What is the Secret Behind the High Bids on this eBay Item?

[scott1]

current bid: $1,025 with 66 bids starting at $0.01
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:US:31&item=270028959717

Those biders need to find a brain on ebay.

 

[JasonRox]

current bid: $1,025 with 66 bids starting at $0.01
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:US:31&item=270028959717

Those biders need to find a brain on ebay.

It's probably just friends playing around on eBay.

Some guys at work do this to their friends when they put up stupid items. They'll go up and bid $100 000 on something stupid like a lost shoe.

 

[shmoe]

Those biders need to find a brain on ebay.

From the auction, it looks like the winning bidder sends the money to a charity, the Celiac Research Center at the University of Maryland, then gets the shaving bag from the guy when he sees a reciept of the donation (see the sept 21 note on the auction).

 

[scott1]

From the auction, it looks like the winning bidder sends the money to a charity, the Celiac Research Center at the University of Maryland, then gets the shaving bag from the guy when he sees a reciept of the donation (see the sept 21 note on the auction).

For some reason I don't think it's charity but I hope it is.

 

[shmoe]

For some reason I don't think it's charity but I hope it is.

What causes the doubt? It looks like the initial plan was for the seller to collect the money then send it the charity, which I would say is possibly dodgy. But, after the bids were getting high, he said:

"For whoever wins, I think it makes sense for you to donate directly to Celiac disease and send me the receipt - this cuts out the ebay/paypal middleman, and let's you collect the tax deduction properly."

So there doesn't seem to be any doubt that the buyers money is going to charity. This doesn't rule out the possibility that someone really wants the bag, but I have to think they have the charity in mind.

 

[scott1]

What causes the doubt? It looks like the initial plan was for the seller to collect the money then send it the charity, which I would say is possibly dodgy. But, after the bids were getting high, he said:

"For whoever wins, I think it makes sense for you to donate directly to Celiac disease and send me the receipt - this cuts out the ebay/paypal middleman, and let's you collect the tax deduction properly."

So there doesn't seem to be any doubt that the buyers money is going to charity. This doesn't rule out the possibility that someone really wants the bag, but I have to think they have the charity in mind.

Holy cow, this is going to pay off well for me, and I don't mean by the money! Let's make this more compelling - whatever the winning bid is, I will write a check for that amount to the Celiac Research Center at the University of Maryland (two of my nephews have Celiac disease

People usually don't that for chairty.

 

[tribdog]

Is Bob Celiac selling that seattle bag again?

just kidding, I made that up and I'm sorry for doing it.

 

[shmoe]

People usually do that for chairty.

I must be slow, I don't understand what you mean. People don't do what for charity? Write cheques?

 

[tribdog]

people don't do what for charities? reread their quotes?

 

[shmoe]

I'm confused. Someone connect the dots for me. Use a big fat jumbo jiffy marker please.

 

[tribdog]

he said people DO that for charities and you said people DON'T do what for charities. You contradicted his statement by agreeing with it.

 

[shmoe]

I do know the difference between do and don't. Wait, that's not right. I don't know the difference between do and don't. One of those should be accurate.

Back to my attempted question, what was the "that" part of the "people usually do that for charity" scott1 was referring to?

 

[scott1]

I must be slow, I don't understand what you mean. People don't do what for charity? Write cheques?

Yes.....

 

[shmoe]

Did your "do" turn into a "don't"?

Yes.....

So... you're saying that people don't usually write cheques for charity? If so, how do they usually make donations?

I'm obviously still confused. larger jiffy marker please.

 

[Moonbear]

I'm really confused too, especially with do turning into don't, and I still have no idea what "that" is that did and now doesn't.