Shill Bidding in Ebay - What should I do

[Iravan]

I recently bidded on 2 items, and both times I was outbid by another user. I tried to out bid this user but there proxy was quite high. Now I went to see this user's profile, they have been on ebay since 2001, but have only won 3 auctions this month from the same seller, as the one I tried to buy from... this to me looks highly suspicious (shill bidding), and I would like to know what I can do to see if my suspicions are correct.

Thanks

Iravan

 

[Iravan]

Now I think of it ebay has live help now (=\), go into there and report it :O

Nah Ill eait for their trust and safety

Day 3 btw...

 

[Mark]

Bah - Write it down for your own use ..... and move on - Ebay could really care less IMO , It has been going on forever and seems to be some of their "PowerSellers" only techniques for selling ...... :td:

 

[Shorty]

That is actually illegal (in england at least), ebay should be more strict about it.

 

[floatingworld]

let us assume that the item is listed as a no reserve starting price of $10. The seller would like at least $50 but thinks that a higher starting price will kill the auction. The use of a fake bidder helps to, in theory, bid up the price and encourage the chase...If you use sniper software then it is more difficult for the seller to push you around with his 'friend'.

 

[Iravan]

"PowerSellers" only techniques for selling ......

Yep this is a power seller

Have you heard from Ebay yet?

Nope nothing Yet

- Write it down for your own use ..... and move on

Ya this doesnt really affect my life much but whatever....

let us assume that the item is listed as a no reserve starting price of $10. The seller would like at least $50 but thinks that a higher starting price will kill the auction.

Hmm Listed @ $0.99

If you use sniper software then it is more difficult for the seller to push you around with his 'friend'

Im not a avid ebay to use automated sniper...

 

[Iravan]

Update

This is their Reply

Thank you for taking the time to write to eBay's Safe Harbor
department.
Shill bidding is a serious offense and we will investigate your report
as soon as possible, usually within 24 hours.

We will investigate the accounts for possible shill bidding by looking
at the information you have provided as well as our internal records.
We
will also compare this to bidding patterns and any other activity that
may have occurred involving the reported accounts.

If we are able to find evidence of shill bidding, our actions can range
from issuing an educational alert, a temporary suspension, or in some
cases an indefinite suspension. The type of action that we take depends
on the specific situation surrounding an individual account. Things
such
as the existence of a previous warning, the nature of the offense and
the length of time as a community member will all be taken into
consideration. Repeated violations of policies will often result in the
suspension of a member's account.

Sometimes, what appears to be shill bidding may actually be a
legitimate
bidding activity. This can occur for a number of reasons, for example,
a
bidder may bid almost exclusively on one or two sellers whom they have
come to trust. If we find there is not enough evidence of shill
bidding,
we may not take action against any of the reported accounts.

We assure you that we will thoroughly examine your report. Please keep
in mind that due to our privacy policy you will not receive specific
details of our actions. In certain circumstances, we may contact you by
email if we need further information. We pledge, though, that an eBay
Safe Harbor representative will quickly review your report of shill
bidding and apply our guidelines fairly.


Sigh.., more waiting

 

[Shorty]

That's a rather decent reply in my opinion, at least we know they're doing something about this.

 

[dc1pop]

That's a rather decent reply in my opinion, at least we know they're doing something about this.

Bot response with click here mix and match paragraphs.

 

[Iravan]

Bot response with click here mix and match paragraphs.

Yep, they coudve sent this right after i sent in the complaint...

WOW

The Seller is selling the same item again... exact same site, with exact same domain... hmm this could be a non paying buyer, but I think otherwise...

 

[s\0w]

This has happened many times to me before.. All you can do is trust ebay. The ended up solving my case and the seller got suspended :bingo: .

Good Luck.

 

[Iravan]

you should try and talk to the ebay staff, they may be able to help you.

Thats what I'm doing

 

[lSL]

Shill bidding is the most lamest thing iv seen as a scam. I mean it works an all but when you get cought there ain't no commin back . Good Luck with this it happenes to me 68% of the time.

 

[Shorty]

Is there a none lame way to scam someone lSL?

 

[Iravan]

Ya I guess this is how they become powersellers... selling things to themselves

 

[Iravan]

Wow

Seller Relisted the Exact Same Item... Exact Same domain... Hmm Seems pretry suspicious to me.. no reply by ebay as of now...

 

[Iravan]

Well... Finally This response Came

Hello Umber,

Thank you for taking the time to write eBay with your concerns. My name
is Bobbie and I'm happy to help you further.

We are always concerned about possible policy violations on eBay sites,
and appreciate your report regarding orangeillusions and
mysteryprincess. We have thoroughly investigated your report, and have
found that there is not enough evidence to show that a violation has
taken place.

As you may know, under eBays Privacy Policy, we are unable to provide
specific information regarding the result of our investigation to third
party members. Please understand that this is for the protection of all
eBay users. We understand your concern about this situation, thank you
for reporting it, and can reopen the investigation if any additional
information can be provided

To read more about what SafeHarbor does and does not investigate please
visit the following page:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/tp/programs-investigations.html

If you would like to contact the SafeHarbor team with additional
information about the account you are reporting, or any other site
violations, please check our online Help system first. Here you can
find
the answers to most questions. Once there, if you still can't find the
answer you need, click the "Contact Us" links located throughout the
help system. This will take you to a Webform where you can contact eBay
Customer Support.

This will ensure that you receive an answer in a timely manner and your
needs will be addressed specifically.

Again, Umber, thank you for taking the time to write to eBay's Trust
and
Safety department. I appreciate your continued help in keeping eBay a
safe and fair place to trade.

Regards,

Bobbie
Investigations Team
eBay Trust & Safety

I Replyed with the following

I must day that this is a most unsatisfactory response and brings my level of trust in ebay down. I will give one more peice of information that I found intruiging, please not that I agree this "shill bidding" could be valid (accusation could be wrong). My last bit of proof that confirms in my mind that shilling occured is the fact that the original item (Item Number: **********) was sold to the "shilling account". However the same exact item was put into another auction (Item number: **********) for a higher price. If the item sold, why would it be for sale again. Also I found the "shilling account's" stats to be quite questionable. On ebay for 4 years and has only startef bidding on "**********" items recently.

With the evidence stated I believe that this has been a violation of the Ebay's rules. not to mention broken certain laws. (Laws found in Britain)

I look foreward to your Response

Umber Dube

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some of you might say just leave it but as Mahatyma Ghandi ji Said, You must be the change you wish to see in the world. So im takin it all the way

Lemme know what you think

Thanks

Iravan

 

[hdgamer]

contact an ebay admin. Let them handle it.

 

[Iravan]

contact an ebay admin. Let them handle it.

As you can seei n previous posts, I havbe done so to no avail... this has really brought my trust in ebay down...