Suspicious eBay Bid

There is a coin on eBay I saw this past Monday that interested me. It's a week long auction that is ending tomorrow. I didn't feel like waiting a week for it to end or having to bid against anyone else for it. So before anyone bid on it I sent the seller this message:

"Would you do a buy it now for this coin for $25?
I would pay immediately."

This was the reply:

"Thanks for the offer. But with this amazing toning we think it will sell for more."

From the pictures I would call the toning interesting, not amazing. There's a lot of dark gray covering the coin. Anyways, this was my response:

"I was actually wondering about the toning.
How does it compare in hand to what the pictures show?"

I received this reply:

"Looks great in hand. We may end auction and send to NGC haven't decided yet."

Before I received that last reply, which was the end of our interaction, I put in a bid on the coin. That bid wasn't going to be my final bid, I planned on winning the auction and putting in a stronger max bid near the end of the auction. When I saw that reply my immediate thought was 'oh great if this doesn't sell for what they want they're just going to cancel the sale.'

Since I made my bid that Monday, up through tonight, there have only been two other bids. The highest one being in the $5 range. There haven't been any other bids for the past couple of days until tonight; I was outbid. When I saw that I was outbid I checked the bidder to see how much feedback they have and I saw that they have zero feedback.

I personally think that the seller of the coin made another account to put in some outrageous max bid as a way to set a reserve for the coin. I just find it strange that some one with ZERO feedback decides the first thing they want to buy on eBay happens to be this coin I'm interested in which has a seller who seems kind of hopeful for a certain final selling price. It's nearing the end of the auction and there hasn't been much action on the coin, I think the seller was getting nervous and just wanted to cover themselves, in a shady way.

I just wanted to share my suspicions and see what you all think about the whole situation.
Do you think it is possible that this could be the seller bidding on another account or am I just being paranoid?

 

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Paranoia may suit you or they may "suit you" for being paranoid.

Seriously, anything is possible but I wouldn't worry about it. If you want the coin, put it a bid for the maximum amount you're willing to pay and then forget it. If it's meant to be yours, you'll win it; if not, you won't. That's why I use bidnapper.

 

I really wouldn't give it a thought.

 

I agree. It may be that they created a new account, which would be frustrating, but I don't think it should affect what you want to pay. Place your max bid and keep looking for the next coin to add to your collection.

 

Personally I wouldn't bother. "We may end auction and send it into NGC". Sounds like another flake to me, you don't cancel an auction in the middle of bids just to send it in to have graded.

 

There's a nice feature on eBay called "Report Item" which allows you to file a report for exactly such things as creating accounts to shill bid. I'd suggest you use it.

 

Maybe they did use another account to buy the coin, so they could send it in to graded. They own the coin they could do as they wish with it.

 

Personally, I think you're being a little paranoid because you want the coin. I don't think he's shill bidding $5 thinking he's making a killing on this coin.

 

I think they can just cancel the auction, no?

 

I think he may be a little paranoid too, but it's also very possible that the seller opened another account. Either way I wouldn't be surprised.

Only being $5 doesn't mean it doesn't make sense. He could be planning to shill bid future auctions with this account. Of course he'll want to mix it up with other sellers so his 'bids with this seller' percentage doesn't blow his cover. Which if he buys on eBay anyway then he can just use the second account to buy also.

 

Not when there's less than 12 hours left on it.

I once had two coins that I listed that were the same year but the condition was not the same and I didn't notice it until it was in the less than 12 hour window. Had to have a friend put in a super high bid just so no one else could win it. So once there's less than 12 hours left, game on.

 

plus 1

 

Forgot to mention I had used the same picture for both listings

 

bsowa1029 what was the item number?

 

Problem is he has no real evidence the seller created a new account in order to shill. There are new ebay accounts created by new users every day, and there is no rule that their first bid can't be on the same things he is bidding on.

Frankly snipe it at the highest amount you are willing to pay for it. If he did create a shill and has a super high max bid, he will just keep the coin. And if it isn't higher than your snipe you will get it at or less than you were willing to pay.

 

I checked a few of the seller's other items and the top bidder on three of them was the same as the coin in my original post.

 

If it is a shill bid I doubt it is to get a few extra dollars but instead to be able to keep the coin in order to send it off to NGC like they stated in the message.
Besides it's more about the ethics of the situation that would bother me if this was indeed a shill account.

I purposely didn't give the link to the auction or give an item number because I don't want to draw anymore bidders to compete with.

That is what I will end up doing. I really hope I win it for less than my original offer. That would be funny.

 

That makes it a little more suspicious, but eBay will still say "we find no evidence of shill bidding." I don't think they have concluded that anyone has engaged in shill bidding since they started hiding the bidders ID's.

In which case it may suddenly turn up missing, or to have been previously sold.

Or he may be honest and sell it to you at the winning bid and just kick himself for awhile.

 

Paranoids can also have enemies.

Personally, I would pass.

Then wait for him to relist it.