How can I tell a shill bidder when they are clever?

angelcake

I have just won an item, the 2 other bidders have feedback of 2 and have similar names, when I do a search by bidder it doesn't help though I am sure of it! is there any other way I can check?

PASCALI

Hi
I suppose you can keep an eye on the sellers other current auctions and see if the other names are bidding.
Looking at the number of posts you have you are an astute MSE, so you presumably are happy with the price you paid for the auction, if so how are you going to benefit from shopping the seller ?.

Tojo_Ralph

angelcake wrote:

I have just won an item, the 2 other bidders have feedback of 2 and have similar names, when I do a search by bidder it doesn't help though I am sure of it! is there any other way I can check?

The bidders history only goes back 30 days (i think). Llook at the sellers previously sold items in their feedback which goes back 90 days (i think). Search the bid history of these items to see if your mystery bidders appear.

Failing that, a well organised shill bidder will only use ID's that have "disappeared" in any traceable history.

nalibz

Look at this listing, i know the winner of the auction and when looking at the "2nd place" bidder, their name looks very much like the one of the sellers. They also have feedback from that seller.

Coincidence? I think not.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4537934161

U decide? This is an example of a stupid shill bidder as far as im concerned.

nalibz

Sofa_Sogood

nalibz wrote:

Look at this listing, i know the winner of the auction and when looking at the "2nd place" bidder, their name looks very much like the one of the sellers. They also have feedback from that seller.

Coincidence? I think not.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4537934161

U decide? This is an example of a stupid shill bidder as far as im concerned.

nalibz

Looks to me like the winner went in really late?

quoia

angelcake wrote:

I have just won an item, the 2 other bidders have feedback of 2 and have similar names, when I do a search by bidder it doesn't help though I am sure of it! is there any other way I can check?

Tell us the item number and we can have a look and let you know what we think.

m00nie

you said you won the auction and obviously was happy to pay that price for it else you wouldnt have bid that amount so i wouldnt worry about it..

deadi

Check http://www.lerachlaw.com/lcsr-cgi-bin/mil?templ=news/ebay.html
- maybe one day ebay and the others will have to stop multiple ids if they get sued enough?

deadi

soolin

deadi wrote:

Check http://www.lerachlaw.com/lcsr-cgi-bin/mil?templ=news/ebay.html
- maybe one day ebay and the others will have to stop multiple ids if they get sued enough?

deadi

What an extraordinary article..it seems to be suggesting that ebay themselves are shilling because they inform a bidder when they have been outbid..

It also seems to suggest that ebay are acting illegally by placing proxy bids on behalf of a bidder..um, isn't that what a proxy bid is, and isn't that how a proxy would work when placed on the books of a live auction?

A proxy bid is there so that a buyer can place their highest bid and not have that bid declared unless needed. So are they suggesting it would be fairer if our highest bids were automatically entered.so my bid in at that moment on an item which shows me as the only and highest bidder at £4.00 should automatically commit me to my proxy bid of £15.03?

I also love the bit about not allowing bid retractions, do we assume the people doing the suing haven't actually used ebay, ever?

I don't think ill informed articles like this actually help to sort out the real problems that some people have with ebay.

Soo

angelcake

m00nie wrote:

you said you won the auction and obviously was happy to pay that price for it else you wouldnt have bid that amount so i wouldnt worry about it..

If I could have got it for cheaper without being cheated then I would prefer that then to pay more because the seller is greedy! if he/she wanted to get more money for it then a reserve or higher starting price would have done!

I wasn't "happy" to pay for it at that price! it was an item I wanted - not badly because I could have gone in the shop and got one!

Its the principle of it!

Tojo_Ralph

m00nie wrote:

you said you won the auction and obviously was happy to pay that price for it else you wouldnt have bid that amount so i wouldnt worry about it..

Lets say you had bid up to £145,000 for a house at auction, winning it with a figure you were happy to pay. Then it later transpired that the auctioneer (a friend of the home owner) having seen the second highest bidder drop out at £136,000 had decided to take "imaginary" bids in £500 increments from the room, prior to bringing the hammer down at £145,000

Would you feel.........

a) Happy to have paid £145,000
b) You should only have paid £136,500