The eBay Shopping.com Affair Part Deux

The eBay Shoping.com Affair Part Deux

By Event Horizon
1 May 2008 Edition
Revision: 2 May 2008 12:21 HST

This is a short follow up to our previous articles about the faux sdc_prod listings.

• The eBay Shopping.com Affair
  15 March 2008
  http://eventhorizon1984.typepad.com/event_horizon_1984_blog/2008/03/internet-transa.html

• From eBay Seller Central - Ebay is padding their listings
  1 March 2008
  http://eventhorizon1984.typepad.com/event_horizon_1984_blog/2008/02/from-ebay-sel-1.html

Our research indicates between 161 thousand and half-a-million faux listings were posted on eBay, by eBay, that Leap day weekend.

eBay's official statement regarding the faux listings of 29 February 2008:
"Some Shopping.com listings appeared accidentally on eBay.com over the past two days. This system issue has been resolved. We apologize for any confusion or inconvenience this may have caused."
eBay, 2 March 2008

Apology accepted, BUT sorry eBay. Those listings appear to be making a comeback.

Or never left, since we've been receiving regular "eBay Item Ending" emails for all sdc_prod* listings we put on a watch list. 

Since March 2008.

1 May 2008

There are 10,001 fake listings for seller sdc_prod_9074_35
http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewListedItems&userid=sdc_prod_9074_35&sort=3&page=40&rows=50&since=30&rdir=0

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There are 754 fake listings for seller sdc_prod_9391_43
http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewListedItems&include=0&since=-1&rdir=0&rows=25&userid=sdc_prod_9391_43

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There are 10,001 fake listings for seller sdc_prod_442675_57
http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewListedItems&include=0&since=-1&rdir=0&rows=25&userid=sdc_prod_442675_57

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There are 10,001 fake listings for seller sdc_prod_90076
http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewListedItems&userid=sdc_prod_90076&sort=3&page=1&rows=25&since=-1&rdir=0

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Apparently if one uses a non-eBay expected method to obtain a product list, you'll see the faux listings.

And do keep in mind that this method used to print out products has a limit of, you guessed it, 10001. It is highly probably that the sellers showing "10001" have more than ten-thousand-one items.

For perspective, here are the fake listing counts taken during the Leap Day 'test, accident, glitch'.

• 21,481 - sdc_prod_9074_35
• 11,102 - sdc_prod_9391_43
• 4,702 - sdc_prod_442675_57
• unknown - sdc_prod_90076

There are three interesting points about all this.

1. These products are hidden in a standard search. But show up as valid listings using different methods.
2. The number of listings or count is obtainable, and presumably ends up in various auction count tallies. By inference, listing counts eBay included in their report to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
3. Has anyone given any thought to how much each faux listing adds to eBay's GMV (Gross Merchandise Value) total? Ten's of millions of dollars? Hundred's of millions of dollars? Enough to show a significant quarter to quarter increase?

Final questions. Are there more of these? And how long before eBay hides them even better?

Here's a list of the sellers reported to have faux February 29th listings.

1. sdc_prod_301013_74  The Twister Group
2. sdc_prod_305839_99  BargainBasementBatteries
3. sdc_prod_310426  ANTOnline
4. sdc_prod_409455_97  Sababa Shopping
5. sdc_prod_434012  SpectrumSuperStore
6. sdc_prod_442675_57  Boyne & Kelly L.L.C.
7. sdc_prod_9021_2  Buy.com
8. sdc_prod_9055  Focus Camera
9. sdc_prod_9074_35  pcRUSH.com
10. sdc_prod_9074_47  pcRUSH.com
11. sdc_prod_9090  CompSource Inc.
12. sdc_prod_9124_14  TheNerds, Inc.
13. sdc_prod_9352_67  Digital Foto Club
14. sdc_prod_9391_43  Adorama
15. sdc_prod_9452  eTronics, Inc.
16. sdc_prod_90076  OnlineSports, Inc.

Have fun looking.

But be quick, because eBay or that nasty eBay Glitch will hide them again.

Copyright © 2008 Event Horizon, Established 1984

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