Jan
22
eBay’s “Progressive Auctions”
Posted by Keeley Vega at 9:59 pm under Internet.
Disclaimer: I am a huge eBay fan. I buy, sell, and browse like it’s my job. Soon, I hope to explore eBay’s copyright and trademark policies re: knock-offs and fraudulent auctions. For now, I present the greatest confusion that eBay has offered me.
Go to eBay.com. Search for “mystery box,” and you’ll likely find nearly 1,000 auctions. These are called Mystery Auctions, a cousin of the Progressive Auction, in which an eBay seller sells a box of mystery items, giving clues like:
G_LD
SILV_R
H_NDB_GS
EL_CTR_N_CS
The more you bid, the more the seller adds to the box, and the more clues you will get. But you’re never really told what’s being offered for sale.
I am perplexed. What’s the appeal of these auctions? Why are people willing to spend hundreds of dollars on the unknown? And more importantly, what’s in them? To find out, I monitored this auction:
The
NO DOLLAR STORE, PLATED OR JUNK GIFTS WILL EVER BE FOUND HERE!
So, what was in it? Was it worth $356.60? And why did “snowflowerrose” of