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UPDATE:  As of June, 2008, eBay is no longer allowing sellers to list mystery auctions on the site.  It is now a violation of the Chance policy to offer mystery auctions.

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If you are considering bidding on a mystery auction, pause for a moment and put yourself in the following scenario.  Imagine that you are rich beyond your wildest dreams.  You have more money than you could possibly spend in your lifetime.  You have rooms and rooms full of Rolex watches, gold and diamond jewelry, high-end electronics, and gift cards to the most popular stores (just where did all those gift cards come from, anyway?).  So, you're sitting there in your mansion, surrounded by all these riches, wondering what you can do with it all.  Hey, you think to yourself, I'll post a mystery auction on eBay, and just give all this great stuff away for pennies on the dollar!  And while I'm at it, I'll throw in a whole bunch of cash, just to be a nice guy!

Does this sound crazy?  Well, that's because it is!  The idea of getting something for nothing is always exciting.  That's why it's so easy to get caught up in the "promise" of mystery auctions.  But the plain and simple truth is that no one is going to send you a box or envelope worth $1,000 for just $10.  In fact, no one is going to send you a mystery box or envelope worth $1,000 for $990.  Mystery auction sellers, like any other business people, are out to make a profit.  And, to state the often-overlooked obvious when it comes to these auctions, there is no profit to be made by giving expensive gifts and/or cash away for practically nothing.

THE GIMMICK

These scam artists that list mystery auctions know exactly how to lure the unsuspecting buyer in.  They post pictures of very expensive items, like  jewelry, big screen television sets, and even large amounts of cash money.  They use tatalizing words like, "You might receive a brand new X-Box, a three carat diamond ring, and $100,000!"  Of course, they are always careful to say that you are only bidding on an empty box or envelope, and that any other items you might get are just free gifts, given out of the goodness of their heart.  They say this with very good reason.  Their hearts aren't so good and generous after all, and they feel the need to protect themselves from disappointed customers.  There are also the mystery auction sellers who use an ex-wife/husband/boyfriend/girlfriend as their gimmick.  They say their ex cheated on them or left them for some other horrible reason, and to "pay them back", they are selling all their belongings in a mystery auction.  Oh!  And their ex might have been a collector of rare antique coins and/or stamps, so you could be getting a fortune for practically nothing!  Then again, you might also be buying a box full of dirty underwear the ex left behind.  But, of course, the mystery auction seller leaves this important fact out of the listing.

THE "PROOF"

Mystery auction sellers will go to great lengths to "demonstrate" that you are not falling prey to the usual mystery auction scam.  Most commonly, they will go on and on about how their listing is "the real thing", "no bull", "legitimate", "the real thing", etc.  A very popular tactict is to invite potential buyers to check the mystery auction seller's feedback regarding other such listings.  Sadly, these scam artists are using multiple eBay IDs to "bid" on their own listings and leave "positive" feedback about the "amazing" deal they got.  "I paid $5 and received $100,000 in cash and merchandise!"  These dishonest sellers hope to fool someone with this fake feedback; don't let it be you.  Other sellers will say that they are "putting their eBay reputation on the line", and will beg you to leave positive feedback, whether or not you're happy with what you receive.  Sellers like this usually only dabble in mystery auctions, and mainly sell other types of items.  They want to use their relatively high feedback scores to convince you to trust them, but also want to do everything possible to prevent you, the potential mystery auction buyer, from ruining that score if you don't get what you hope for from their mystery auction.  This is just another game these fraudulent sellers play, and you should be very careful not to be taken in by it.  (As an aside, do you really want to buy anything from someone who would stoop so low as to list a mystery auction???)

SUMMARY 

There really is no such thing as a "real" mystery auction.  These listings have one purpose - to entice trusting buyers, with the promise of great rewards, to spend a lot of money  for absolutely nothing.  It's an old, tired cliche, but it still holds true today:  If it seems to good to be true, it probably is.  Don't allow yourself to be taken advantage of by falling for a mystery auction.

 Copyright 02/12/2006, Affordable Med Supplies, Inc.  All rights reserved.  The contents of this work shall not be used, in whole or in part, without the express written permission of Affordable Med Supplies, Inc.