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A few questions re E-Bay auctions

Started by jkrk,

38 posts in this topic

jkrk

jkrk

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1)Do most private auctions have shill bidding? I was thinking of having an auction showing the bidders but keeping the title of the book private.

2)Are buyers more attracted to bid on an auction with a large number of bids than few bids with a high reserve? If everyone wants it there must be value.

3)Is it automatic for a seller to put in bids on high price books (under a variety of names) with no reserves? Then they can call it marketing and announce "someone will win this book".

4)If I need shills can I have volunteers with decent feedback (actually any feedback)

or do I have to create them myself (that will take all day)?

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BachelorOfComix

BachelorOfComix

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1)Do most private auctions have shill bidding? I was thinking of having an auction showing the bidders but keeping the title of the book private.

Impossible to quantify, but it certainly opens the door. 893scratchchin-thumb.gif

 

4)If I need shills can I have volunteers with decent feedback (actually any feedback)

or do I have to create them myself (that will take all day)?

Shilling is a big no-no. 893naughty-thumb.gif Might as well use a reserve.

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Darthdiesel

Darthdiesel

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1)Do most private auctions have shill bidding? I was thinking of having an auction showing the bidders but keeping the title of the book private.

 

It is the first and foremost assumption that shilling is taking place. This thought is more accurate than not, IMO.

 

2)Are buyers more attracted to bid on an auction with a large number of bids than few bids with a high reserve? If everyone wants it there must be value.

 

Thrill bidders and newbies are. Educated and experienced bidders that know what they are looking for would prefer less traffic on their wanted item so that they win it for less.

 

3)Is it automatic for a seller to put in bids on high price books (under a variety of names) with no reserves? Then they can call it marketing and announce "someone will win this book".

 

No. not automatic for sellers that value their reputation. Not even a thought for the more honest. On eBay, it is not marketing, it is not accceptable and shilling can cause the auction to be pulled administratively

 

4)If I need shills can I have volunteers with decent feedback (actually any feedback)

or do I have to create them myself (that will take all day)?

 

 

Ask folks on the board to bid IF THEY ARE INTERESTED...it's not shilling if they pay you if they win confused-smiley-013.gif

 

Creating shills is frowned upon...

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BachelorOfComix

BachelorOfComix

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Shilling can't be a no-no. Most of the big sellers use the decvice.

Really? Provide some evidence. And yes, shilling is a no-no & violates eBay's rules. It can get you booted. You will find that the vast majority of forum members do not condone such action. mad.gif

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rob_react

rob_react

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1)Do most private auctions have shill bidding? I was thinking of having an auction showing the bidders but keeping the title of the book private.

 

How could you keep the ttitle of the book private? And... WHY would you keep the title of the book private? That makes no sense at all.

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jkrk

jkrk

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Time to get serious. I thought that it doesn't occur often since E-Bay frowns on the techique. Lately I've been involved with a number of auctions and started checking other items the bidders were currently bidding for. All of a sudden patterns started to emerge. Used car dealers wanted Golden age books (etc). Bidders kept buying from one seller only. There was a linkage between 2 or 3 bidders (etc). Bidders would show up with (0) feedbacks just before the auction ended.

Yes, it's all coincidence. I was telling my wife to watch the end of an auction the other day and I told her the name of the winning bidder before he bid. My guess was based on my knowledge of the seller. Sure enough, she thought I was Kreskin. It's all a coincidence.

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Darthdiesel

Darthdiesel

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Yeah - I know what you mean - I can predict the winner on most MArvel Price variant auctions as well and I used to be able to do it for USM 1 and variants...you watch them long enough: a genre, a specific title, an artist, etc. and you get to know the players. To protect yourself, just bid low and snipe...you may not win, but you'll have peace of mind that you didn't get shilled to an exorbitant cost by some unethical activity...

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Joanna

Joanna

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Just because crooks do it, doesn't mean you should. I have never shilled in my life, and I've sold thousands of things on ebay. The vast majority of sellers on this forum wouldn't dream of doing it.

 

Put the work in the auction listing, not on creating shills. A well-written auction with good scans will give you an edge over the competition. Don't build your life on greed, and don't choose the example of people who cheat as your business model.

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Dave_Hennen

Dave_Hennen

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I believe a vast majority of the members are very legit.

 

I believe this also, maybe I'm a little naive. I also believe the likelyhood of shill bidding increases rapidly as the stated value of the item goes up. I don't expect that kind of activity on a $5 item, but a $500+ item is a different story ...

 

dave h

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Rickdogg

Rickdogg

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Unfortunately, the idea of many high feedback sellers on ebay have at one point used shill bidding is very true. I've seen it so many times, it's not even funny. I've even seen a few fellow board members do it pretty well, but screwed up a few times in order for me to actually see it. You wouldn't believe how one accidental discovery leads to many other uncovered shills within a network of collectors. 893whatthe.gif

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Mephisto

Mephisto

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Posted
.

Yes, it's all coincidence. I was telling my wife to watch the end of an auction the other day and I told her the name of the winning bidder before he bid. My guess was based on my knowledge of the seller. Sure enough, she thought I was Kreskin. It's all a coincidence.

 

Are you saying this person was a shiller? Usually a shiller doesn't want to win the auction or it will have to be relisted which looks even fishier, and can cost more money if it has to be relisted more than once. It seems that shillers tend to bid early in an auction and not too late to avoid winning their own stuff. Plus like Darth stated a lot of times you can make an educated guess on who will be bidding because they hit up a lot of books from a certain genre they are collecting. When I was bidding on GA books I noticed a lot of the same people in on the action. If you get just one with deep pockets they can afford to put in outrageous prices to almost guarentee a win if they need it for their private collection.

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jkrk

jkrk

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If I was thinking about using a shill I sure the heck wouldn't be mentioning it on this site. In reality almost all my high price auctions are set at a minimum price I am willing to lose the book. My main purpose of bringing up this topic was just to rant at my frustration in losing a few auctions lately. I also brought it up as I suspect that are a few on this site who are completely naive to the business of E-Bay. A vast majority of auctions are legit. Just understand that some are not what they appear to be. Bid the price you believe is fair for you. Understand that Sometimes you are bidding against a figment.

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ross

ross

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Just because crooks do it, doesn't mean you should. I have never shilled in my life, and I've sold thousands of things on ebay. The vast majority of sellers on this forum wouldn't dream of doing it.

 

Well said, and you should add that the ones that would "dream of doing it" would never admit to doing it. I've caught myself being shilled a couple of times by a couple of sellers, and I felt pretty crappy about it!

 

tonofbricks.gif

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jkrk

jkrk

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Until I read your post, I started thinking I was imagining everything. I also noticed and was shocked by some of the quality sellers performing their magic. You are correct, they blew their cover and a whole world opens up. At the very least we should be able to talk about it in the community openly so we are all aware of what's going on. Instead I suspect that many are in denial. Why??? I wonder?

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