Seller bidding on own items to gouge prices

[theveaks_73]

I put a bid on this machine after contacting the seller, then the bids started jumping up to almost 200.00, well I confronted him about it since it still had 3 days left and turns out it was him bidding on his own machine to jump up price. Now he won't let me even bid on it after he relisted it, when someone lol won for 185.00. So I just want everyone to know this person isn't to be trusted. 

 

[redmodelt]

Did you report him? Every listing has a report button. 

[12345jamesstamps]

Sending an email to the seller got you blocked.

There are lots of other sellers out there.

Its good you did your research on the bidders because its rather easy to see who is bidding on what.

Some eBayers do have two or more accounts...most of them are OK.

Some have 2 accounts...one for selling and one for oh, I don't know....posting here. 

[inhawaii]

What would the seller have to gain by being the highest bidder on his own item?

[ten_o_nine]

It's called shill bidding, and the seller will gain if someone bids higher, and won't lose if no one bids higher.

[inhawaii]

---

@ten_o_nine wrote:

It's called shill bidding, and the seller will gain if someone bids higher, and won't lose if no one bids higher.

---

Thank you.

I knew that.

What happens if the shill bidder is the high bidder?

[maxine*j]

---

@inhawaii wrote:

---

@ten_o_nine wrote:

It's called shill bidding, and the seller will gain if someone bids higher, and won't lose if no one bids higher.

---

Thank you.

I knew that.

What happens if the shill bidder is the high bidder?

---

That means the shill really messed up,  and whoever he was shilling for is going to be mighty displeased.  😄

Nearly every person who comes to these boards with an accusation of shill bidding is wrong.   An amazing and disturbing number of buyers do not know how bidding works on eBay, and do not know how to read and interpret a bidding history, and cannot recognize a perfectly normal pattern in bidding.  I'm not saying shill bidding never goes on.  I'm sure it does.  But I think it is far rarer than some think.

-

[isaiah53-57]

---

@theveaks_73 wrote:

I put a bid on this machine after contacting the seller, then the bids started jumping up to almost 200.00, well I confronted him about it since it still had 3 days left and turns out it was him bidding on his own machine to jump up price. Now he won't let me even bid on it after he relisted it, when someone lol won for 185.00. So I just want everyone to know this person isn't to be trusted.  

---

I was watching a painting by a Ukrainian seller who lists many original works of art by different artists - The one I had an interest in was at $11 with a couple hours to go - It ended up selling for nearly $80(which was actually a decent price for the item) - But I noticed that a certain bidder would jump in and place incremental bids after someone else bid - I didnt think much about it at the time, but afterwards, it struck me as odd that they would barely outbid the other bidders. But then I found the truly odd thing about this bidder...100% of their 2500+ bids over the last month were on this Ukrainian Artists seller - That is a sure tell of a shill bidder - I'll never look at their stuff again...

[pennysdream]

If you can prove it, send your "proof" to eBay. 

[coolections]

So someone beat you out at the end of the auction ? Just stop bidding on it and be done with it if you think it is a scam. You do know the seller had to pay over $20 in fees if what you say is true AND they would have had to show shipping the item or get a defect. They punished themselves. Stop messaging them.

[albertabrightalberta]

---

@isaiah53-57 wrote:

100% of their 2500+ bids over the last month were on this Ukrainian Artists seller - That is a sure tell of a shill bidder - I'll never look at their stuff again...

---

I don't know the listing or the seller but based on your post, I agree.

[albertabrightalberta]

---

@coolections wrote:

You do know the seller had to pay over $20 in fees if what you say is true AND they would have had to show shipping the item or get a defect. They punished themselves. Stop messaging them.

---

No, not necessarily. 

FVF fees aren't charged unless and until payment is made so the seller loses no money. 

Backfired shill wins would likely be canceled as "buyer requested" so again, no ding for the seller. 

[coolections]

That is true. Didn't think about a non payer as I do not do auctions and never had a non payer.