I've been seriously 'shilled'

StaffsSW

Cat & pigeons time.

I don't agree with shill bidding - it's sneaky and underhand, and not fair on customers.

However at the end of the day it's buyer who decides how much they are prepared to bid. Whether the item was shilled up towards that maximum is not as relevant, becasue they actively decided "I'm willing to pay up to £15 for this item that is currently at 99p"

WHen it is won at say £12, does the buyer think, "great, I got it for £3 less than I was prepared to pay", or do they think "Damn those other bidders, i could have had that for 99p"

SImilar to the excessive P&P arguement - the price is displayed at the point of bidding/buying, but it is only when the item arrives with a stamp that cost less than was paid that the compalints start.

P&P complaints are much less, and star ratings much higher for sellers who do not display the stamp price on the their parcels.

Alternatively, I send a lot of items with "free" postage, so I make sure that my customers see how much the stamp cost so they think they have got a great bargain, even though the postage is built into the BIN price.

It's all about the perception of value - both bidding and P&P.

Cordy

Premier wrote: »

If you don't ever wish to use ebay again, then getting a npb strike isn't going to affect you is it?

Morally, YES!! That's still important to me, even in this day and age!

frivolous_fay

Cordy wrote: »

Morally, YES!! That's still important to me, even in this day and age!

You'd rather pay the inflated price?
Where's the shame in failing to pay a shiller?

I like to follow ebay's rules, and I don't have any NPB strikes. But I would be willing to deviate from my 'morals' if the alternative was paying an inflated price to a greedy shilling seller!

Cordy

mrbadexample wrote: »

Email the seller, and tell them you no longer wish to go through with the transaction due to the blatant shill bidding on this and their other auctions.

I really should have the guts to do that, shouldn't I?!?:rolleyes:

JimmyTheWig wrote: »

There is little point in cutting off your nose to spite your face...

True

stevew8975 wrote: »

WHen it is won at say £12, does the buyer think, "great, I got it for £3 less than I was prepared to pay", or do they think "Damn those other bidders, i could have had that for 99p"

You're right - if I'd not discovered the shill bid, I'd be happy in my ignorance.

Maybe I should tell the seller that I have seen their blatant shill bidding but decided to complete the transaction anyway? At least then it's my decision, rather than simply having been taken for a mug.

The next can of worms would be feedback!

Jomo

Cordy wrote: »

I really should have the guts to do that, shouldn't I?!?:rolleyes:



True



You're right - if I'd not discovered the shill bid, I'd be happy in my ignorance.

Maybe I should tell the seller that I have seen their blatant shill bidding but decided to complete the transaction anyway? At least then it's my decision, rather than simply having been taken for a mug.

The next can of worms would be feedback!

Maybe you should look at the reasons for shill bidding...it is really no different to inflated postage costs - fee avoidance!

I think if you are happy with the price you pay...why not go through with the transaction?

Btw, sellers cannot give buyers 'bad' feedback.

JimmyTheWig

stevew8975 wrote: »

at the end of the day it's buyer who decides how much they are prepared to bid.

Which is why I said it would be cutting off your nose to spite your face to not go through with the purchase.

But, what the buyer is agreeing to pay is the "market price" - one bid higher than anyone else. It's the seller who has broken this agreement.

SImilar to the excessive P&P arguement - the price is displayed at the point of bidding/buying

Again I agree and there is little point when bidding in not adding up the bid price and postage price. But while the postage cost is displayed it is not displayed as prominently as the bid price.
And in some cases it is worse than this as a higher postage cost implies a larger (and therefore better) item.

poet123

I have to say I would refuse to pay. By allowing shill bidding on their auction thay have broken the spirit of the ebay agreement of trust. I would have to want the item pretty badly to proceed.

I would simply say that I have reason to believe that they have done this and so will not be completing the transaction, Or, complete then do a chargeback from payapal and then you can also leave feedback to that effect.

Let them do their worst, if you get a NPD contact every seller you buy from and explain why.

NotQuiteNorbert

Jomo wrote: »

Maybe you should look at the reasons for shill bidding...it is really no different to inflated postage costs - fee avoidance!

Shill bidding is nothing to do with fee avoidance though.

mrcow

I would refuse to pay and would report them and tell them what I've done.

Who cares about a NPB strike? If a seller has their preferences set right, they may prevent someone from buying who has had 2 x NPB in the past 12 months or so, but so what? There are always other sellers.

Tell them to go stuff themselves.

Jomo

NotQuiteNorbert wrote: »

Shill bidding is nothing to do with fee avoidance though.

So listing an item free at 99p isn't fee avoidance??