I prefer tyre-kickers to the new script-kiddies in the block
I ascribe the messages I receive for the set of lenses I put on the local eBay to bots...
So far, the messages came from 4 different accounts that have been existing for years but traded 2 or 3 times only.
In the 3 first enquiries, I was asked whether I'd be ok to sell the 55-200 alone. I said yes, gave a price, and then nothing more happened for the first two. The third one tried to haggle: it gave me the price for the same lens from a UK based seller, without accounting for change + shipping + VAT. After my reply the thing went mute as the previous ones. If it were real people it would be ghosting. It's not from real people.
The fourth one... is more clever. It wants the 3 lenses, and it asked whether the lenses are free of dust and scratches. First hint: the first message came in the middle of the night. Second hint: it's a beginner question really, from a beginner who has not done his homework. Which doesn't quite fit with 800 euro for the set.
I replied they are clean and suggested to send sample pics via SwissTransfer, if the buyer would send me an email address. I received an email address all right. Blazingly fast. Third hint.
I did put a message in my SwissTransfer email, to explain why I didn't sell the inferior X-E1 and keep the superior set of lenses. Once again, the answer was fast. The message said the lenses definitely looked to be in good nick, and would buy at 600. Fourth hint: no comment on my motivation to sell the lenses. Fifth hint: no motivation to lower the price that is already competitive compared to what's around.
I made an offer at 650 (good old buy-now style). The thing replied later that it would come and fetch them if the price is lowered at 600.
I called Bullshit here. I didn't reply, put the buy-now price back at 800, changed the text of my ad.
You may ask: what is the motivation for such bots? Two answers.
- These platforms make money from ads, and from users who want to sell fast. Bots have been running on these platforms for at least two decades now, in order to boost the number of views, and make seller feel there's actually more buyers out there than there are, but not so many, therefore one should "promote" offers to go over the other sellers. Simple.
- Pizza eaters have scripted bots in PHP or other languages for a long time in order to make stats that the platform doesn't share: when is it best to post a new item, at what price... the list is long. I did it. Friends did it. But we were not interacting with sellers. This doesn't count as an answer.
- I believe there are a lot of "AI geeks" out there, who are rather disgruntled at work, have poor social skills, and want to feel powerful. So, they take canned agents – these people are too dumb to be able to actually code anything without AI help – they alter the so-called personality of those things, and make them roam free for mayhem. During the day, the bots come back with a little report, and the script-kiddies nudge the bots in a direction that may give them a sense of power through a "got you, looser" achievement. That's their hall of fame.
I feel more and more like Granny Weatherwax, and I sense that Headology is the key. Are there more Wyrd-Sis and Wyrd-Bros out there?