Ebay says shill bidding, which is simply a matter of using a third party or a fake party to enter fraudulent bids in an effort to raise the selling price, is just not permitted. Here's what it would look like if it were permitted:
 | Bidder | Bid Amount | Date of bid | |
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| heppard123( 4 ) | US $16.50 | Jan-18-07 23:22:57 PST | |
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| shalene1971( 15 ) | US $16.00 | Jan-18-07 17:01:56 PST | |
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| niagaradeals( 44) | US $16.00 | Jan-18-07 19:31:43 PST | |
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| rufus192854ci( 0 ) | US $15.00 | Jan-18-07 19:23:51 PST | |
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| rufus192854ci( 0 ) | US $13.49 | Jan-18-07 19:19:34 PST | |
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| rufus192854ci( 0 ) | US $12.49 | Jan-18-07 19:18:45 PST | |
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| rufus192854ci( 0 ) | US $11.49 | Jan-18-07 19:17:46 PST | |
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| rufus192854ci( 0 ) | US $10.49 | Jan-18-07 19:15:48 PST | |
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Did you notice the five bids, all from the same person, rufus19285ci? What that means is that he was bidding against himself. Is that reasonable behavior? Of course not, and what you are looking at is some really obvious shill bidding.
Ebay on its website publicly decries such shenanagens and urges its customers to report bad behavior. Of course, finding the method of doing the reporting isn't easy, and if you do find it you'll notice Ebay insists on identifying you as well. And, no, they don't have a Witness Protection Program.
If/when you spot such goings-on you have a few choices: don't play the game and don't bid; try to report it to Ebay; use it as blog material.
Arjay
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