Ebay as the shill bidder

[perezfan]

I agree with the OP as well.

The "second chance" offer should be at the next increment above the last LEGITIMATE bid. Second Chance is a good idea, but this is bad implementation, IMO. I've felt this way ever since Ebay implemented it.

To each his own, I guess.

[bobbyw8469]

Originally Posted by perezfan

I agree with the OP as well.

The "second chance" offer should be at the next increment above the last LEGITIMATE bid. Second Chance is a good idea, but this is bad implementation, IMO. I've felt this way ever since Ebay implemented it.

To each his own, I guess.

Just because the winning bidder never paid does not mean it was a shill bidder. I recently had a Warren Spahn card end where the winning bidder never paid. I sent a second chance offer which the runner up did no accept. I am not gonna keep going down the list, because the lower offers (high bids) are not acceptable to me. I feel if I run another .99 cent auction, it should get close to what the non paying bidder bid it up to. That is describing how an auction works with a non paying bidder from a sellers point of view.

In my particular instance, the non paying bidder bid $38 and did not pay. The runner up bid $37 and did not accept the 2nd chance offer. The THIRD place guy bid $20. That is NOT acceptable to me. If it went only one increment above, you would never have a 2nd chance offer go through (unless you had multiple bidders all bid roughly the same thing close to the ending bid.

If the non paying bidder stole the auction and didn't pay, I would NOT send any second chance offers. I would relist. That seldom happens though. If they steal the card, 98 times out of 100, they are going to pay. If they bid a premium and don't want to pay (which famously happened here on a Marichal rookie I had), I am expecting that price now, because obviously TWO people thought it was worth that much.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Ebay isn't doing anything. The seller is making an offer. You can see the bid history and judge for yourself whether you think the high bid was legit or not. If you don't want the card at the price you were just willing to pay because you suspect shenanigans, pass. How this is an issue is beyond me.

[bobbyw8469]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Ebay isn't doing anything. The seller is making an offer. You can see the bid history and judge for yourself whether you think the high bid was legit or not. If you don't want the card at the price you were just willing to pay because you suspect shenanigans, pass. How this is an issue is beyond me.

PS - I block all non paying bidders.....if you checked my history on the Spahn card, the person who won the first one, will be nowhere near the 2nd one. I won't allow it. I also block retractors. Just makes life easier.

[pokerplyr80]

What about the option of emailing the seller and offering him 335, or 350 and see what happens since it appears you no longer want to pay 410?

[glynparson]

Op's argument makes no sense to me. This is not shill bidding it isn't even close to it. It could be exploited by schill bidders but it is in no way the same thing. I think the system as it is currently set up is the fairest way to handle it. They do not require you to except a second chance offer so I fail to see the issue.

[ALR-bishop]

I am just a buyer on eBay. If I get a 2nd offer from a seller does it always come through eBay pursuant to their price protocol being discussed here, or does the seller have the ability to contact buyers independently with an offer. ? Did sellers ever have that capability ?

[celoknob]

I generally agree with the OP, although I would probably not call it eBay shilling or illegal just poor practice.

Once the high bid was determined to be a non paying bidder or otherwise fraudulent then the auction is compromised. Once the auction is compromised there is no valid reason to use an invalid bid to determine the appropriate price point. If any 'second chance offer' seller option is automated through eBay, it should be the next increment above the new 2nd highest bidder.

Two other points:

1) this practice could certainly encourage sellers to get a buddy to shill bid for them knowing there is less risk if they accidentally over shill and the reward is the option of offering the item (possibly well) above true auction value or having the buyer reject but now with the seller having valuable information of what someone will max bid on it. We certainly know this shilling by acquaintences or by using second accounts happens and is not always easy to detect.

2) of course the seller can just offer the card as a buy it now to the new high bidder at their maxed out bid from the compromised auction, but this should not be an automated eBay feature and as a buyer I would be weary it could have been shilled. In any case the seller is benefitting and the buyer is losing from the inappropriate activity whether it was selling or not.