Auction Information

Five Ways To Detect Shill Bidders On eBay So That You Dont Pay Absurd Prices


There is as a lot of buzz about shill bidders on the eBay forums. But in actuality, shrill bidding isn't that common and is rather easily detected.

A buyer will sometimes attempt to use shill building to raise the price of merchandise he is selling. The idea is that the shiller will bid increasingly high prices, in the hope that legitimate buyers like you will top the artificially high prices in an effort to win the goodies for sale.

Here are five ways you can recognize a shill bidder:

1. Few shill bidders will have any feedback. This is because they never follow through with transactions and therefore don't have anyone to leave feedback. If the shiller does have legitimate transactions on ebay, he is usually smart enough to use a separate ID, because he does not want to get caught shilling and lose all buying and selling privileges.

{It is important to note, however, that just because a bidder has no feedback that does not mean that he is necessarily a shrill bidder. This may simply be a new account that has not had time to build a feedback reputation.}

2. Generally, a shiller only bids on the auctions of a particular seller. When in doubt, you can check the current and completed options of a seller and see if this shiller has bid on other auctions by the same seller.

3. Shill bidders are most often newbies. You can check the feedback, and the date that the eBay account was created, for any ebay member. If the bidder's account was created two days ago and he is bidding on several auctions of the same seller, you can be pretty certain about what is going on.

4. eBay has ways of the tracking shillers. Of course we don't know everything they do (and if I did know I wouldn't tell!) but some clues all are dead giveaways. For example, if the seller and the bidder have the same IP address, eBay knows to take a closer look.

5. Shill bidders retract many more bids than normal buyers. eBay does allow any buyer to retract a bid, although this is only supposed to occur for specific reasons. But in actuality, a retraction is rarely challenged and ultimately what can eBay do? It cannot force a person to pay for a particular item.

It is wise not to use this option on a frequent basis. Remember that your eBay behavior deal is constantly tracked. A retraction is considered to be a "black mark" on your reputation so don't do it very often. Shillers, on the other hand, don't care because they're unconcerned about their reputation. If caught, they simply open a new account.

Sometimes a shiller is the high bidder at the end of an auction. In that that case, the seller and buyer can agree to cancel the bid, rather than retract it. However, all this takes a lot of work, planning and effort. In the end, shill bidding is rarely worth the trouble and time. Instead, smart sellers spend their time finding products and writing listings - the two basic moneymaking activities of an ebay business - instead of plotting how to raise profits on individual listings. Success in business is about efficiency.

Learn how to sell on eBay with 16 hours of online instruction taught by a 10 year eBay veteran. Own an eBay business instead of an eBay hobby.


MORE RESOURCES:
Google

Wall Street Journal Blogs

Foreclosure Auctions Slow to Unload Inventory
Wall Street Journal Blogs, NY - 11 hours ago
While the number of foreclosure auctions is soaring, many transactions aren?t taking place at asking prices because some lenders are demanding too much, ...
Failed Short Sales Exacerbate Foreclosure Losses For All [Housing ... Seeking Alpha
The housing crisis hits home in valley Poughkeepsie Journal
all 6 news articles


PHA auctions 17 hoarding sites for Rs 254 million
Daily Times, Pakistan - 9 hours ago
LAHORE: The Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) has auctioned 17 sites of hoardings through a transparent open auction on various areas of the city. ...
17 billboard sites auctioned for The Nation, Pakistan
all 2 news articles


Treasury Auctions Set for This Week
New York Times, United States - Oct 12, 2008
The Treasury?s schedule of financing this week included the regular weekly auction Thursday of new three- and six-month bills and an auction of four-week ...


Livestock auctions: Buyers choose locally grown meat at the fair
Belleville News Democrat,  USA - 18 hours ago
The senior at Clovis East High School has been raising hogs for The Big Fresno Fair's junior livestock auctions. After learning about clipping teeth, ...


A first for auctions in India: Gemstones go under hammer
Press Trust of India, India - 22 hours ago
New Delhi, Oct 13 (PTI) After paintings, sculptures and installations it is now the turn of gemstone sculptures to go the auction way. ...


New auction house opens in Hanover
The Evening Sun, PA - 16 hours ago
By STEVE MARRONI Phil Topper, left, auctions off an item at M and J Auction House's Thursday-night auction on Factory Street in Hanover. ...
Chef's Top Choice: Louisiana Crab Casserole The Evening Sun
Saving animals' lives: Happy Tails Therapy Dogs donates oxygen masks The Evening Sun
all 3 news articles


Drop in land auctions could affect Scottsdale
East Valley Tribune, AZ - 4 hours ago
State Trust Land officials are unlikely to bring many tracts up for auction in 2009, and it could have implications for Scottsdale development and the ...


Los Angeles Times

Bob Hope head
Los Angeles Times, CA - 4 hours ago
... from the estate of the legendary Bob Hope on display at Beverly Hilton Hotel, October 13, 2008. The memorabilia being auctioned by Julien's Auctions.
Hope hats Los Angeles Times
Hope glove Los Angeles Times
Auction of Bob Hope memorabilia could raise half a million for ... Los Angeles Times
all 7 news articles


Official Man Card, LLC Auctions off Celebrity Jimmy Kimmels ...
1888 Press Release (press release), TX - 4 hours ago
Official Man Card, LLC, has placed Kimmels Authentic Man Card on the internet auction website Ebay. "This is his Authentic Man Card," said Thomas Morton, ...


FinFacts Ireland

Global central banks set regular dollar auctions: Fed
MarketWatch - Oct 7, 2008
By Greg Robb WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Global central banks have set a schedule for dollar liquidity auctions that will take place every two weeks through ...
Fed to double cash auctions to banks, up to $900 billion International Herald Tribune
Fed to boost auctions, pay interest on reserves Reuters
Fed lays out details for bank loans The Associated Press
CNBC - 24/7 Wall St.
all 390 news articles

Auctions - Google News

home | site map
© 2006