Come on ebay. Just admit that you don't care.

Hermione_Granger

ebay talk a good story when they say they want to crack down on shill bidding, but if this is the case, why do they so often totally ignore reported cases where the shill bidding is so obvious?

Take this seller for example (reported many times)
http://dsa.ebay.co.uk/sch/muhith.miah/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686

Whenever it looks like their items are going to sell for a low price, one of two bidders always appears and increases the price. (sometimes too much as they often win)

This cabinet for an example:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bathroom-Cabinet-With-2-Drawers-Solid-Wood-Perfect-Condotiin-/331034630440?pt=UK_Home_Garden_LivingRoomFurniture_EH&hash=item4d13339928

won by 8***8 for £21 and then won by the same buyer a week later for £7.37

http://offer.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBids&_trksid=p2047675.l2565&rt=nc&item=331039307956


Or this cabinet
http://offer.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBids&_trksid=p2047675.l2565&rt=nc&item=331020307409

which they won for £33.75, yet it appeared for sale shortly afterwards where the person who won it previously wanted to win it again

http://offer.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBids&_trksid=p2047675.l2565&rt=nc&item=331028686665

These are only two examples of many similar listings/relistings from one particular ebayer, yet neither them nor their shill bidding id's have been removed

Why??
££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££ for ebay.

techspec

Ebay love shill bidders, just as they love none paying bidders - they generate millions in profits.

Until they are held accountable - that won't change.

George_Michael

I've had a quick look at the listings in the opening post and I think that even the most inexperienced ebay user could clearly see that something is amiss, yet the seller and their shall bidding partner are still in business.

In the past, if ever I was interested in buying from an ebay seller & I suspected shill bidding, I used to report it and not bother bidding.
Once it became clear that ebay were not in the least bit interested in doing anything about it, I simply stopped reporting the listings.

As the previous posters rightly commented, every increase in the selling price due to shill bidding is more final value fees for ebay, so why would they want to stop the practice?

RFW

ceeahbee wrote: »

Although I can understand why people think its unfair, shill bidding happens at pretty much any public auction, most people call it 'running'. A good example is a car auction. On a quiet day you will hear the auctioneer constantly shouting out an increasingly higher amount even though the auction hall is virtually empty. He has to keep the auction sounding busy as 'dead air' is no good for selling cars.

The sell through rate at most car auctions is around 10%, so most 'sales' don't actually happen. Very few auctions sell all stock without the auctioneer taking false bids, however they dress them up.
I'm not saying Ebay shouldn't do more to stop some blatant shill bidding but it would be impossible to eradicate it. There's just no way of knowing some times.