Done at one of the most popular online auction houses. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,176-2570050,00.html No real surprise to most here I suppose. Granted, this is big time stuff, but even at the levels many of us get involved with have shill bidders.
About a year ago I spotted, on eBay, a vintage fire suit....the aluminum/asbestos type that was the hot setup in the 60's. I have one of these that I will be listing on eBay eventually so I bookmarked that one. It sold for over $3,000. My first thought was exactly that....the seller had someone jacking up the price. Either that or I'm holding on to some gold !
Simple solution. Don't bid more than an item is worth to you. If your're looking for a deal, E-screw is the wrong place
Shill bidding on eBay!?! I'm shocked!! Like Droptank said, don't bid more than you're willing to spend.
you must of never ben to ANY auction .. I've gone to estate, farm auctions for years .. there is always some one bidding to protect owner common as empty beer cans .. why people worry about this is beyond me .. here, my advice ..never, ever, ever log on to ebay ever again problem solved
That's my philosophy. I am approaching 500 positive feedbacks and I've only been screwed once in 7+ years. But I'm getting some good deals too !
I actually saw one guy that listed his car with NO RESERVE only to have his friend, who was high bidder, relist it the next week. Again with no reserve but now the original owner was high bidder. Guy "A" owner/builder, listed it and guy "B" was high bidder. The next week guy "B" lists it and guy "A" is high bidder. It was obvious too because it was the same driveway and same background. The only difference was that guy "B" had the phone number to guy "A" in the description and said to contact him with questions. And guy "A" had his phone number in the original listing. Needless to say I didn't bid on that car. I looked through both of their closed auctions and that wasn't the only time they had done that either. Ebay claims they don't have the manpower and time to do that. But like the article implies, why would they take actions against some people when they are making more money the more things sell for. I'm at 633 feedback. 100% positive, KNOCK ON WOOD!, and I'm glad that I can't be blamed for using shill bidders. That's because I list my stuff with buy it now prices. No need for bidding.
The advice to avoid shill bidders by not taking part in auctions is one of the dumbest things I've heard. Any auction, ebay, estate, liquidation, whatever has the potential to provide a needed item for a good price (or even a bargain price). If you know what your item is worth, then STOP BIDDING when it exceeds that value..............................DUH If you don't know what your item is worth, then................What??? Keep bidding till you win??????? That's just being stuck on stupid. Although it's hard for me to garner sympathy for anyone who overpays at an auction, whatever the cir***stance, it's silly to ignore a resource that has the potential to provide parts at affordable prices.
The way I find deal on eBay is try every way to misspell what you are looking for. Some of the flea market guys can't spell for squat. You can pick up some good deals.
EBAY is easy : In the last minute : Bid what amount of $$ you think "IT" is worth to you ... If you loose , then no problem : better luck next time In other words : Dont get too attached to an Ebay item ... Bid What you can afford , and do so as close to the end of the auction as you can !! Shill -bidding only works if bidders reveal their wealth up front !! Or as Droptank said :Simple solution. Don't bid more than an item is worth to you.(... But , don`t reveal you final bid untill you have to !! ) Forget what Droptank said when he said : If your're looking for a deal, E-screw is the wrong place , I have done several GOOD deals on Ebay , so keep searchin`.. Klaz
I do it simple. If I find something that I want (not need) at a price (including shipping) that I feel is below what I'd pay I place my bid right then. If I get it, cool. If not that's ok too. If it's something that is more 'need' than 'want' I look for it locally and see who has the best price.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1927-BUICK-HOTROD-RAT-ROD-STREET-ROD-PROJECT-JELOPY_W0QQitemZ200064531184QQihZ010QQcategoryZ6144QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem So thats how this pile got up to $4,500? Most of the time, its the shipping that turns me off to ebay.
I have been on there 7 years and find good deals all the time..Ebay is the hotrodders friend.... If you pay too much, you did it to yourself ....."You" do all the bidding right? Simple.....Just stay off ebay and leave more bargains for us!
I agree and LOVE eBay! I've won tons of deals that I'd have never known of otherwise. I also sell on eBay and would never think of using a bud as a shill. My feedback is worth too much for me to play games. Depending, I'm hoping to make good money this year and poor feedback would kill it. I'm at 100% and aim to stay there! If you want to see shill bidding, go to a auto auction. EVERYONE in the used car biz has somebody..a buddy, driver, or whoever "set the car on the money" (opening bid) and likely make another one to head things in the seller's direction. It isn't right,but when you're trying to peddle a lot lizard to pay the rent, morals go out ofthe window. Jan
It's an auction just like any other, shill bidding is common place in auctions, but you control what you bid ......
The reason selling prices get so high on Ebay is simple. People have money. They get a part or car they really want, no h***els, delivered to their door. Nobody has to know how much they paid. The high prices shock us because we don't have that kind of money. But to a rich guy, spending big money is like spending pocket change. Ebay is "Barret-Jackson Lite"...
Where else but ebay can you find a '32 frame for $21??? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=013&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&viewitem=&item=230078761716&rd=1,1 Brian
All the folks saying not to bid on evilBay because you can't win are wrong - there are MILLIONS of auctions on evilBay and not all of them are getting shilled. I always bid low, and occasionally win something for dirt. If I'm outbid - no sweat. There really are some bargains available, but as at any auction, garage sale, pawn shop, etc. - the buyer must know his item, how much he's willing to spend, and be happy losing it to the guy who wants it more.
I don't know if you guys have been watching, but eBay recently announced changes that leaves the site wide open for shill bidders. Now, once the bidding goes over $200.00 for an item, when you click on bidding history, you will not be able to see the eBay ID's of those who are bidding. I guess ebay got tired of sending out form emails to bidders who sent evidence of shill bidding in items that they had been bidding on (and if you never got one of those eBay responses it was along the lines of: "Thanks for your inquiry, but we do not see enough evidence that any shill bidding took place".) The fact is, eBay is now all about making as much money as possible to prop up the stock price and keep stockholders happy. Shill bidding means more profits for ebay. Having staff investigate allegations of shill bidding produces no revenue, so why do it?
Nice score on the frame parts, Brian. The hard to reproduce reveal sections are there, all the rst can be made up relatively easily. Mart.
I first attended auctions with my dad, when I was a kid. Aside from the electronic/internet aspect, the main difference with eBay is that the idiot m***es have a chance to make some seller's day by overpaying. Otherwise, all the same **** applies: misleading descriptions, jerk sellers, shill bidders, and so on. After a while, you learn your way around, be it eBay or a local estate auction. And yeah, there's often some newby or idiot with a fistful of dollars who'll run bids way above market/retail prices. By biggest annoyance with eBay is all the BS ways people want to accept payment, charge for shipping, and actually ship. I personally avoid sellers who are trying to make a business out of it and stick with some guy who's just trying to clear out his garage.
I can remember going to swap meets with my dad when I was a youngin'. He claimed to HATE the swap meet sellers more than life itself. "Always putting ****ing ridiculous prices on this **** - jesus christ I could get a NEW one for $**.** - that guy is out of his mind." And then the always common - "There ain't nothin' here - just a bunch of godamn JUNK." My point? Green gr***. And still - if you can't see it being worth more than your origional bid - stop bidding. ebay makes a my dad's mortgage every month - and when we need parts, I don't have to get up @ 3'o Clock in the ****ing morning to get in line to freeze my *** off in a day long drizzle only to find out that I just missed the part that I needed by 20 minutes....because it took me 40 minutes to get in the damn gate. Shilling on a small scale, a la - "Hey could you bid for me to get things started?" - so that you don't let someone steal a good piece for nothing is a lot different than making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year on shilling. This **** should be dragged down his own cobblestone driveway by his pecker..... ...behind a Mercedes Benz! If I had the time to **** with this guy I would. I'd hunt down all of his auctions and every time someone bid - whether warranted or not - I'd holler, SHILL BID!!!
The Jalopy Journal
