Shill bidding car dealer on autotrader - worth reporting?
Discussion
I've just spotted the most obvious shill bidding operation on E-bay I ever seen
Their policy states that ALL cars sold with no reserve and that 'winners' have 24 hours to contact or they reserve the right to re-advertise. Which sounds very fair to me.
But I noticed tonight that they have re-listed about 15 cars this evening, with some of them only finishing their previous listing tonight, which means no 24hrs grace , which seemed strange.
So I went and had a look at some of the previous expired listings and a large percentage of them finish with 0 rated winners , and many of them have had the price inflated by 0 bidders.
For example, 1 206 had a zero bidder who had forced someone up from £850 to £999, to then be pipped by what looks like a genuine bidder at £1029. Sems to me that 'winner' has possibly paid up to £279 more than they may have had to.
All this is a bit of a shame as I quite fancied on of their cars that finishes on Sunday, but don't want to deal with shisters.
Is it worth reporting? Will E-bay take any notice?
Will think on it over night and see what the PH massive suggests in the morning!
Their policy states that ALL cars sold with no reserve and that 'winners' have 24 hours to contact or they reserve the right to re-advertise. Which sounds very fair to me.
But I noticed tonight that they have re-listed about 15 cars this evening, with some of them only finishing their previous listing tonight, which means no 24hrs grace , which seemed strange.
So I went and had a look at some of the previous expired listings and a large percentage of them finish with 0 rated winners , and many of them have had the price inflated by 0 bidders.
For example, 1 206 had a zero bidder who had forced someone up from £850 to £999, to then be pipped by what looks like a genuine bidder at £1029. Sems to me that 'winner' has possibly paid up to £279 more than they may have had to.
All this is a bit of a shame as I quite fancied on of their cars that finishes on Sunday, but don't want to deal with shisters.
Is it worth reporting? Will E-bay take any notice?
Will think on it over night and see what the PH massive suggests in the morning!
I put a bid on ebay for some wheels/tyres and put my max bid on (although at the time the highest bid was a lot lower than my max) so I became the highest current bidder , then another bidder bid up to my max so he became the highest bidder only to retract his bid which then left me with the highest bid but at my maximum bid.Surely my bid should have gone back to its original before the retracted bidder started bumping it up.
Luckily I still only paid the amount I was prepared to,but I should have got them £75 cheaper.
Now I never put my max bid on at the start.
Luckily I still only paid the amount I was prepared to,but I should have got them £75 cheaper.
Now I never put my max bid on at the start.
There's a car seller on ebay that blatantly does this (possibly the same one referred to by the OP).
I can only assume that ebay turns a blind eye (it makes more profit for them, after all), because it's been going on for years.
I'd be amazed if they haven't been reported before, and I've noticed that they've changed their identity at least twice since I've been watching.
I can only assume that ebay turns a blind eye (it makes more profit for them, after all), because it's been going on for years.
I'd be amazed if they haven't been reported before, and I've noticed that they've changed their identity at least twice since I've been watching.
Reported to Ebay, along with a few examples of their recent finished auctions.
Not hard to spot, virtually every completed auction has a zero bidder involved at some point.
I'm guessing their business model is to buy from auction and then use ebay and shill bidding to ensure that each car at least makes what they paid for it. Their volume of vehicles seems very high, working on the pile them high sell 'em cheap principle it seems.
They make great play on their ebay shop of the fact that they don't have time to inspect cars or may miss things, but then they do at least 'say' that they give the buyer as much time as they want when they turn up to inspect the vehicle and reject it if your not happy... for any reason.
A good business model effectively allowing buyers to access auction standard cars... but then as buyers you want to be able to access auction style prices.
I don't think these guys are being particularly 'greedy' or deceitful, but they're really not putting themslves at much financial risk either by ensuring that each car never sells for less than they bought it. They just keep rotating them on ebay until someone pays the money they bid it up to.
If that's what they want though, they should be setting reserves.. not sure why they're not?
Not hard to spot, virtually every completed auction has a zero bidder involved at some point.
I'm guessing their business model is to buy from auction and then use ebay and shill bidding to ensure that each car at least makes what they paid for it. Their volume of vehicles seems very high, working on the pile them high sell 'em cheap principle it seems.
They make great play on their ebay shop of the fact that they don't have time to inspect cars or may miss things, but then they do at least 'say' that they give the buyer as much time as they want when they turn up to inspect the vehicle and reject it if your not happy... for any reason.
A good business model effectively allowing buyers to access auction standard cars... but then as buyers you want to be able to access auction style prices.
I don't think these guys are being particularly 'greedy' or deceitful, but they're really not putting themslves at much financial risk either by ensuring that each car never sells for less than they bought it. They just keep rotating them on ebay until someone pays the money they bid it up to.
If that's what they want though, they should be setting reserves.. not sure why they're not?
forsure said:
There's a car seller on ebay that blatantly does this (possibly the same one referred to by the OP).
I can only assume that ebay turns a blind eye (it makes more profit for them, after all), because it's been going on for years.
I'd be amazed if they haven't been reported before, and I've noticed that they've changed their identity at least twice since I've been watching.
Are they based in Reading, Berkshire?I can only assume that ebay turns a blind eye (it makes more profit for them, after all), because it's been going on for years.
I'd be amazed if they haven't been reported before, and I've noticed that they've changed their identity at least twice since I've been watching.
Piersman2 said:
Reported to Ebay, along with a few examples of their recent finished auctions.
Not hard to spot, virtually every completed auction has a zero bidder involved at some point.
I'm guessing their business model is to buy from auction and then use ebay and shill bidding to ensure that each car at least makes what they paid for it. Their volume of vehicles seems very high, working on the pile them high sell 'em cheap principle it seems.
They make great play on their ebay shop of the fact that they don't have time to inspect cars or may miss things, but then they do at least 'say' that they give the buyer as much time as they want when they turn up to inspect the vehicle and reject it if your not happy... for any reason.
A good business model effectively allowing buyers to access auction standard cars... but then as buyers you want to be able to access auction style prices.
I don't think these guys are being particularly 'greedy' or deceitful, but they're really not putting themslves at much financial risk either by ensuring that each car never sells for less than they bought it. They just keep rotating them on ebay until someone pays the money they bid it up to.
If that's what they want though, they should be setting reserves.. not sure why they're not?
Im sure you pay for reserves? I think starting them at what they paid for them, in a 5 day auction would work better...Not hard to spot, virtually every completed auction has a zero bidder involved at some point.
I'm guessing their business model is to buy from auction and then use ebay and shill bidding to ensure that each car at least makes what they paid for it. Their volume of vehicles seems very high, working on the pile them high sell 'em cheap principle it seems.
They make great play on their ebay shop of the fact that they don't have time to inspect cars or may miss things, but then they do at least 'say' that they give the buyer as much time as they want when they turn up to inspect the vehicle and reject it if your not happy... for any reason.
A good business model effectively allowing buyers to access auction standard cars... but then as buyers you want to be able to access auction style prices.
I don't think these guys are being particularly 'greedy' or deceitful, but they're really not putting themslves at much financial risk either by ensuring that each car never sells for less than they bought it. They just keep rotating them on ebay until someone pays the money they bid it up to.
If that's what they want though, they should be setting reserves.. not sure why they're not?
teen_cerbera said:
Piersman2 said:
Reported to Ebay, along with a few examples of their recent finished auctions.
Not hard to spot, virtually every completed auction has a zero bidder involved at some point.
I'm guessing their business model is to buy from auction and then use ebay and shill bidding to ensure that each car at least makes what they paid for it. Their volume of vehicles seems very high, working on the pile them high sell 'em cheap principle it seems.
They make great play on their ebay shop of the fact that they don't have time to inspect cars or may miss things, but then they do at least 'say' that they give the buyer as much time as they want when they turn up to inspect the vehicle and reject it if your not happy... for any reason.
A good business model effectively allowing buyers to access auction standard cars... but then as buyers you want to be able to access auction style prices.
I don't think these guys are being particularly 'greedy' or deceitful, but they're really not putting themslves at much financial risk either by ensuring that each car never sells for less than they bought it. They just keep rotating them on ebay until someone pays the money they bid it up to.
If that's what they want though, they should be setting reserves.. not sure why they're not?
Im sure you pay for reserves? I think starting them at what they paid for them, in a 5 day auction would work better...Not hard to spot, virtually every completed auction has a zero bidder involved at some point.
I'm guessing their business model is to buy from auction and then use ebay and shill bidding to ensure that each car at least makes what they paid for it. Their volume of vehicles seems very high, working on the pile them high sell 'em cheap principle it seems.
They make great play on their ebay shop of the fact that they don't have time to inspect cars or may miss things, but then they do at least 'say' that they give the buyer as much time as they want when they turn up to inspect the vehicle and reject it if your not happy... for any reason.
A good business model effectively allowing buyers to access auction standard cars... but then as buyers you want to be able to access auction style prices.
I don't think these guys are being particularly 'greedy' or deceitful, but they're really not putting themslves at much financial risk either by ensuring that each car never sells for less than they bought it. They just keep rotating them on ebay until someone pays the money they bid it up to.
If that's what they want though, they should be setting reserves.. not sure why they're not?
its alot lot more expensive to list an item with either a reserve or minimum starting price than just by putting it on at .99p. Because of this, people use another account to create the reserve price. The idea of this is that the second account creates the reserve price. The problem on normal auctions is when the seller ends up buying their own product with this bud, and so has to pay the fees, However Ebay Motors works differently, so there is no fee-payment for this.(iirc)
bmw2002 said:
forsure said:
There's a car seller on ebay that blatantly does this (possibly the same one referred to by the OP).
I can only assume that ebay turns a blind eye (it makes more profit for them, after all), because it's been going on for years.
I'd be amazed if they haven't been reported before, and I've noticed that they've changed their identity at least twice since I've been watching.
Are they based in Reading, Berkshire?I can only assume that ebay turns a blind eye (it makes more profit for them, after all), because it's been going on for years.
I'd be amazed if they haven't been reported before, and I've noticed that they've changed their identity at least twice since I've been watching.
Piersman2 said:
bmw2002 said:
forsure said:
There's a car seller on ebay that blatantly does this (possibly the same one referred to by the OP).
I can only assume that ebay turns a blind eye (it makes more profit for them, after all), because it's been going on for years.
I'd be amazed if they haven't been reported before, and I've noticed that they've changed their identity at least twice since I've been watching.
Are they based in Reading, Berkshire?I can only assume that ebay turns a blind eye (it makes more profit for them, after all), because it's been going on for years.
I'd be amazed if they haven't been reported before, and I've noticed that they've changed their identity at least twice since I've been watching.
Wheelrepairit said:
I spotted this going on with someone, he even left feedback for the 3 items he won as he outbid others, then put them straight back on to ebay.
Reported it, ebay told me not enough to go on, muppets,
They are not worried, end of day they get more final value fee.
Well I've reported these guys and said that I'd be interested to see what e-bay think before I report it to trading standards... it's just so blatant. Car finsihes acution at 9pm. By 9.15pm it's re-listed. Been won by a 0 rated bidder, but strangely they haven't followed their own blurb and given the buyer the 24hrs to repond to them before re-listing. Reported it, ebay told me not enough to go on, muppets,
They are not worried, end of day they get more final value fee.
So they must know the bidder is not going to be turning up... and I guess that would be becuase they are the bidder!
bmw2002 said:
Piersman2 said:
bmw2002 said:
forsure said:
There's a car seller on ebay that blatantly does this (possibly the same one referred to by the OP).
I can only assume that ebay turns a blind eye (it makes more profit for them, after all), because it's been going on for years.
I'd be amazed if they haven't been reported before, and I've noticed that they've changed their identity at least twice since I've been watching.
Are they based in Reading, Berkshire?I can only assume that ebay turns a blind eye (it makes more profit for them, after all), because it's been going on for years.
I'd be amazed if they haven't been reported before, and I've noticed that they've changed their identity at least twice since I've been watching.
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