Suspecting shill bidding? What can I do?

mrodriquez2006

mrodriquez2006

O.G.
Jun 3, 2006
5,875
7
#1
I won an item but suspect that the seller started a new account to jack up the price. I don't really want to pay for the item but I don't know what to do. See, the item was relisted about 5 times. All the times I have contacted her about negotiating a price. She has always said no and the item has NEVER sold. She finally lowered the price to what I though was reasonable and I placed a bid. In 7 days, no one had bid for the item, but in the last hour, a new user with no feedback jacked up the price significantly.

I reported the listing, but how can I bring this up with the seller? I know I bid for the item, but when I was going back and looked at the bid history it seemed suspicious to me. I have not paid yet. How does the ebay investigation work exactly?

I guess it could have just been a person who knew he or she wasn't going to be around so placed a big bid, but I don't know...the seller has always semed dissatisfied with a lower price because she feels the item is worth more.

Maybe I should just suck it up :sad:
 
#2
As long as your bid was the max you would pay I am not sure you can do much as it would have to be proved. In future you should bid at the last few seconds. If you are not comfortable you could suggest that you are woried to the seller and withdraw from the transaction.
 
#3
I would contact eBay and they can see the IP addresses for the newbie and the seller. Just because the newbie tried to win it doesn't mean it was shill bidding, but if the person was stupid enough to use the same computer they have used in the past, then eBay can see that.
 
#5
coachfreak said:
I would contact eBay and they can see the IP addresses for the newbie and the seller. Just because the newbie tried to win it doesn't mean it was shill bidding, but if the person was stupid enough to use the same computer they have used in the past, then eBay can see that.
Click to expand...
Ebay will do NOTHING about shill bidding. I once bid on a jewelry item and it went way up to my max bid at the very end. OK the exact same buyer bought every single item from that seller for pages and pages. That couldn't be real!!. Ebay says nothing could be proved. This was a "powerseller" using several accts obviously to get the prices they wanted..:cursing:
 
#7
I dont get it---you entered a MAX amount you were WILLING to pay, right? so your upset because you think the price was driven up past the start bid and thus, its costing you more then you had hoped for? But, you entered a maximum amount you were willing to pay, so if the amount is less then your maxium, then I do not see the issue.
 
#8
wait...I just realized something...there was a BIN when I put in the bid...the bid start at 79 and the BIN was 89...I simply placed one bid and the BIN was still in place this moring, but I guess it goes away after two bids??? because the person who bid not only bid over me...but bid OVER the BIN!!! I just realized this...they placed the bid at 102!!! why wouldn't they just BIN??!!!

now I KNOW something is wrong!!!
 
#9
The bay has changed so much I know, I started selling "back in the day" abt when they started up.. They did care then, but now it's all abt the money... They lost what they stood for. I use to report shill bidding and they did something abt it within a day but now they don't seem to care, cause if there's a bid they are making even more money. There's a person/company who sells tons of pendants/beads on the bay, I watched how their auctions worked so I tried bidding on 50 items at .99ea from this one seller and within min's of each auction closing they all mysteriously jumped up to over $10 ea and mind-you it was like 2am and the bidders FB was between 0-15 and maybe one legit higher FB bidder. I was testing a theory and well it's shill bidding.. (I don't suggest that anyone does that, but at that time I had the money to pay for the auctions if I were to win them and liked what I bid on) but after confirming my theory I decided never to bid on their items again cause it's just wrong to do that, they should have just started their auctions at a good price it would really save them the hassle. I do remember they were from overseas.

*But I can understand you felt from history that you would most likely get it for the price you started. And it just bugged you, yes... But you need to say is the bag worth it, and by putting a max bid your saying yes it's worth that much. Remember: Only put what it's worth to you cause if by chance they did do the shill bidding they will end up re-listing it in a week or so.. (of course I, myself would probably avoid them by that point):hugs:
 
#10
wow, for that I probably would have just used the BIN since it was within $10.. Saves a lot of hassle... If an item had a BIN price of say $80 then that's what I would have put my max up to if it were worth it to me. Your trying to save $ not spend more.
 
#11
thanks ladies...

Yeah...I just figured I would save $10...actually 20 because the shipping was 10 also...and I figured after 5 auctions...no one ever bidding...I would be safe...I should have waited the VERY last minute to bid...gosh....lesson learned...
 
#13
There was an item that I won recently that seemed to have some shill bidding going on too. A 0 FB bidder kept jacking the price up in $5 increments. I'm suspicious and thinking about reporting it after I get my item. Not that ebay will really look into it.
 
#14
Really, I think the only way to avoid shill bidders is to bid at the last minute. But usually that means someone else is getting the price jacked up by doing a bidding war. The best thing to do is not to engage in one of these, because they may not be real bidders.
 
#15
glammm said:
I dont get it---you entered a MAX amount you were WILLING to pay, right? so your upset because you think the price was driven up past the start bid and thus, its costing you more then you had hoped for? But, you entered a maximum amount you were willing to pay, so if the amount is less then your maxium, then I do not see the issue.
Click to expand...
No HE entered a max amount (on every single item ) and if real bidder didn't reach that amount ( this is not a reserve here) it went "back to the house." Maybe I am not explaining his right..but I know it was shill bidding.
 
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