What Some People Do To Jack Up The Bids On Ebay!

I keep hearing how everyone "shill bids" their own auctions. I find that rather incredulous. For all these supposed occurrences, I have never once heard proof of a single successful shill bidder. On the other hand, I have heard of 2 (not intentional) being caught. As an example;

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Lots of shill bidding on eBay. Many people get their friends and family to bid, and then if they end up high bidder, with no further bids, they cancel the bids or the sale. That is loosely monitored--they do track multiple bids from the same IP address as the seller--that is extremely easy to do. Nobody can bid on their own listing, but they can get cohorts to do so.

 

I also believe there is less shill bidding going on than most people think.

 

I believe it's as common as fake coins being sold on Ebay.

 

This thread is a worthless collection of unsubstantiated opinions.

 

Shill bidding is easier now than ever, many people have tablets, Ipads, smart phones, lap tops and desk tops. All with different IP addresses.

All my grand-kids have tablets and Ipads and they are all under the age of 8.

 

If they're all connecting via your home wireless router, the outside world sees them all as having the same IP address.

If you use your phone with cellular data, it'll show up as a different IP address. But if you even once let your phone connect through your home WiFi and visit eBay, they can associate the ID you use with your home IP.

Now, I have no idea if that's what eBay is actually doing, and it's not that simple anyhow -- for one thing, the IP address through which your router talks to the rest of the Internet can change periodically. My point, though, is that using different devices on the same home network doesn't necessarily protect you from this kind of scrutiny.

 

Exactly-- a lot of people are not using their home computer to do shill bidding, but using mobile devices, with different IP addresses. However, from what I understand, eBay is getting better at tracking them.

 

Just look at the example I gave above. And that was 4 years ago.

 

Every example people post that "think" shill bidding is going on cannot be proved. Some can be proved to NOT be shill bidding. I am still waiting on proof from people who claim it happens all the time.

 

Maybe there is a lot of shill bidding, maybe not. I assume most people are like me. If I like an item I figure out the highest price I will pay, wait until ten seconds before the auction ends and put in my bid. If I win, good. If I lose, that's part of life.

 

Kinda like trying to prove that the sellers of "un-searched rolls" of Morgans are pulling a scam. Most of us know it's a scam but proving it is not easy.

 

I agree with you.

The ,most powerful agent in the world is Fear and a bunch of Fear is always pumping on Coin Forums as if the only thing ever sold on eBay are coins.

 

That's a sure fire method of bidding which I use frequently.

It prevents folks from nickel diming your bid making it appear as if a shill is occurring.

 

Not at all. Lots of people have proven that. You said;

Lost of people have proven fakes are being sold on eBay. And I have show that eBay catches shill bidder. Yet somehow you say shill bidding is rampant, but cannot site a single example.

If you are that paranoid, please don't bid on eBay. That will give me a better chance.

 

There was one fella reported over on the CU Forums that was obviously shilling his listings as multiple coins over a period of months would repeatedly show up as being won by a certain id and then end up being relisted a week or so later from the sellers account.

Normally, I would chalk this up to perhaps a return but it covered different coins, over a long time period and all with the same winning bidder.

To me, that was proof positive that the seller had a shill.

From what I recall, that was one of only two or so that actually convinced me that shilling was occurring.

 

I'm sure ebay catches some shill bid sellers, just like I'm sure they catch some sellers of fake coins and some sellers of "un-searched" rolls of Morgans.

But many get away with it.

And I have two friends who sell rare GTO auto restoration parts on ebay, both use shill bidding. I know because I've watched them engage in it. And I'm guilty of having shot one or two shill bids to help them in the past.

 

Not any more. They pay zero attention to fakes until the buyer report/proves it.

It is called puffing and there is nothing against the rules.