How to tell a eBay seller is bidding on own stuff

[n-b-king-69]

I just want to know if anyone else has noticed that when you watch an item for ages like say 5-7 days and no one is bidding on it but as soon as you message the seller about the item or make an offer or bid on the item a mystery bidder with no feedback or ratings or recent transactions or a private bidder will bid on the item within couple of minutes and keep bidding to a certain price 

to me that's the seller bidding on his own item himself or a friend is .

I know it's against the rules to do so but I don't t see eBay actually doing anything about it . 

it's the same as an item your watching or bidding on will sell to someone else but then within 12 hours it will be back on eBay stating relisted due to non payer but this will happen a couple of times in a couple of days on the same item .

there should be a way to stop this I think when you sign up to eBay you need to provide photo evidence of who you are to stop people having multiple accounts on eBay 

[purveyor_of_tat]

You're reading too much in to what is just a coincidence. 

Especially if you think it happens frequently. 

[n-b-king-69]

Well In the last 2 weeks I have been bidding on multiple items that has no other bidders for days but soon as I bid a bidder with either no feedback or rating or just joined in last month will bid on the same item but they will win the item but a day later the same seller will be selling the same item saying in his description that's it's due to a non payer but this will happen a couple of times in a row for next  few  days so I know he is bidding on his own item .

and I ain't the only one who probably notices this to . 

with your comments I would say ur one of these people who bids on his own items 

[purveyor_of_tat]

---

@n-b-king-69 wrote:

....with your comments I would say ur one of these people who bids on his own items 

---

Yes, the 'evidence' is stacked against me. Well done, Columbo. 

[more-ackers]

@n-b-king-69  ".....I think when you sign up to eBay you need to provide photo evidence of who you are to stop people having multiple accounts on eBay" 

It is allowable to have multi accounts on eBay. I do and my accounts are link within the eBay system either by my address or my credit/debit card. Obviously, I am not allowed to bid on my own items. I even got a message from eBay when I opened the second account that I was not allowed to. They were just letting me know they could link my accounts to me.

The problem you mention, can occur if the person uses, a friend or relative info to sign up to an account and then used that ID to bid on their own items. eBay say they have programmes that can track this type of activity but I am not convinced they use it often.

[*knight-rider*]

i`ve often been a bit suspicious of bids myself, but at the end of the day, just bid what your willing to pay and that`s it. Yes there`s an arguement that had someone not pushed the bids up you would have, or may have got an item for £5 instead of £20, but could have, should have, would have is everywhere in life, just don`t get dragged into the game and spend what your happy to spend, no more, another one will come 🙂

[more-ackers]

I think you are missing the point. It is not legal to bid on you own auctions or items you own.*

*There are circumstances where you can bid on items that you have an "interest" in and these are normally where goods have been legally seized and auctioned off but the auctioneers would have to disclose that  persons with "interest" in this lot are allowed to bid on it ( and win the auction)

[archie.b.77]

What are these items on which you are bidding? Domestic or International?

[n-b-king-69]

Mmmm yes it is illegal to bid

(shill bidding )

on your own eBay items 

it's in the eBay rules  when you report someone you think is doing it go to 

-listing practices

-fraudulent listing activities 

-the seller is using other accounts to inflate item price 

you can be kicked off eBay if it keeps happening 

[*knight-rider*]

`It is not legal to bid on you own auctions or items you own.`

i didn`t say it was!

[more-ackers]

`(more-ackers wrote) It is not legal to bid on you own auctions or items you own.`

@*knight-rider* wrote: i didn`t say it was!

I did not say you did say it was! I said you are missing the point. It is not all about how much you are willing to pay and that it may have been cheaper, it is also about illegal manipulation of the result/price.Therefore, why not complain when someone is acting illegally.

---

[*knight-rider*]

I'm not missing any point, o.p asked a question, I answered with my responce, you answer with yours, that's why their called discussion boards 😉

It's fine complaining, but unless enough do it and you can even prove still bidding, nothing happens, so it's better to just pay what you want to pay and that's it, if your still happy with the outcome, that's all that matters!

[edgeog]

Ebay knows shill bidding goes on, you used to be able to see everything by clicking on a username, now you can't see anything. They blanked out usernames because it generates more profit for them.

[more-ackers]

---

@*knight-rider* wrote:

............... so it's better to just pay what you want to pay and that's it, if your still happy with the outcome, that's all that matters! 

Well there you go again. Missing the point. It is not "all that matters".

Shill bidding is illegal. That is the point. 

As you quite rightly say, it is hard to prove. But then, that is not the point.

[*knight-rider*]

`

Shill bidding is illegal. That is the point.

As you quite rightly say, it is hard to prove. But then, that is not the point.`

For the love of god, i know it`s illegal and not allowed on ebay, i`m not missing that point, but as you rightly agree, it is so hard to prove, so please, what is the point i`m missing???

[more-ackers]

@*knight-rider*  "For the love of god, i know it`s illegal and not allowed on ebay, i`m not missing that point, but as you rightly agree, it is so hard to prove, so please, what is the point i`m missing???

Well as I don't see, that you will ever see, the point you are missing, there is no longer any point in trying  to point out to you, what that point is. Indeed, pretty pointless, I would say.

[*knight-rider*]

That's what someone would say who doesn't know the point either!

[pirellico]

If it can happen then it happens. After all, all he/she needs is another account or a complicit friend. Just give up chasing those bids if you suspect owner/seller is bidding on own item. Yes, ebay should do something about it, perhaps geo-localisation of bidders could be a way. geography of bidders should be disclosed to bidders. 

[plpmr]

If I think that shill bidding is going on I look at the bidders to see if any have bid retractions and, for example, if I see a bidder has, say, 9 retraction I walk away - 9 is way too many.

[pirellico]

it certainly goes on, no question about it. In terms of retractions, I don't see what's there to lose on the seller side, he/they can always cancel the sale. I wonder if businesses do this all the time when they auction.