E-Bay hardware....Caution...

[paladin]

I just received a notification from E-Bay as concerns a bid that I made a week or so ago.
Someone posted an Item for sale, in fact the seller had several, things like bronze chain pipe covers etc...sometimes I purchase such theings and send them to folks building/restoring their boats. The bidding started low, at 1 cent.....no minimum, and I placed a bid...I would be notified of an increase in bid and I would raise mine....I had decided what it was really worth and wouldn't go higher.......then the item was withdrawn from sale, contrary to the manner which the items was placed for sale......this happened on 2 other items...I asked E-bay to check it out.....the reply that I got back was not good as it appeared that the original seller was bidding on his own item to raise the price....a switch and bait technique.....
Just for your information. If you decide that an item is wa good buy at 3 dollars, even though one may cost 15 new...stop at your low bid....the seller will keep bidding in hopes to encourage you to bid more....I consider it unethical to start bidding and then, with no minimum, bid on it yourself.

[sailboy3]

I'm surprised that's allowed.

[paladin]

It's not normally allowed, but they wouldn't discuss it with me as to the action they were taking, probably nothing more than a slap on the hand. They did say it was "not an approved method of business they cared for"

[PeterSibley]

With multiple identities it might be very difficut to stop .I'm sure it happens here amoungst some of the purveyors of Chinese cheepies, multiple bid on the most unlikely things .

[py]

I think ebay call it shill bidding and usually suspend the fraudster's account for a short time when they catch them out.

[NealmCarter]

eBay charges a fee to list an auction item..the lower the opening price the lower the fee to the seller. That is when the seller usually gets a buddy to bid it up. If eBay finds the seller himself bidding, they pull the item and any others that the seller is listing. Then they terminate his or hers account.

[D Happ]

That is why I use buy it now. I feel all of the sellers are bidding it up higher or getting their buddy to bid it up higher.
If I have to bid on something, I decide well in advance how much I'm willing to pay for it and bid that amount in the last 30 -45 sec.

[JimConlin]

With multiple identities it might be very difficut to stop .I'm sure it happens here amoungst some of the purveyors of Chinese cheepies, multiple bid on the most unlikely things .
If a particular bidder seems to specialize in losing bids on the offerings of a single other bidder, it's easy to catch.

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

I think ebay call it shill bidding and usually suspend the fraudster's account for a short time when they catch them out.

It's a commonplace - and the best argument I know for the last-second snipe.

There are "Auto-Snipe" services if you don't enjoy the thrill of the chase.

[Lew Barrett]

If a particular bidder seems to specialize in losing bids on the offerings of a single other bidder, it's easy to catch.

Isn't that hard to spot, especially since ebay changed over to their new "hidden bidder" format a year or two ago?

Traditionally, in the live auction world, a "shill" was a fake bidder placed in the audience by the seller (or auction house) to insure that an item meets it's reserve. That's the nicest way of saying it.

Shills (and "shilling") are an old technique, probably one of the world's oldest professions, barring the usual considerations of what constitutes a profession:D

I agree, Jim, that in live auctions it's usually pretty easy to pick out the shills after a bit of bidding has gone down, since they will call attention to themselves by the frequency and the nature of their responses. "Shilling" is of course a technique that bears risk for both the auctioneer and the bidder as can be easily imagined. I would guess that the proliferation of internet and phone bidding even at live auctions has done nothing to improve circumstances and prospects for the buyer these days....one is frequently at the mercy of the integrity of the seller as has always been the case in the auction world.

One must know that buying at auction can be risky business, especially buying important items over the internet. Shopping on ebay for certain classes of used items remains a case of "caveat emptor."

To my way of thinking, Craig's List remains the sweetest deal ever offered to consumers; an expanded and free local marketplace. For certain items the national market is required and for that, ebay makes sense as the only broadly available vehicle. But if I can avoid shopping on it, I do. And as a rule, I find I easily can. It's interesting to me as a toy marketplace, but it's nowhere I'd go to buy my Porsche or my used drill press. It's an amusement site for me....nothing more. Maybe that will change now that I face retirement and have more time....and acquisitions.....to dispose of. But I don't see it as a vehicle weighted towards the buyer.

[rbgarr]

I just place my max bid for items I'm interested in on eBay (allowing for the outrageous shipping charges some ask for) and then forget it. If I win, great. If not, so it goes.

[Lew Barrett]

I just place my max bid for items I'm interested in on eBay (allowing for the outrageous shipping charges some ask for) and then forget it. If I win, great. If not, so it goes.

As we all do. I'm just being busy on the forum these last two days as I try out my new found "spare time." :D

[PeterSibley]

It's a commonplace - and the best argument I know for the last-second snipe.

There are "Auto-Snipe" services if you don't enjoy the thrill of the chase.

Particularly useful for those with a slow connection .

[brad9798]

eBay charges a fee to list an auction item..the lower the opening price the lower the fee to the seller. That is when the seller usually gets a buddy to bid it up. If eBay finds the seller himself bidding, they pull the item and any others that the seller is listing. Then they terminate his or hers account.

Ding, ding, ding ... that is correct!

[Thorne]

I look for sellers with a long history and good rating.

Any sale from a first-time seller is likely to be problematic -- and sure enough the last time I bought marine hardware from a first-time seller I had to give him a bad review for misrepresenting the condition of the items.

[Lew Barrett]

CNN ran a program last night regarding scams on e-bay and their resolution mechanisms, or lack of them. The program was not flattering.