Website pulls plug on 'rogue' trading

By MICHAEL FOREMAN

Trademe.co.nz has banned several members from using its online auction service after the website's discussion board became choked with complaints about dishonest trading.

Members have alleged that one trader bid on his own auctions and used multiple identities to provide "positive feedback" on trades which never took place.

The complaints centred on Ankit Gupta, a 16-year-old student, who is believed to live in Mt Wellington, Auckland. He originally traded on the site as unkit007, but has since used several other log-in names.

Trademe members, who rely on feedback from other users to help them decide whether a would-be seller is trustworthy, became suspicious when a user known as barton-family began to report positively on another member before any trading had occurred.

When the Herald contacted Mr Gupta yesterday, he denied he had been responsible for any wrongdoing on the site.

He admitted setting up several user accounts but said he had never used more than one log-in name at a time.

"I started doing it when I got disabled without reason and trademe refused to refund me the money owing on my account," said Mr Gupta.

"I started a new one every time they disabled me but I never used more than one log-in concurrently."

Mr Gupta said the amount trademe owed him was small - just under $8 - but he had objected on principle.

"If they can ignore their own rules then any customer can," he said.

Mr Gupta denied using multiple accounts or colluding with friends to create false positive feedback.

"There are some mates who have bought stuff off me and they have reported good back as a result," he said.

Trademe general manager Nigel Stanford said that on Friday he had disabled about four accounts which he believed were associated with Mr Gupta.

"I went and had a look at the Gupta family. I can't say it was them personally but I looked for positive feedback without any trading activity to support it.

"I don't know whether they have been ripping people off or not.

"It would be a mistake to imply that these are the same people because there is no proof of that."

Mr Stanford said the site now included security measures that would prevent members from providing feedback on other users unless they had held an auction or successfully bid on one.

Trademe had also taken steps to prevent people logging in under new names if they had been banned.

"I definitely think it will help," he said. "If you get banned and you sign up again, you will get a yellow warning sign against your name and so you will have no credibility.

"It will force people to fall in line because otherwise no one will trade with you."

Mr Gupta said he would be staying away from the trademe site.

"I don't actually think the site's worth it. [Trademe's action] was completely uncalled for. There really is no point."

TradeMe messageboard