Peter,
Indeed, eBay DOES send out emails similar to that which you describe, however, only in those instances where not only your reserve has not been met, but also where said reserve meets a certain threshold amount of monies. Their motivations are simple, inasmuch as they stand to generate more revenue for themselves in closing fees should your item actually sell as opposed to not selling at all, in which case they are only due the listing fees. Since no action on your part is required, to the extent that you may or may not choose to adjust your own reserve price, there is no harm per se in receiving these emails. Realizing that most astute bidders tend to snipe at those auction listings that they are truly interested in, I generally ignore counsel of this kind from eBay as their interests are not necessarily the same as my own.
Regards,
Robert Broderick ...the "Frozen Flatlands" of South Dakota Sioux Falls, USA
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>From: "Peter Brown" <peterg.brown@ntlworld.com>
>To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
>Subject: [CR]ebay scam or not
>Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2006 10:46:41 +0100
>
>36 hours ago I had an email supposedly from ebay, advising me that, as
>there
>were only 3 days to go, and my Carlton frame had not reached reserve, I
>should lower the reserve price. I have never had one of these before.
>Is
>this normal ebay practice or is it a sophisticated scam from someone
>wanting
>to buy my frame more cheaply than I wish to sell it? I forwarded it to
>spoofs @ebay.com and asked the question, but all I got was an automated
>acknowledgement of the email.
>
>
>
>Peter Brown, Lincolnshire, England