Any Ebay sellers that you know shill their own auctions?

[War_in_D]

This may not even be relevant in today's day as Ebay seems to be a dying platform but I've got this seller I've been watching for a few years on Ebay, that shills every music gear related auction they have on Ebay. Dude makes me sick, but there is absolutely nothing that Ebay is willing to do about it. So, I've given up even trying.

Anyone else know of any known shillers out there. Might be good to document these jackwagons for posterity.

 

[itsgoodnow]

As a clarification, is he bidding on his own items to jack the price up on the auction?

 

[War_in_D]

As a clarification, is he bidding on his own items to jack the price up on the auction?

Correct. Artificially inflating the "value" of an item by using another account to place bids (shills) to force the price higher.

 

[itsgoodnow]

Yeah, that is bullshit for someone to just drive up the price with crap bids.

 

[311boogieman]

Hang 'em High

 

[saxxamafone]

Even if they do.. it's still just a case of bid as high as you're willing to pay for something.

At the end of the day, if I get the gear I want at the price i'm willing to pay,..i don't really care about anything else.

But yes it is dodgy.

 

[Bloodrock]

Ebay doesn’t give two shits anymore as long as they get paid. I’ve reported tons of counterfeit guitars being passed off as real and they never pull the auctions. Shill bidding just increases their profits.

 

[JimAnsell]

in order to avoid that happening, as a bidder, don't bid twice. if a seller sees that you bid once, then big again to in an attempt to solidify your win, they'll use another account to bump it up, and if they outbid you, then can just go in an cancel the bids. Sniping or buy it now is pretty much the only way to win an auction.

 

[War_in_D]

Ebay doesn’t give two shits anymore as long as they get paid. I’ve reported tons of counterfeit guitars being passed off as real and they never pull the auctions. Shill bidding just increases their profits.

This ^^^^ When I brought this to the Ebay discussion boards, with irrefutable proof of this guy's shilling practices, my posts were removed and I was given temporary bans. Ebay actively protects this type of behavior.

Even if they do.. it's still just a case of bid as high as you're willing to pay for something.

At the end of the day, if I get the gear I want at the price i'm willing to pay,..i don't really care about anything else.

But yes it is dodgy.

See personally, I don't agree with this line of thinking. I would, IF the auction was fair and it was a level playing field but when you introduce outside influence on that auction it then becomes "rigged" in favor of the seller and you could then pay more than you would have otherwise. To put it in real world terms, if you were attending an in person auction and they had a guitar. You're willing to spend $500, and the bidding stalls at $350 and it looks like you're going to win. Then another bidder bumps it up to $400, then $450 and you go to your max of $500 and win. You think "Well, I was willing to bid that much so I'm good with that"... Until you see the owner of the guitar, the auctioneer and that other bidder behind the scenes splitting that extra $150 you just spent. Would you be OK with that? I wouldn't.

 

[Mark Skid]

9 out of 10 who claim they don't shill bid, do.

 

[SoooRad]

This sounds like a 2008, Kramer Forum problem with Carrguitar or some shit.

 

[controlled_voltage]

came for the eBay drama stayed for that EVH iso track
TY!!!!!

also yeah
hard to believe ebay still has no real competition with all of the shit they've pulled on sellers for the last 10+ years
and that the feds let them get away with ALL of the BS they fuck sellers with
i only sell high ticket "collectable" idiosyncratic fringe items that i bought for next to nothing that if i get ripped off on i don't care [I have an autographed dream theater CD words and images with portnoy's signature as a BIN for 200 that i paid a dollar for - it will sell it has 7 watchers LOL!]
these days all of my "real"sales are on CL and FB marketplace where there is 0 chance of me getting screwed.
That ebay is still a HUGE online retailer is truly unfathomable since this is the best part of a capitalist system - competition

here's some interesting data

https://www.oberlo.com/blog/ebay-statistics

 

[saxxamafone]

See personally, I don't agree with this line of thinking. I would, IF the auction was fair and it was a level playing field but when you introduce outside influence on that auction it then becomes "rigged" in favor of the seller and you could then pay more than you would have otherwise. To put it in real world terms, if you were attending an in person auction and they had a guitar. You're willing to spend $500, and the bidding stalls at $350 and it looks like you're going to win. Then another bidder bumps it up to $400, then $450 and you go to your max of $500 and win. You think "Well, I was willing to bid that much so I'm good with that"... Until you see the owner of the guitar, the auctioneer and that other bidder behind the scenes splitting that extra $150 you just spent. Would you be OK with that? I wouldn't.

You do realise rigged auctions happen everywhere include in person.
That's the nature of all auctions, never going to change that.
Happens on house auctions for crying out loud - which cost way more than a guitar or amp!

Now if you can PROVE that's what's happened, then yes I'd be pissed too, but usually that ain't going to happen.

You said it yourself... you're willing to spend $500 on a guitar and you get it for $500 or less.. just enjoy your new item and move on.

Regardless of who you're bidding against, you got the item at the price you're willing to pay....isn't that the whole reason you're in the auction?

And of course you have a choice, you don't have to bid either.... so if you don't like the scenario, don't play the game.