Definitions are something of a passion of mine, in the interests of which I am compelled to swoop in and post, in order to clarify.
(I cannot stand by and see the English language abused with incorrect definitions. My red correcting pen is extended; I flourish it in an Italianate duelling manner and I am standing en garde.)
From the complete OED:
sock, n.1
sock puppet n. originally U.S. a simple puppet made from a sock that is fitted over and moved by the hand and fingers; (also figurative) a person whose actions are controlled by another; a minion.
I could link to the entry, but it's a paid subscription. Thankfully, I don't need to do that, as the Oxford Dictionary also has an online free dictionary - not as extensive and without all of the etymological details (so... much less fun for me), but with an up-to-date definition of this very term sock puppet.
sock puppet
NOUN
2. A false online identity, typically created by a person or group
in order to promote their own opinions or views.
Link is here: https://www.lexico.com/definition/sock_puppet
A sock puppet is either completely under the control of another person whose interests they serve, or an invented identity who - of course - serves the interests of its creator.
Let us contrast that with the definition of a shill.
From the complete OED:
shill, n.
Etymology: Perhaps abbreviation of SHILLABER n.
slang (chiefly North American).
A decoy or accomplice, esp. one posing as an enthusiastic or successful customer to encourage other buyers, gamblers, etc.
... and the Oxford/Lexico definition is:
shill
NOUN
informal North American
1. An accomplice of a confidence trickster or swindler who poses
as a genuine customer to entice or encourage others.
Link is here: https://www.lexico.com/definition/shill
A shill is therefore part of a con to convince the mark to buy into a fraud, or to pay more for an item than it is worth.
The term shill can also be used to describe someone who endorses a product or policy or company without being disinterested - someone who is paid by the company/organisation/government to give a seemingly impartial endorsement. But that person is not a minion or invented character; the person is real but is being paid or rewarded for their endorsement.
4channel, you might confuse the two terms because of this secondary definition of shill, but I'll explain why they are different.
Let's entertain the idea of a "shill" posting on these boards. Such a poster would presumably endorse and praise eBay, without necessarily having any actual experience as a buyer or seller. Oh, perhaps as a buyer, since there are so many, and it doesn't involve a blood oath or anything of that sort... but the primary reason for that poster posting on these boards and on social media and wherever praise for eBay might bring in more business would be because that poster is paid for the "work". Inane positive endorsement would be key.
Is there anyone on these boards who is posting in that fashion? I don't know. Most people posting here are quite frank about the negatives of eBay, as well as about the positives (with caveats) of eBay IF one knows how to navigate its policies. It would actually be against eBay's own policies to have this sort of shill - and to be honest, I doubt there are enough eBay users visiting the boards to be influenced by it even if there were.
To clarify, if someone were being paid by eBay to post here, in order to endorse eBay in some fashion, they would ipso facto be a paid employee of eBay's. See the eBay employee trading and community content policy:
โWhen eBay employees submit community content as members, not as employees, they need to identify themselves as eBay employees and state that the content reflects their personal views and isn't written on behalf of eBay.โ
If you seriously believe that there are employees of eBay's/people paid by eBay posting on these boards without revealing that they are employees, that is a serious matter and you should take strong action. I will frankly tell you that I don't think there are. I may be wrong; I'm not omnipotent any more than anyone else here.
A sock puppet, by contrast, is highly unlikely to have eBay's interests guiding its actions. (Except in the ludicrous event of a shill being paid by eBay but also acting in his/her own interests by creating sock puppet IDs.)
A sock puppet would post, pretending to be another person, probably agreeing with its creator's posts or propping up its arguments with pseudo-support and anecdotes. Or... a sock puppet might be created in order to vote for its creator's offerings in the music or caption thread, as I understand has actually happened. In some instances, a sock puppet may be created by its user purely in order to cause mischief - posting in an aggressive or baiting fashion, targeting people with whom its creator disagrees, while leaving the creator's user ID untainted by the actions of the sock puppet in the eyes of the board community.
Are there people on these boards who do that? Unfortunately... yes. More than one individual has been caught out, as I understand it.
A sock puppet is not the same as a posting ID. A posting ID is created to protect the user from eBay users deliberately targeting the poster (esp. if the poster is a seller) in a manner that is against eBay's own policies. A posting ID is also not used to prop up arguments or posts by its creator's other eBay ID/s, and if the other eBay ID/s do post, as a rule it's by mistake, not as an attempt to create an illusion of more support for a particular point or particular stance.
BUT... (are you beginning to think "Why did I ever open this shill/sock puppet can of worms in the first place? Is she ever going to end this post?") shill on eBay has a definition based upon the first entry of the Oxford/Lexico definition. We're talking about shill bidding, and eBay has defined this in its Shill bidding policy:
โShill bidding is when sellersโor someone they knowโplace a bid on their item to drive the price up and create an artificial bidding war.โ
This definition is legitimised even further by its very specific own entry in dictionaries such as Collins and Macmillans.
shill bidding
in British English
NOUN
(on an online auction) the illegal practice of a seller or a sellerโs acquaintances placing bids on his or her goods in order to drive up the price
Link: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/shill-bidding
... To clinch the difference between these two terms, Collins Dictionary also defines sock puppet in the sense of a forum or similar, not as a seller's alternative identity to drive up the price of his/her items:
sock puppet
in British English
NOUN
2. an extra online identity created by a member of a discussion forum, etc, to agree with opinions submitted under his or her usual online name
Link: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/sock-puppet
I throw into this post the word pautener, for reasons that may be clear from the remainder of the post.
a1500 (โธ?c1450) Merlin 268 (MED) โA full fell pawtener [Fr. potouner] is he that twies this day thus hath yow smyten to grounde.โ
- Foreign word, โ
- Literary reference, โ
- Historical reference, โ
- Fancy word. โ
This has been a Fancy Foreign Historical Literary (FanFoHisLit)ยฎ post.
