Is this possible eBay fraud???

[Angrybird 12]

I was bidding on an item this morning that was going to end in about an hour later. I knew I wouldn't be home to make a last minute bid on it so I made my maximum bid and left. Just now I checked it ended 5 minutes ago and somebody outbid me by $.50. The price I would have won it for was probably $20 less that I could have bought it locally. Well since I lost I noticed a button that said check relisted item. When I did it was the exact same item by the same seller, the starting bid just so happens to be exactly what the Winning bid was before. So I am wondering if this person bought his own item and then relisted it for sale because he didn't want it to go so cheap?
Has anyone else seen this happen?

[midnighter]

Isn't that what putting a reserve on an item is for? Smells fishy.

[tramtwo]

Originally Posted by Angrybird 12

I was bidding on an item this morning that was going to end in about an hour later. I knew I wouldn't be home to make a last minute bid on it so I made my maximum bid and left. Just now I checked it ended 5 minutes ago and somebody outbid me by $.50. The price I would have won it for was probably $20 less that I could have bought it locally. Well since I lost I noticed a button that said check relisted item. When I did it was the exact same item by the same seller, the starting bid just so happens to be exactly what the Winning bid was before. So I am wondering if this person bought his own item and then relisted it for sale because he didn't want it to go so cheap?
Has anyone else seen this happen?

A losing proposition.... ebay fees and all.... sure it happens sometimes.

tramtwo posted this on the go

[Ghost1LE]

As tramtwo said it's a lose/lose for the seller if he does that because he will still have to pay 12% to eBay and 3% to PayPal on the item if it sells even to him...

I would imagine it just didn't meet Reserve so no one got to buy it??

[ec1990]

It's a pretty well known thing to occur. These people make ghost accounts, if it doesn't get up to a high enough bid, they'll falsely bid it higher. Ebay fees most likely dont apply because all they have to say is the person never paid and I believe it gets relisted for free.

Unfortunately it's pretty common and one of the reasons I don't deal with Ebay, I'll buy from Amazon, I don't save as much but the hassle is much less.

[upflying]

Yep, it is called shill bidding.
You need to post a bid in the last 10 seconds of the bidding. There is software that will automatically do this for you.

[Angrybird 12]

Originally Posted by Ghost1LE

As tramtwo said it's a lose/lose for the seller if he does that because he will still have to pay 12% to eBay and 3% to PayPal on the item if it sells even to him...

I would imagine it just didn't meet Reserve so no one got to buy it??

They didn't have any reserve on it. It always says reserve not met if the seller puts a reserve on it.

[Angrybird 12]

Originally Posted by ec1990

It's a pretty well known thing to occur. These people make ghost accounts, if it doesn't get up to a high enough bid, they'll falsely bid it higher. Ebay fees most likely dont apply because all they have to say is the person never paid and I believe it gets relisted for free.

Unfortunately it's pretty common and one of the reasons I don't deal with Ebay, I'll buy from Amazon, I don't save as much but the hassle is much less.

I hate amazon cause I get charged sales tax now on items I buy and their shipping is ridiculous.

[trewyn15]

I'm sure they 'schilled' which means they bid their own item up.

Not fraud necessarily unless it's repeated.

[CamaroSkooter]

It's only "fraud" if they sell you something that is misrepresented.

If you haven't bought anything, then there's no way you could have been defrauded.

You're just upset that you didn't win the auction, and no one can be blamed for that.

If you think the seller is being shady, then don't buy from him/her.

Simple.

[Angrybird 12]

Originally Posted by upflying

Yep, it is called shill bidding.
You need to post a bid in the last 10 seconds of the bidding. There is software that will automatically do this for you.

That's usually what I do but I knew I wouldn't be home when it ended. I got back a few minutes after it ended.
IVe never had this happen to me in 10 years of shopping on EBay. I just thought it was suspicious.

[Angrybird 12]

Originally Posted by CamaroSkooter

It's only "fraud" if they sell you something that is misrepresented.

If you haven't bought anything, then there's no way you could have been defrauded.

You're just upset that you didn't win the auction, and no one can be blamed for that.

If you think the seller is being shady, then don't buy from him/her.

Simple.

I'm pretty sure it is against the eBay user agreement.

[CamaroSkooter]

People read those things?

Still, unless the item is one-of-a-kind and literally no one else is selling one, just move to a different seller and try again. If you think what he/she did was against the user's agreement, report them. Outside of that, what else can you do?

[Angrybird 12]

Originally Posted by CamaroSkooter

People read those things?

Still, unless the item is one-of-a-kind and literally no one else is selling one, just move to a different seller and try again. If you think what he/she did was against the user's agreement, report them. Outside of that, what else can you do?

I guess there is no way I could prove it if they have another account set up just for that purpose. Seems like to me that if they continued using the same account to do it eBay would catch on.