Shill bidding

[queenwaldorf]

Just wanted to get a second opinion on this! I was watching a coat recently (273115643378) and it ended when I forgot about it without any bids. It was then relisted at a lower price with the same photos and description under another seller (202269856471). I bid on it and missed out, then a few hours later I got a second chance offer. I'm always wary of these when they come so soon after an auction ends, so I checked on the bids and found that the 'buyer' that had bid against me had the same number and % of feedback as the first seller that had listed the coat. I then checked more items and it looks like the second account has bid on the first seller's items previously and has driven the price up.

Further examples:

1st seller (shill bidder account with 4 feedback listed the coat the second time): 

273075851118

273055857132

So does it look like that to anyone else? Or am I paranoid...

[kopenhagen5]

It looks like the Werribee account bid up on the Point Cook account and vice a versa.

Definitely looks sus.

[queenwaldorf]

They were both Werribee until this morning, too. Thanks for the second opinion!

[*sparklz*]

I would decline the 2nd chance offer and tell them why but you would be willing to pay the amount had you won without their bids.

[go-tazz]

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@kopenhagen5wrote:

It looks like the Werribee account bid up on the Point Cook account and vice a versa.

Definitely looks sus.

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The 17* feedback account is not the other Weribee account,(one listing is Werribie and the other Point Cook)

as when you click on the ID in the bidding history it comes up as n***n and that 17 account only has one n in

it,(it may be another shill account or a nibble bidder as they have bid on other sellers items.

They've added feedback information in the bid history and the seller has 90.5% feedback and the bidder has

91%,(so again different).

The 4 feedback account is suspicious as a possible shill account.

[4channel]

There should be a definition between what Shill Bidding and Sock Puppet bidding is.

* A shill is an ID of someone who does the bidding for another party.

* A sockpuppet is an extra ID that belongs to the person who has the auction. They used that Id or IDs to up the bids on their own auction.

I once reported sockpuppets selling identical items  in about 20 different auctions. all accounts ativated at the same time. Obvious it was all the same person.  After it was reported all the accounts were cancelled. It was obvious the same person had activated multiple accounts.

[countessalmirena]

I believe that under eBay's definition - or rather, eBay's policy - it doesn't matter whether the bidder is the seller him/herself OR someone who knows the seller.

"Shill bidding is when sellers—or someone they know—place a bid on their item to drive the price up and create an artificial bidding war."

- Shill bidding policy.

I would tend to keep the term sock puppet to the OED definition (rather than extend it to include false identities for driving up the price of an online auction listing):

NOUN

2    A false online identity, typically created by a person or group in order to promote their own opinions or views.

There are definitely some very organised groups who are part of international shill-bidding racketeering groups, where identities are created well in advance of their being used. It's almost like seeing "sleepers" being activated!

[4channel]

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@countessalmirena wrote:

I believe that under eBay's definition - or rather, eBay's policy - it doesn't matter whether the bidder is the seller him/herself OR someone who knows the seller.

"Shill bidding is when sellers—or someone they know—place a bid on their item to drive the price up and create an artificial bidding war."

- Shill bidding policy.

I would tend to keep the term sock puppet to the OED definition (rather than extend it to include false identities for driving up the price of an online auction listing):

NOUN

2    A false online identity, typically created by a person or group in order to promote their own opinions or views.

There are definitely some very organised groups who are part of international shill-bidding racketeering groups, where identities are created well in advance of their being used. It's almost like seeing "sleepers" being activated!

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OK, under Ebay definition, the sock-puppet account is regarded as a shill. Fair enough.

With regard to shill bidding, I have seen amigos helping each other to boost up the bid price in their auctions. Very naughty.

Yes, you're right about the sleepers being activated. Sad business.  I guess it's a hard thing to police.

[queenwaldorf]

The same seller is still bidding on their own items. Amazes me how little integrity some people have.

273211731058

[imastawka]

??   I get nothing for that number  ??