Am I alone thinking that this is annoying?

[sycks22]

I understand where you're coming from Jim. A couple of months ago someone on ebay with 0 feedback bid 5+ x's on my auction and felt that others would think that I was shill bidding even though I wasn't. I have since blocked everyone under 5 feedback.

[Jay Wolt]

Originally Posted by sycks22

I understand where you're coming from Jim. A couple of months ago someone on ebay with 0 feedback bid 5+ x's on my auction and felt that others would think that I was shill bidding even though I wasn't. I have since blocked everyone under 5 feedback.

You're kidding?
Over my 15 years or so w/ eBay, I've had dozens of winners w/ 5 or less feedback
and EVERYONE has paid for their lot.
We all started w/ zero feedback.

[vintagetoppsguy]

I agree with the OP on this one for the reasons that Pete stated. As a seller, it just looks suspicious to other bidders when a zero (or low) feedback bidder bids on my item several times in a row. As a bidder, I wonder if I'm being shilled when I see the same activity.

If you're not going to snipe, then you should bid just once and make that your maximum proxy bid. In fact, I bet it would drive up final values if eBay implemented a rule only allowing bidders to bid twice on the same item. Buyers would know they only have two shots and I bet the bids would be higher.

[Fred]

Can you post a listing of one of your auctions? I'd like to see what you mean by that many bids by one bidder.

[HRBAKER]

I guess you could always put in your listing, "If you are going to bid in my auction, and then continue to bid until you are the highest bidder, please move on."

I see what you are saying about how it may look fishy. That would be the case if you had bidders doing that in every one of your listings maybe.

Isn't the whole point to have bidders?

[Fred]

Can you post a link to one of your auctions? I'd like to see what you mean by that many bids by one bidder.

[mrmopar]

As a buyer, it would be ridiculous to continue bidding against someone like you describe. The person who has to be top bidder drives the price up, but ONLY if someone else feels the need to outbid that person. If everyone waits and tosses out a snipe bid, then that person won't have a chance to bid up the price.

The best way I have found to deal with an auction is to place the smallest possible starting bid and then set up a snipe bid for the last seconds. This method still allows me to see who the winner is, if not me, and hopefully keeps the overall price as low as possible if I win.

Of course high early proxy bids and other snipers will affect prices regardless of what bidders do in between opening bid and the hammer falling, but I believe that there is no good reason to keep bidding for the sole purpose of being high bidder.