"Auctioneer Bashing" by Joe Orlando

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Posted By: Denny Walsh

I was curious to see what ebay's take on "Shill Bidding" was. Not to say that I agree with any of ebay's views or rules, ebay - on paper anyway - run a real tight ship when it comes to who can't bid on items.

ebay's policy on Shill bidding is as follows:

Because family members, roommates and employees of sellers have a level of access to item information which is not available to the general Community, they are not permitted to bid on items offered by the seller–even if their sole intent is to purchase the item. Family members, roommates or employees may purchase items from a seller without violating this policy simply by using purchase options–such as Buy It Now–which do not involve bidding.

eBay strongly encourages sellers with employees to ensure that their employees are aware of this policy and the possible consequences of violation.

Violations of this policy may result in a range of actions, including:

Listing cancellation

Limits on account privileges

Account suspension

Forfeit of eBay fees on canceled listings

Loss of PowerSeller status

Referral to Law Enforcement

Spend a few minutes taking eBay's tutorial on shill bidding.

Their tutorial has me convinced that ebay believes everyone is Shill bidding ... So, I guess ebays view on auction houses that allow in house bidding could potentially be a criminal!?

Food for thought... But if I ran an auction house, being above reproach would be the goal.

Life's Grand,
Denny Walsh