Ebay as the shill bidder

[SMPEP]

A lot of folks on here complain about shill bidding by buyers and say that Ebay condones it by not taking more stringent action. But what about the fact that Ebay itself is a shill bidder. What do I mean?

Let's take a look at their second chance offer system. Someone just offered me a second chance at an item. My max bid was $410. When the top bidder bowed out as a nonpaying buyer, Ebay allowed the seller to make me a Second Chance offer. For $410. The next highest bidder after me was $330. I SHOULD get the item for $330 plus the next increment. That what would happen in an auction with no shill bidding, right?

But no. Ebay makes me pay $410 for the item. So in effect Ebay just shill bid me up from one bid above $330 to $410.

That strikes me as a class action lawsuit waiting to happen - but I'm not a lawyer.

Cheers,
Patrick Prickett

[stlcardinalsfan]

Why in the world would you agree to a second chance offer at that price when there was no idea below you? You are not bound to buy the item

[SMPEP]

My options are - pass on the item (and it gets offered to the guy below me for $330) or accept the $410 offer.

If I want the item, I have no other option but to pay $410.

Even though in a fair auction I get it at $335.

[vintagerookies51]

"eBay makes me pay $410 for the item."

No they don't, they give you the unfair option to. Not anything illegal

[SMPEP]

If I want the item, how do their actions differ from shill bidding?

[SMPEP]

And yes, I considered passing on the offer for this very reason. But the seller didn't do anything wrong. They didn't set the price. Ebay did. And Ebay set a price that is in essence the same as the shill bid price. Not the price of a fair auction.

They CHOOSE to do something that is illegal. Neither the seller nor I had a choice to decide the price.

[bobbyw8469]

Originally Posted by SMPEP

My options are - pass on the item (and it gets offered to the guy below me for $330) or accept the $410 offer.

If I want the item, I have no other option but to pay $410.

Even though in a fair auction I get it at $335.

Maybe..maybe not....there might have been some snipes at $380-400, that failed to go off just because of what the auction was at. Non paying bidders ruin it for everyone.