Do you think that ebayers use fake bidders to get you to bid more?

Question

I was bidding on an item and i was out bid every time by a higher price, it actually went quite ridiculous. I pulled out and hope the person doesnt sell the item as it seemed very dodgey to me.

Answer 1

yes, it's called shill biding.It happened to me alot lately.

Answer 2

Only blue smarties know the answer!

Answer 3

i think e bay is a scammers paradise.

Answer 4

yes, its called shill bidding

whats the item number BTW- we could all go in and wreck it

Yeah just missed it - never mind, they'll get their just desserts one day !

Answer 5

It is certainly possible.  When buying, I protect myself by using the proxy bidding feature.  I determine the MAXIMUM amount I am willing to pay.  If that is not enough to satisfy the seller, then I am in no danger of paying any more than I want.  Most of the time, I manage to pay less than my maximum bid.

Answer 6

yes its called shill bidding when the seller bids on his own item or gets someone else to do it..they could use a fake ebay account to bump the price up

Answer 7

of course they do. It is called shill bidding.

Answer 8

Its called shill bidding and happens quite a lot.

If you think its happening on your item you can report it to ebay.

edit yeah post the item number i will bid lol!!!

Answer 9

Yeah, I think so

its easy to be abuse

friends and family can join in I suppose.

Answer 10

Yes it's happened to me a few times and  It's usually on items with no bidder identity,  I've pulled out, and lo and behold usually get a second chance email if no-one else bids. Never take up the offer tho.  Surely Ebay knows that this is happening and should be able to do something about it. (It's sold for £410 - bidder no 3 won it)

Answer 11

Yes I am sure SOME do.

I know of someone who apparently asks a friend to bid on all of his items to bump the selling price up!

Unfair.

Answer 12

It's illegal, but it goes on.

What you've seen is an example of proxy bidding which is quite legal.  You tell the proxy your maximum bid and it bids for you.

Answer 13

I didn`t know it was called "Shill bidding" until I read some of the answers here,,,but yes it goes on a lot....