I found a 1.4 Polo ECU - yippee on ebay - 99p start so cos I've got too much in my watched section I stuck a bid in of 99p see how it go closer to the time.......
Bugger me I get an outbid notice same day
I think can't be too many people after one of them...... I think I'll check it out - it all looks fine on first glance then I start digging and my suspicions are aroused
seller ID alkail stuff seems to attract a lot of bids from bobby2911 so I ask the seller a question
"Sorry fellow ebayer but I think there is something very strange going on with your ebay auctions - I don't like it at all. Someone bought 5 items for a Nissan and left positive feedback for you (5 times)- but you didn't return it - not even once - thats very odd I thought so he has a Nissan and he's chuffed with his purchases and yet now he's bidding against me for a Polo 1.4 ECU - perhaps he has one of them too..... Then I see he is bidding against someone else in another of your auctions for an item of computer equipment.... perhaps he's interested in computers too See that's the trouble with ebay - it can be very transparent when you dig around peoples feedback, sales and purchases I think I'll leave this auction alone - I might want a replacement ECU but I don't like feeling I'm being taken for a ride...... I won't retract my bid cos that looks bad on me but as I'm no longer winning it doesn't matter maybe an email to ebay might clarify things"
I get quite a prompt reply "whatever"
I sent a prompt reply back two words - wrong answer!
I mail all the other bidders curently bidding on items for sale by him
I contacted ebay to report a case of shill bidding
and then I start looking through his previous auctions and mailing previous winners who have paid over the odds for items as a result of bids by bobby2911
I start getting replies quite quickly and a couple of bidders join in mailing alkail and reporting the matter to ebay too
next email I get is from ebay saying a bid has been retracted - bobby2911 no longer wants the ECU - strange that - in fact bobby2911 has suddenly got money problems and is retracting all his bids
shortly after I get another email from alkail
"I am new to ebay and since receiving your email have looked into the rules on this , i have spent years in the motor trade where there is no problem with bidding on your own item and wrongly asumed this would be the case here. i have removed all the bids concerned and will not hold you to it if you are to win. I can only apologise for this and thank you for bringing this to my attention"
My reply
" Way Way too late - your reply whatever was unsatisfactory and indicated to me you didn't feel bound by the rules of ebay - so far since you last email I have.....
- contacted ebay and reported you for shill bidding
- contacted all other bidders bidding on your items where bobby2911 has effectively increased the price they are paying
- contacted all previous winners of auctions held by you where bobby2911 has bid and effectively raised the price of the item
s**t storm approaching - it'd be a good idea to duck!!!!!"
Well it brightened my day
...... I have a lot of ECU interogation software and a fair bit of experience in extracting all the maps from ecu's - once extracted you can see where the emission/noise regs holes are engineered and smooth/fill them out plus a bit of work on the ign maps and fueling maps provided you are prepared to run good quality fuel normally yields 10-15% more bhp and torque.
