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Concern Regarding Possible Bid Manipulation
Summary: micnel_2384 is concerned about a significant increase in the bidding price of an item on eBay. They are seeking information on whether eBay has safeguards against potential bid manipulation, such as shill bidding or automated bidding. micnel_2384 requests guidance on whether eBay has a process for reviewing unusual bidding activity to ensure the legitimacy of the auction before they continue bidding.
Hello,
I am currently bidding on an item and have noticed that the bidding price has increased significantly beyond what I would normally expect for this particular item.
I understand that competitive bidding can naturally drive up the price; however, I wanted to ask whether eBay has safeguards in place to identify possible bid manipulation, such as shill bidding, automated bidding activity, or someone intentionally placing bids to artificially increase the final selling price.
Is there a department or process through eBay that can review the bidding history on a specific listing to determine whether there is any unusual or suspicious activity?
I am not making an accusation against the seller or any particular bidder. I would simply like to make sure the bidding activity is legitimate before continuing to participate in the auction.
Thank you for your assistance and for any guidance you can provide.
Sincerely,
Michael Nelson
jacbarcollectibles
Mentor2 weeks agoYes, eBay monitors for shill bidding but they will not tell us exactly how they do this. However, automatic bidding is full legal and can be done through eBay (max bidding) or through outside (sniping) programs.