Shill bidding...

soolin

Oh and I've also got someone currently buying up items of a particular type. These all follow a pattern, I get a message asking me to unblock Russia as they want this, and I apologise and refuse. Immediately afterwards the item is either Bin'd or a bid put in by a UK user. I assume he is some sort of agent working for Russian buyers, this is not the usual shipping agent malarky as this buyer is happy for me to combine all the items and he doesn't need them wrapped seperately for onward travel.

porto_bello

techspec wrote: »

I reported a car seller who had sold the same used car to the same buyer 3 times.

Ebays intelligent response - it may be a repeat buyer :doh:

I got exactly the same reply when I saw exactly the same (unique and 30 year-old) painting sold from the same buyer to the same seller, several times. :wall:

I do wonder what will happen to buyer confidence in eBay, when the ease and ability by which (illegal) shill bidding continues to be undertaken gets to the mass market (and perhaps much worse, eBay's apparent naïve inability to see it).

Perhaps that would be the perfect moment for an eBay competitor to enter the market, with a commitment to make reasonable efforts to prevent shill bidding?

Stoke

I tried to report someone for shill bidding via phone once and I felt that eBay really had no interest in stopping it.

RHemmings

RFW wrote: »

Yes, several times. I know it isn't common and most of it will be shill bidding but it can happen.

How did it happen? Why did the original sale not happen?

RFW

RHemmings wrote: »

How did it happen? Why did the original sale not happen?

They were repeat items. I listed and sold item to the buyer and then the same buyer bids and buys a relisted, repeat item. As I said this was one customer over about 18 months who only purchased from me on that account. I think I had one customer report it as shill bidding, as she was annoyed she kept getting outbid by the same person.

The buyer was reselling the items and doing quite well out of it from what I remember.

RHemmings

RFW wrote: »

They were repeat items. I listed and sold item to the buyer and then the same buyer bids and buys a relisted, repeat item. As I said this was one customer over about 18 months who only purchased from me on that account. I think I had one customer report it as shill bidding, as she was annoyed she kept getting outbid by the same person.

The buyer was reselling the items and doing quite well out of it from what I remember.

Ah, you mean multiples of the same type of (or similar type of item). I meant when the same buyer has bought exactly the same item. I.e. if someone buys a car with the registration number XP1027X, and then later on the same person buys exactly the same car with the same registration again. Another example would be if a buyer buys a guitar with distintinguishing scratches on it. If the same guitar (with the same scratches) sold again to the same buyer, that would be very suspicious. If the same buyer bought a guitar of the same make and model, but without the scratches (and hence a different item), then I wouldn't view that as suspicious.

I.e. If someone buys multiples of the same type (even exactly the same type) of item, I wouldn't view that as suspicious. It's only when it's a single individual item is being sold repeatedly to the same person that it becomes suspicious.

I think there is some talking at cross-purposes in this thread. My reading of some of the earlier posts were that people had noted the suspicious behaviour, where it's the exact same thing (not type of thing) being sold over and over again.

RFW

RHemmings wrote: »

I think there is some talking at cross-purposes in this thread. My reading of some of the earlier posts were that people had noted the suspicious behaviour, where it's the exact same thing (not type of thing) being sold over and over again.

I was just making the comment that it can happen and that the Ebay CS advice may not have been as ridiculous as it sounded. That said, in my experience of Ebay Live help it probably was.

FatVonD

Serious question, how do you know when someone is shill bidding on their own items?

forgotmyname

I can see the point with washer parts etc but in my case it was a used sofa/chairs and kitchen/dining furniture.

How many times do you sell the same used sofa, arm chairs and table?

100% shill bidding. Not something like a lamp where they have lots. Large used items of furniture.

Same buyer bought everything at least 3 times.

RHemmings

RFW wrote: »

I was just making the comment that it can happen and that the Ebay CS advice may not have been as ridiculous as it sounded. That said, in my experience of Ebay Live help it probably was.

But, the example you gave is very different from the types of cases being discussed. So, I don't think your examples show that 'it can happen'. It's too different.

People buy multiples of the same type of item all the time. But, buying the same, individual, item (e.g. a single car with a single registration) doesn't frequently happen.