Question about detecting shilling

[pgellis]

I also think that with fewer and fewer real auctions on eBay, there are fewer and fewer dealers who actually auction off their items all the time, so you are bound to have some collectors bidding on a lot of a particular dealers auctions since there are so many BINs exclusively now.

I know for me, collecting SGC graded T206s, there are very few dealers that regularly have legitimate auctions on eBay and I seem to bid on their items a lot.......maybe even more than 38% with one of them.

[itjclarke]

Thanks for all the input.. I also do bid in small, irregular increments, so what I saw is probably not too far off what I look like (excepting the 38%). I guess at the end of the day, a healthy bit of cynicism and caution is good, but I won't over think this subject going forward.

Some of the other instances brought up by board members that I'd read about (and got my attention) were much more obvious... Very low feedback totals and 80-90% bid activity with less reputable sellers... These were subject of recent threads, and specifically about some of those raw card auctions that were selling for seemingly more than their graded equivalents.

[Bridwell]

I tend to be skeptical of "second chance offers". I usually review the other bidders and if it looks suspicious, I won't accept the offer just as a manner of principle.

[T206Collector]

If you bid in ebay auctions without using a free sniping service, you are inviting shilling. The best way to avoid it on ebay is to snipe. It is a major factor in so many peoples' decision to snipe, which in turn has led to more BINs than auctions.

I have never once considered whether I was being shilled in any auction. Because I dont bid more on any item than I am willimg to pay for it, I view shilling as the same thing as a hidden reserve. And I have never paid more for an item than it was worth to me.

I really believe that if you're worried about shilling on ebay, that you don't really have a good plan when it comes to bidding on ebay.

[itjclarke]

Originally Posted by T206Collector

I really believe that if you're worried about shilling on ebay, that you don't really have a good plan when it comes to bidding on ebay.

Not worried, just wanted to know how to detect it, since it's written about so often in posts. And I generally feel I have a pretty good plan when it comes to eBay.. though "good' should be used as a relative term and is different for everyone. I've had some pretty nice wins, but also don't ever intend to flip or re-sell cards. I generally don't bid freely on the items I'm really serious about, for those I do the wait and watch... no snipes needed, just an iphone/callandar reminders or an alarm, and 3G. When those final seconds come, I know my price... am rarely willing to exceed it, but often times am pleasently surprised. That said, I try not to take it too seriously.. it's a hobby, it's fun, it's still a nice rush to win, and I love the cards and the game.

[ls7plus]

Perhaps this is a bit beyond the original context of the thread, but shill bidding certainly is not limited to e-bay--it occurs with some of the major sportscard auction houses, who shall go unnamed here. You are 99% sure it's occurred when you set a max bid so you won't have to stay up 'til 4:00 am, and amazingly, you find that you've been "cha-chinged" very late and very quickly through a significant number of bids right up to, but not over that max bid! The way to avoid being "ripped off" is just as other posters have noted: simply bid only what the item is worth to you. Then, even if these shennigans occur, you've still gotten your money's worth personally. We can't always get everything we want a bargain prices, although it is nice when we can.

Regards,

Larry

[doug.goodman]

Originally Posted by T206Collector

Because I don't bid more on any item than I am willing to pay for it, I view shilling as the same thing as a hidden reserve. And I have never paid more for an item than it was worth to me.

What he said.

[ls7plus]

Exactly!

Larry

[U240robert]

I've seen suspicious bidding as well since I've been on ebay, which goes back to when the site first started. It's really hard to pinpoint.
Ebay says that it becomes suspicious when a bidder only bids on certain dealers (like one or two)
However, in my experiences with dealers I tend to bid on the same few dealers over and over. I think one dealer I've won over 400 auctions and I've never met him or know him. I just trust certain dealers with baseball cards and I'm sure I'm not the only one.