924Board.org

Rasta Monsta · Joined: 12 Jul 2006 Posts: 11733 Location: PacNW

Can someone explain to me WTF is up with this? Shill bidding used to be against the rules on EBay, now apparently it is allowed.

I can't imagine why EBay would allow such blatant dishonesty.
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Toofah King Bad

WeiBe (1987 924S 2.5t) - 931 S3

emoore924 · Joined: 13 Apr 2004 Posts: 2822

News to me. They never used to allow it. That being said, I think it happens all the time.

Not challenging you, but what makes you think they allow shills now? Can you post an auction number where this has happened?

PORSCHEV · Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 6:59 pm Post subject:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/tutorial/sbiddingtutorial/intro2.html

Still not allowed according to this..........
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1976 924
5 lug conversion, 17'C2 wheels,custom body work,327 vette engine.

1978-#53 "D" track racer.

Rasta Monsta · Joined: 12 Jul 2006 Posts: 11733 Location: PacNW

Hmm, well I stand corrected. Now they simply make it easier for shills by hiding the bidder's user ID (i.e., s***b).

I just got outbid by someone who has bid on only three items, with 100% of bidding activity with the same seller (assuming I am reading the info correctly). I reported it to E-Bay as a shill, we'll see what happens.
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Toofah King Bad

WeiBe (1987 924S 2.5t) - 931 S3

Rasta Monsta · Joined: 12 Jul 2006 Posts: 11733 Location: PacNW

FWIW, here is the report on the "buyer" who outbid me affter I used AuctionSniper with a 7 second lead:

Bidder: i***s( 20)
Feedback: 100%Positive
Item description: MK1 PORSCHE 924 944 968 FRONT ADJUSTABLE CAMBER PLATES
Bids on this item: 3
30-Day Summary
Total bids: 7
Items bid on: 3
Bid activity (%) with this seller: 100%
Bid retractions: 0
Bid retractions (6 months): 0
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Toofah King Bad

WeiBe (1987 924S 2.5t) - 931 S3

sbarc · Posted: Wed Apr 28, 2010 12:37 am Post subject:

Yup it's never been permitted.....but it probably does happen. I've seen quite a few cars sell.....and then magically appear again and again for sale. Sometimes this could be a buyer backing out of the deal without paying......but I also feel it's possibly a seller with a "friend" secretly bidding on his item to drive up the final price....only to find the "friend" bid too high and won the item.

I don't see shrill bidding being succesful most of the time.......but if you have a highly motivated bidder that seriously wants that item.....then shrill bidding would bring a higher price for the seller.

I'm a big fan of letting the market decide the value.........and when it comes to used cars......the market is quite harsh.....especially in the past couple of years in the US.

What bugs me is auctions with no reserve......but a very high first bid by the seller.......and then they have the nevre to try to lure people because it is a "no reserve" auction. This comes across as borderline dishonest in my books and I tend to avoid these auctions as my trust in the seller is very low.
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1981 931 (Canadian car)
1981 931 (US car)
1990 928GT (ROW car)
1991 Toyota MR2
1989 Toyota MR2 Super Charged
1985 Toyota Supra
1973 Triumph GT6
1971 Opel GT

PORSCHEV · Posted: Wed Apr 28, 2010 2:52 am Post subject:

If I was going to Shill bid my item..I might do so in the last few hours...but not in the last 7 seconds in fears that I end up with my own item and loose the sale. Unless it was going to sell way under what I wanted then you have only the listing fee to loose.

What were the circumstances?
_________________
1976 924
5 lug conversion, 17'C2 wheels,custom body work,327 vette engine.

1978-#53 "D" track racer.

Rasta Monsta · Joined: 12 Jul 2006 Posts: 11733 Location: PacNW

I was about to get a wicked deal on camber plates. . .$20 with little time left when I placed my 7-second snipe for $75. Screwed!!

I hope Ebay makes them sell for the highest non-shill bid.
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Toofah King Bad

WeiBe (1987 924S 2.5t) - 931 S3

PORSCHEV · Posted: Wed Apr 28, 2010 4:46 am Post subject:

I think you have a case of shill then.
_________________
1976 924
5 lug conversion, 17'C2 wheels,custom body work,327 vette engine.

1978-#53 "D" track racer.

ideola · Joined: 01 Oct 2004 Posts: 15550 Location: Spring Lake MI

sbarc · Posted: Wed Apr 28, 2010 5:57 am Post subject:

ideola · Joined: 01 Oct 2004 Posts: 15550 Location: Spring Lake MI

Setting an initial bid is not bait and switch, it is routine practice. In my view, he's more honest than the guy that sets a low initial bid and then puts a really high reserve without revealing what the reserve is. If you don't like the initial bid level, there's nothing to compel you to bid on it. Quite a different situation than a shill bidder, in my view.
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erstwhile owner of just about every 924 variant ever made

Rocco R16V · Joined: 03 May 2009 Posts: 497 Location: PNW

I recently saw a post on another forum where a guy bid on a no reserve auction and won the item for 10cents (plus shipping) then the seller backed out and E-bay did nothing about it. talk about dishonest.

I have given up even looking on Evil-bay since they bought paypal and all the horror stories of them holding money from people for no real reason. yet they wont do something when someone really breaks the rules. (because there's no money in it for them, in the case above)

sbarc · Posted: Wed Apr 28, 2010 7:04 am Post subject:

ideola · Joined: 01 Oct 2004 Posts: 15550 Location: Spring Lake MI

Yes, I'm reading your post, I just don't understand the objection to a high initial bid level. I mean, what constitutes high???? Who is the judge of that???? If you look at the way a conventional auction runs, let's say at Christie's, a no reserve auction might still start out at $20,000, right? Is that high???? It totally depends on what is being offered at auction. To you it might be high, to the seller maybe not, to another prospective buyer, maybe not. I'm just not clear on why you don't like an initial starting bid that is high. What constitutes the threshold between a reasonable starting bid and a one you would consider unreasonable?
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erstwhile owner of just about every 924 variant ever made