[sdiy] ebay internal shill bidding?

[David Bulog]

Bob
I dont believe that Ebay would do this--it makes no sense to risk everything on shill biding just to get a little extra commission 
instead I think people just excited over auctions if they see other bids , they want it to thinking that the item is popular
Dave
On 5/01/2011, at 12:07 PM, Bob Weigel wrote:

> I'm going to mention something today that isn't in my personal financial interest at all.  Since I've sold a lot of stuff on ebay and if is really doing what it appears they might be doing, it works in my best interest overall probably.  However after a friend played some guy's videos the other night on the phone I'm thinking it's time for an investigation.  And if ebay HAS been doing this crap, it's time to imprison the people responsible and have a class action suit which would liquidate ebay and return them to ground zero financially pretty much. Let them start all over but with accountability this time so that this can't repeat. (ie. make identities known again.)
> 
> Ya know guys... I have enough personal data to strongly suspect this.  After all for a while there it was like 'what are the odds of that..my snipe won out by..2.50 again!  And again!  It seemed preset for a bit.  Then I believe they diversified it.  It's still just ONE PERSON (whose identity of course you can no longer read.  I liked the day when someone would send an email to me saying "3 seconds left... outbid me by 1.50.... very nice".  lol.  I was one of the early people probably to figure it out.  Before sniper programs existed I was using two windows of a browser and was clicking refresh on one..then would launch the bid at 12 seconds or so because it always took 4 to 10 seconds to get the bid down on my connection back then.
> 
> But then ebay got 'smart'.  They prevented people from seeing who was communicating.  There are some legitimate reasons they might have made this decision.  However it also opened up a very sinister possibility.  That they would, of course, place code in effect that would monitor auctions and watch last second bids coming in, and post, within miliseconds (or even false report times to make it appear as though the bid actually came in slightly before your bid) from a 'shill' account that they create, an automatic counter bid to drive the price up some percentage of your maxiumum bid.. perhaps randomizing it now.
> 
> THe other day I won a russian organ.  Typical thing.  Stayed at 10.50 for some time with no doubt a legit bidder.  THen the last seconds..one guy and myself. He drives it up to 55.00 or so.  I get it for just under 200 including the 139 shipping... Good deal.  And HEY maybe this one was a legit bidder.  Because I *doubt* they would do it on every auction lest a documented pattern emerge and people present a case based on that.
> 
> However..the raw number of times it's been..just...one... person.  Something seems strange.  We're talking a worldwide thing here.  And it's always (except on really popular items of course like Prophet 5's or whatever...where there are mass numbers of people bidding within 100 dollars of each other at the end. lol.  Yeah in those cases if there is a shill bidder they're kinda lost in the mix.) just one person.  What..are..the....freaking odds of that?  It's just too consistent.  It's up to a 1 in 1000's odds scenario at least at this point without a doubt minimally.
> 
> But then appears this guy who claims to work for ebay or have worked for them.  And he's coming out and my friend said he's talking about class action lawsuit.  Has anyone else heard of this?
> 
> Anyway examine your own results with ebay and let me know if you've observed the same thing.  MAYBE the guy is a hoax and I'm just having my usual bizarre 'luck'. lol.  However knowing how disreputably they've acted in the past over various things, it would surprise me..truly...if they were NOT doing something like this. -Bob
> 
> -- 
> Check out sounddoctorin.com for songs, a studio tour, help
> repairing old synthesizers and parts or thought provoking
> articles that could help make your eternity!
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Synth-diy mailing list
> Synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl
> http://dropmix.xs4all.nl/mailman/listinfo/synth-diy