two times photos (achieved only a couple of Euros) to this member and got two persons to turn to with completely different names, however with the same adress (names and adress are available).

I don't know the policy of ebay, if this is allowed, perhaps this could be a point to be reported to ebay. If this member really uses a sniper software, this surely would be a point interesting to ebay, since this is forbidden, however difficult to prove.

Hopefully this member some day will have collected enough photos to stop buying at ebay......

[John Manrho]

Graham and Robert, I too witnessed our beloved *****13 bidder and overbidding me on numerous occasions. If a picture is of high value to me I have no problem in bidding high but prices of 600+ Euro for one picture is ridiculous. I would like to know who this character(?) is.....John.

[Dénes Bernád]

I am the eternal second bidder to 'sudek13', my fellow Canadian eBayer(s). Certainly, he/they is/are cursed by many people, not only myself.

I quickly calculated that in the past year he/they spent more than 1 million Euros on photos (not only airplanes).
Yes, one million Euros!

Dénes

[Rasmussen]

The practise of "sudek13" (using of sniper software - forbidden on ebay) was reported to Ebay control and "he" is under observation. Let's waiting.

[robert_schulte]

A wonder has happened, s****13 has been topped

http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?...tem=6171437257

[Dénes Bernád]

It appears that lately 'sudek13' has either diminished greatly his activity, or vanished for good...

[John Manrho]

He just bought a Bf 109G-14 picture for 314 Euro.....

[Dénes Bernád]

Well, apparently he did not retire, but definitely scaled down his operations.
He now lets little guys to scoop a few crumbs...

[G. Warrener]

I slowly get the feeling that Sudek13 is BORG. Bidding for nice pikkies on ebay is always like swimming naked among piranhas. After a while you learn how a shoal reacts - which have the longest teeth etc. Sudek13 is something else - either someone forgot to shut the Stargate - or somewhere in Canada the Borg have landed........

If only he/it/they would show a specific interest......sometimes it is tanks then Luftwaffe then French wrecks - I fart in his/her/its/their general direction

Graham