Are there Phantom buyers on Ebay???

[brooke.munro]

Have you ever bidded on an item and a member has bidded against you making the sale go up in price higher and higher... until you either stop bidding or you win the auction?

I have been wondering if Ebay purposely set up Phantom buyers to increase their profits in the buying and selling of auctions.

Think about it. A typical example is a member that bids against you, they win the auction but never pay up. Therefore say if it was a phantom buyer, Ebay then deducts the sales fee but keeps the success fee. Maybe a way to make more money from people? 

This is my theory anyhow. I feel like this is something people should consider.. 

Also, funny how you can't view a bidders account and history but you can with the seller??? Seems a bit dodgey to me.

Thoughts? 

[*crikey*mate*]

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@digital*ghost wrote:

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 but for all I know there could have been a perfectly legit reason for it - although most of the reasons I came up with (even the non-legit ones) seemed a tad unlikely, if not plain silly.  

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shifty ninjas

*nods knowingly*

[imastawka]

 Here I was thinking this was about Comics.   Darn it!

[*crikey*mate*]

CRIKEY MATE!

 a Ghost and a Stalka, all in one thread about phantoms....LOL

[digital*ghost]

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@crikey*mate wrote:

Digital GHOST, do you really think that it is appropriate for you to be posting in this thread where we are discussing the existence of Phantoms?

Spoiler

hides behind 100 ninjas

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That's why I thought my answer to the thread title warranted a very convincing smiley - ghost in name, but not in spirit.

Wait a minute....

Ghost in name, possibly in spirit (as yet unconfirmed), but not in buying.

Except when my bids strangely materialise and my computer isn't even on, but that will have to remain a mysterious mystery of unexplained mysteries.

Spoiler

Unless snipes and proxies aren't considered mysterious.

Spoiler

BTW, you do realise it's impossible to hide behind ninjas, right? 

[*crikey*mate*]

"BTW, you do realise it's impossible to hide behind ninjas, right?"

impossible is merely an opinion, it's not a fact, at least for Crikey.....

Spoiler

besides there was no mention of THAT in the contract

[digital*ghost]

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@crikey*mate wrote:

"BTW, you do realise it's impossible to hide behind ninjas, right?"

impossible is merely an opinion, it's not a fact, at least for Crikey.....

Spoiler

besides there was no mention of THAT in the contract

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[*crikey*mate*]

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@digital*ghost wrote:

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@crikey*mate wrote:

"BTW, you do realise it's impossible to hide behind ninjas, right?"

impossible is merely an opinion, it's not a fact, at least for Crikey.....

Spoiler

besides there was no mention of THAT in the contract

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no it's not!

see that post above there?

bet you can't see me, can you?

That's cos I'm hiding behind the Ninjas

[*crikey*mate*]

see, I did it again, but there were more sneaky Ninjas in that picture