e-Bay Shill Bidding...???
 

Seeing more and more "brand new" bidders jumping in on auction items on e-Bay in the last day/hours of bidding. Such "new" bidders with a "zero" history rating do not seem to bid for many days until the bidding stalls or until the last day of the auction.

I am suspecting some shill bidding...I have seen 10-15 examples over the past month alone on items I am after...

As soon as a new "zero" history bidder comes on-board, I just stop...no matter how badly I want the item...

Here is an example :

Date of Bid Bid Amount User ID
Mar-01-04 09:41:27 PST -- sventaal80af( 0 )
Mar-01-04 09:37:27 PST -- sventaal80af( 0 )
Mar-01-04 14:32:18 PST -- fnhp35( 918)
Mar-01-04 09:35:40 PST -- sventaal80af( 0 )
Mar-01-04 02:09:22 PST -- tont36( 5 )
Mar-01-04 09:35:11 PST -- sventaal80af( 0 )
Feb-24-04 19:32:18 PST -- pebbink( 27)
Feb-24-04 16:18:03 PST -- mach2( 349)
Feb-24-04 15:41:54 PST -- pebbink( 27)
Feb-24-04 06:54:11 PST -- spreewerke( 327)
Feb-24-04 09:02:23 PST -- wdpa( 166)

Okay...I said it...now I feel better...

<img border="0" alt="[soapbox]" title="" src="graemlins/soapbox.gif" />

Regards,

Pete... <img border="0" alt="[typing]" title="" src="graemlins/yltype.gif" />

Pete, it's unfortunate if that's indeed the case...... and I don't doubt for a moment that it happens. "Caveate Emptor" has been around since the Romans and it's unlikely to disappear anytime soon.

Pete, I usually bid my max and then come hellor high water, get the item or I don't.

I think shill bidders (i.e. the actual seller shilling) will usually lose out in the long run. Of course, you could always ask e-bay what the story is on these surprising new comers?

Ed

Pete, sniping is the way to go. They never see you coming.
Early bidding only runs up the price.

I agree Wes, it is making the time that is the hard part for me, so simply deciding on my "limit" is the best thing for me, but I have sniped on many an occassion and don't mind getting a deal. Problem is, that there are many people out there that want the same deal.

Ed

Hello Wes,

I agree, but would loose my wife's enthusiasm for my new hobby if I started setting the alarm clock for auctions that end in the wee hours of the morning... <img border="0" alt="[bigbye]" title="" src="graemlins/xyxwave.gif" />

Regards,

Pete... <img border="0" alt="[typing]" title="" src="graemlins/yltype.gif" />

Ed, I finally purchased sniping software and I now sleep at night. I put into the software the maximum amount that I am willing to pay for an item and set it to snipe at a "white-knuckle" time.
Gets the item every time and at very low bids! It is the only way to go.

Wes,

Could I ask the name of the software package...?

Sure sounds like a good investment...

Regards,

Pete... <img border="0" alt="[typing]" title="" src="graemlins/yltype.gif" />

Pete,
iSnipeIt
http://www.isnipeit.com/
You will love it.

Thanks, Wes...!

Regards,

Pete... <img border="0" alt="[typing]" title="" src="graemlins/yltype.gif" />

It will be interesting to watch when a lot of people get sniping software to see how they conflict. Shootout at the OK Corral, Queeksdraw! Actually, I would like to see a 5 or 10 minute rule added to eBay, then bidders will not be vulnerable to having the rug pulled out at the last second. Serious auction bidding is being reduced to a game of chance.

on the late website, OnSale.com, One of eBay's predecessor's, there used to be a two-miute rule, that meant if a bid was received during the last two minutes, the auction time was extended for 5 more minutes... Sniping was darn near impossible under those rules... and the merchandise brought top dollar.

Manions has a 15 minute rule, as of the last time I bid there, in April of 2003. It certainly makes "sniping" obsolete!

I do not sell stuff, therefore, my sentiments do not lie with the seller's point of view.
Auction is the "buyer's market".
7 days, 10 days, or 12 days is plenty of time for an item to be up for bid. Extending this time is only for the benefit of the merchant.
If I REALLY want an item, my maximum bid is totally outrageous. Why should the bid time be extended to allow another to slightly raise his "reasonable" ceiling? He is not going to win the bid, but only give the seller more of my money.

Hi Pete,
Check out:
http://www.esnipe.com
I've used it on eBay for a couple of years.
It's free to new users for the first 14 days.
After that they charge you 25 cents for items up to $24.99 and then 1% of the price of the item up to $1,000.00 value with a maximum charge of $10.00.
You enter the item number, the maximum amount you want to pay and approx. 4 seconds before the auction ends Esnipe places your bid.
If you dont win it doesn't cost you a dime.

http://esnipe08.esnipe.com/eSnipeFAQ/

Take care,
Mike
<img border="0" alt="[typing]" title="" src="graemlins/yltype.gif" />

Sooo, you guys are the weasels I'm always complaining to my wife about. Jeez, talk about more than one way to skin a cat! I consider myself fairly competent with this computer stuff and I never knew this kind of software existed. Does anybody have one that works on gun broker or auction arms?

Tim, I have thought about using this kind of software, but the problem is money...

If I allow myself to spend unlimited, then I catch hell from the smart one in the family.

So, I set a max limit and bid then and there. If I get the item, it was meant to be, if the price goes up, so be it.

Time and money, I sometimes don't know which is harder to aquire...

Ed

As a buyer and a seller on eBay I find sniping to be a big problem. I lose lots of profit due to people sniping at the last minute and I constantly lose items I am bidding on to snipers. I think sniping is wrong from a buyer and seller point of veiw, unless you are the winning sniper. (not trying to offend anyone). I lost $100 on an item I was selling due to people trying to snipe only a few days ago. I cant count how many times I have lost an item I was bidding a fair amount on, due to a sniper bidding an outragous amount at the last 30 seconds or so. I can only afford dial up service, so I dont have a chance once it gets to the last 2 minutes. If I were on cable or something and could afford the sniping software, I admit I would try it, so I supose I am a hipocryte (have no idea how to spell that, but I guess you know what I mean). IMHO the auction should go on for 5 minutes after the last bid, that way all the averagage buyers have a chance. Just my 2 cents.

While I've sniped in the past - and won sometimes - I'm all for the additional 5 - 10 minutes following the last bid. The seller is entitled to whatever final price that's bid so if someone is willing to up the ante during the 5 - 10 minute extended period, that's OK with me. With either kind of auction, the seller should establish a reserve price that they're willing to accept. The buyer should set his/her maximum bid and stick to it. I often look at auctions where there's a reserve price and the starting bid set by the seller is more than the item is worth. I laugh, shake my head, and move on. Unless it's something I'd really like to have! Then I snarl, curse...... and curse some more. THEN I move on!

A person should set THE maximum that he is willing to give for an item. This requires introspection and knowing his own mind.
If he has done so, he should be happy with the results whenever he does not win the item.
If he wants an extra 5 minutes at the end of the auction, then he did not REALLY set his maximum that he was willing to give.
His self-deception should not entitle him to an extra few minutes of remorse, repentance, and redemption from purgatory. Vacillation is the woman's prerogative.

Online auction is a sport, not a game.