How does eBay prevent shill bidding?

We don’t allow shill bidding because it can falsely increase an item’s price or desirability. Make sure your listing follows our guidelines. If it doesn’t, it may be removed, and your buying and selling privileges could be restricted.

What is shill bidding?

Shill bidding is intentionally fake bidding by a seller on his/her own auction to inflate the final price. This can be accomplished either by the seller himself/herself or by someone colluding with the seller to place fake bids on his/her behalf.

Can you get caught shill bidding on eBay?

Besides the fact that shill bidding is against eBay policies and is in fact considered a federal crime (felony wire fraud), shill bidding by dishonest sellers results in unsuspecting buyers to having to pay more and the widespread corruption of these cheating sellers results in the loss of integrity and trust that …

Can a seller see who is watching?

There is no way to ID who is watching your sale, or why. Furthermore, watch counts don’t provide any social proof or sense of urgency to shoppers. eBay recently began removing watch counts on most listings, so only sellers can see the number of watchers on their own listings.

How do I stop shill bidding?

One of the best solutions to avoid shill bidding completely is to simply watch the desired item. Bidding on an item just a few minutes before its closing time is the best way to avoid competing with shill bidders; this takes away their time of opportunity to increase value.

Do you have to pay the maximum bid on eBay?

Bidding on items can be exciting, but it is a contractual obligation. When deciding your maximum bid, be sure you’re happy to pay that amount if you win the auction.

How is shill bidding detected?

The first step is to go to the listing of the item. Next the the “Winning bid” (see picture) there is a link that shows you the bids made on the auction.

Can sellers see who is watching?