What do you, think...

[fantomfan57]

So, an Ebay Seller posts an item. It is a bidding set up. It sits there for several days with one bid. That bidder is the winning bid at that time. Next, finally someone else bids. Then the original bidder starts bidding much higher. The second bidder goes higher. The original bidder bids much higher.

I decided to check out additional information about the original bidder and notice something interesting. That bidder bids 100% for items sold by this particular Seller. Are we smelling a skunk? Is the Seller bidding under another account in order to raise the price in large jumps?

What do you think?

 

[fantomfan57]

So....

nobody has an opinion? Is this a "trade secret" amongst Seller?

 

[justjunque]

While I've made plenty of purchases on eBay, I've yet to sell anything there. Once I have a device that can do it, I plan to give it a try.
Therefore, anything I say would be complete speculation. That being said, I wouldn't doubt for a minute that there are sellers who either bid up their own items, or have a friend do it.

 

[luxlife]

They call it “shill bidding”

It’s one of the reasons why I don’t trust eBay.

 

[vacmadman]

Risk

If a seller bids on his own item or has a friend, do it, he's running the risk of buying his own item, and will have to post it again. This practice is foolish. A seller can always have a minimum bid amount on the item as well.

Jim

 

[rivstg1]

yes. this definitely smells like a 'skunk'. good detective work

 

[huskyvacs]

How did you know it was from the same seller? I know you can see a bidder bidding in the same category, but I never knew you could see them bidding on the same sellers.

My #1 problem on eBay with auctions is just dumb kids that bid items up just to ruin people, not pay for it, and then a week to 2 weeks later it's relisted again and bidding starts again. They will send it up into $200-$300 for a $50 item. Like that Montgomery Ward vacuum that was famously relisted every week on shopGoodwill by people bidding it up over $150 and not paying. That went on for at least, 3 or 4 months until I finally won it because Goodwill cancelled out the bidders or deleted their accounts.

 

[briannc]

Has anyone experienced a listing going up in price buy multiple users/bids with (0) feedback score? I'm trying not to be paranoid but it doesn't make sense that these individuals were driving the price up on an item, I stopped bidding because it looked suspicious. I'll see if the item is back in a week or so but I've experienced this in the past only to see the item relisted. Not sure what their end game is or why the seller allows the bidding from (0) feedback buyers, not saying all buyers with (0) scores are bots, but it just doesn't make any sense.

eBay used to be fun back in the day, I've been a member since the beginning. It was fun to buy and sell, no more. eBay will really be a last resort for an item.

 

[dysonman1]

I put stuff on eBay, but for the past few years the auctions never went to completion. Someone called and bought it from me before the auction ended or came by to buy it. I've emptied the Vacuum Museum's collection by half already, and they are all going to go.