Why can't you report obvious bid retraction violations and bid manipulation by a bidder?

[licitation]

Ebay states that it will investigate invalid bid retractions, and it is an invalid bid retraction if "you wanted to find out how high another buyer bid on an item."   However, I cannot find any reporting mechanism.    Four auctions, same seller, each closing tonight and the same bidder has bid, retracted and then rebid - obviously to find out everyone's high bid.

Is there a way to report this?

[padi*0409]

G'day from Down Under !!!!

You are posting on the Australian boards here, but you need to use the "help and contact " link at the top of the page to report it.

[go-tazz]

Just report it as shill bidding,(that way they'll hopefully investigate it).

http://www.ebay.com.au/gds/how-to-report-shill-bidding/10000000043082549/g.html

The report link is now a little bit further down as they have that other ludicrous section in between:

People who viewed this item also viewed

Including that page is beyond a joke as those items are generally in the search you are doing,(so it's just more

carp that you have to scroll past).

[phorum_junkie*]

As long as they rebid after retracting they are not breaching the rules unless it is the seller using another id and it is much more likely to be a rival bidder.

[letscleanupmycupboards]

How do you prove what is or isn't an invalid bid retraction? As an observer you can't view that anyway. Bidder info is secret except to the seller. There are many reasons someone might retract a bid (realised item wasn't suitable, further info from the seller, unhappy with a postage quote and the list goes on).

What's the grounds for your suspicion?

[padi*0409]

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@letscleanupmycupboards wrote:
How do you prove what is or isn't an invalid bid retraction? As an observer you can't view that anyway. Bidder info is secret except to the seller. There are many reasons someone might retract a bid (realised item wasn't suitable, further info from the seller, unhappy with a postage quote and the list goes on).

What's the grounds for your suspicion?

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cupboards, there are only 3 valid reasons for a bid retraction. Postage quotes should be done before bidding and don't come into it.

                     

[letscleanupmycupboards]

In theory padi but if they want out they can get out.

Isn't it better they retract or ask for cancellation rather than win, not buy and wind up having to wait ages before relishing and unpaid item process etc?

[padi*0409]

But cupboards the OP has had the bidder retract on 4 of their auctions, so they need to be reported and then put on the seller's BBL.

The problem with multiple retractions is that the other bidders may smell a rat and cancel their bids as well, if it was just a one-off retraction I'd agree with you, but not with multiples.