Shill Bidding on eBay

[pete_mcc]

There's no way that is all coincidental. Just remember what they are doing is illegal. It's not just 'against ebay's rules', its against the law of this country, well potentially 3:

-the Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Regulations 2008
-the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008
-the Fraud Act 2006.

 

[sylus]

ebay rules are quite simple and he has broken them so reporting is the only option

That said..no one forced you to bid or to pay what you offered and before you found out it was a shill bidding war...you were happy to pay that amount.

I'm not to keen on people who bid, win and then moan they want it cheaper

 

[Rampage]

Anyone know if this practise (known as bidding against the wall) is still legal in real life auctions? As it used to be.

 

[lewisfoto]

I do a lot of ebay and this is the exact advise I offer. It takes the emotional response out if the transaction.

 

[markwoo]

I expected to receive some opposing views on this and it seems to be these are held by the more 'nightowls' amongst us, but I don't buy into it.

I think it becomes a little more unjust when the seller shill bids immediately after receiving a message expressing an interest in that item. In this case he is doing more than effectively increasing his reserve price. He is actively engaging in a bidding war on his own item ...he's answering my questions on one account and whilst sensing the interest is increasing from the tone of my responses he is putting up the final sale price by bidding from another - much more devious, dishonest and it l leaves a nasty taste in the mouth of the buyer.

To top it off, he has the lied about it when questionned even though the evidence is stacked against him. Is this the behaviour of a respectful person who is keeping with the spirit of the large majority of the honest and trustworthy eBay community?

Pretty entitled to a moan I thought. Rant over

 

[sylus]

Of course your entitled to rant but the point was that at some point you were happy to bid to the amount you did and the seller didn't press your bid/buy button... Only you did

You got the item you wanted for the price you were prepared to pay... It is that simple

 

[pete_mcc]

Anyone know if this practise (known as bidding against the wall) is still legal in real life auctions? As it used to be.

Certainly never been legal in this century, I doubt it was ever legal as it has always been classed as artificially inflating the market and fraud hence many low-life auction houses being taken to court for conspiracy to defraud when they used to do this. Bidding against the wall is a different problem to Shill-bidding. Against the wall is where an auctioneer invents a bidder, shill bidding is where the seller uses a stooge bidder.

 

[pete_mcc]

EDIT: A quick check shows that bidding against the wall by dodgy auction houses is legal in property auctions upto the reserve price but not beyond! Shill bidding is illegal:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auction#Bidding_strategy

 

[SeeingisBelievingGTMuseum]

eBay won't allow you to bid on your own stuff. Even if someone on another computer connected to yours in your own home does they will suspend you both for two weeks. They know your IP address and it sets off an alarm to them.

 

[MikeD]

While you're moaning, I don't think that's a Shimano hub.