Think I've been a victim of shill bidding on ebay

[-Ju-]

So I won an auction on ebay that ive been watching for the last week. Had a few messages back and forth with the seller while the item was still live, no issues.
Over this time the starting price and buy it now have been revised a few times, again all above board
This morning the item finished so I put the first bid on with 1/2 hour remaining and I was the only bidder at that time.
I got outbid so put a last minute bid in and won the item, great I thought until I happened to look a little later into the bid history.
The only other bid was by a zero feedback member who has only bid on 2 items, both this morning and both on items from the same seller. Neither a winning bid!
It only cost me another £25 so not a big issue, but I can't help but feel the seller is behind it.
Obviously the seller has denied it but has offered to refund the postage cost (£10) as a gesture.
Do I take it or push for the difference.
I did already tell him to cancel the deal and second chance it to the other bidder.
Would you be a little miffed?

 

[Blackforce]

Offering a discount In my eyes is a sign of guilt. Nothing you can do really unless you fancy reporting it to eBay. They will then investigate and track the IP address the other bids came from. You will then most likely lose the item. Depends how much you want the item and if it's worth it for £15 difference once postage is given free.

 

[jay777]

Sounds like a scam if not why offer to refund the postage in the first place?

Im sure you'd have already done this - check the sellers own feedback importantly as a seller, to understand how many sales he's done, what buyers think about his goods and his service?

If all that is good and if the item is within price range it still seems a decent buy..

Personally still, Wouldn't like to be conned into buying though so would report.

 

[-Ju-]

Offering a discount In my eyes is a sign of guilt. Nothing you can do really unless you fancy reporting it to eBay. They will then investigate and track the IP address the other bids came from. You will then most likely lose the item. Depends how much you want the item and if it's worth it for £15 difference once postage is given free.

Seller has over 1000 feedback mostly good but regular bad.
I have reported things to ebay before and tbh you never hear a thing.
And yes offering to refund postage IS an admission of guilt in my eyes

 

[-Ju-]

Sounds like a scam if not why offer to refund the postage in the first place?

Im sure you'd have already done this - check the sellers own feedback importantly as a seller, to understand how many sales he's done, what buyers think about his goods and his service?

If all that is good and if the item is within price range it still seems a decent buy..

Personally still, Wouldn't like to be conned into buying though so would report.

That's the main thing, I'm happy paying the extra, it's the conned part the bugs me.

 

[Shocker]

To many counts on eBay ,I've been ripped off so many times
I don't really buy and sell on eBay any more

 

[jojo]

That's why I always sell my items with a fixed price or best offer. Much less hassle for being the seller, and I can ignore all the stupid offers.

From the buyers point of view, I'm pretty sure I've been bided up by someone before. But I usually set myself the max I'm going to pay, and if I manage to get it for below that figure, then I've won.

 

[-Ju-]

I'm pretty sure something went on, however we did agree a meet in the middle deal in the end and the item arrived in excellent as new condition so overall I'm happy. Doesn't seem in the spirit of it though
I also usually list using buy it now as well. Much less hassle like you say

 

[pablo]

you got it for less than you were willing to pay so wouldn't sweat it. AND you got a tenner off.

Im with jojo though, fixed price with best offer only now, got stung and had to sell stuff for 99p before which sucks.

 

[wolfie138]

i never bid on ebay, everything is just Buy It Now. flat-out can't be chewed w/ the cac i've had in the past w/ shill bids and sniping etc.

 

[moorzy]

Sniping will be death of ebay. No fun if you know five seconds before end gonna be outbid

 

[desertstorm]

I have been buying and selling stuff on Ebay since 2002. It didn't take me long to work out that sniping was the way to go. If I am interested in something I decide how much I want to pay and bid that amount in the last 5 seconds of the auction. If I win happy days, If I lose, I wouldn't have wanted to pay any more. Most of the stuff I buy these days is buy it now though.

 

[moorzy]

I have been buying and selling stuff on Ebay since 2002. It didn't take me long to work out that sniping was the way to go. If I am interested in something I decide how much I want to pay and bid that amount in the last 5 seconds of the auction. If I win happy days, If I lose, I wouldn't have wanted to pay any more. Most of the stuff I buy these days is buy it now though.

I get it but just soooo boring, i know not if you are using the snipe but when you dont its frustrating as ****

 

[phil miller]

Last saturday i found an S-line bumper in newquay (so not far from me)

£1 start, £50 postage (not bothered as id collect) so it had 2 days to go so i messaged the seller and asked him if he had a buy it now, he said he didnt but was open to offers, so i offered a very cheeky amount and said id collect it in the morning, didnt hear a word, but within 2 mins of that message it was bid on, so i bid, then with 5 mins to go i was out bid, i left it, the following day the seller messaged me saying the winning bidder said it wasnt the right colour and did i want it, i replied yes and asked how much, he said my last bid, so i said list it as a buy it now and i will buy it and pay by paypal, he asked why and i told him, because i feel he bidded it up and there was no chance id be mugged off, id rather walk away than get stitched

 

[wolfie138]

Sniping will be death of ebay. No fun if you know five seconds before end gonna be outbid

well it more irritated me than anything else; i put my bid in and that's it, so if i'm going to be outbid that's that. i just find it childish and stupid that people think sniping is the way to go - that sniper could have put the bid in a minute after me and would have won, people don't seem to get this whole proxy-bid thing, or think they're saving something by doing a snipe instead of just bidding what they're willing to pay.

 

[pablo]

it makes sense.

A bids £10, current bid £10
B wants it also so bids £11
A thinks arrrghhh f**k it Im going £12
A wins

A bids £10, current bid £10
B wants it also so sets a snipe for £11
B wins as A doesn't get a chance to rebid

now you could say A should have bid higher but human nature comes into play and the desire to win

 

[desertstorm]

As above Ebay is an auction but unlike a normal auction it has one different thing and that is a pre defined ending time. Some people just get into a bidding war because they want the item and this runs the price up. The way I do it I decide how much I want to pay and bid that, if the current bidder has put a bid in bigger than mine then I won't have to to bid anymore but I wouldn't want to anyway.
I have seen all kinds of things over the years on Ebay such as Shill bidding and people selling items they don't have using photo's and descriptions of things I have sold. The 1 case being an armoured car I sold for the father in law. 2 days after it sold all the photos and description re appeared on another auction with different contact details. I only found out because a previous bidder on the first auction contacted me. Ebay removed the item and the sellers ID was removed.

 

[Shocker]

Armoured car
What part of the country did he live in lol

 

[pablo]

I live in Belfast and we don't have armoured cars lol

 

[desertstorm]

It was a Ferret armoured car, there are loads of them all over the country in private hands. Not really the thing to take down the shops though as visibility is a nightmare. Fuel economy is fairly pants as well with a Rolls Royce 4.2 litre straight 6 petrol engine.
http://www.ferret-fv701.co.uk/vehicle_register.htm

 

[SDHA4SLine]

you got it for less than you were willing to pay so wouldn't sweat it. AND you got a tenner off.

Im with jojo though, fixed price with best offer only now, got stung and had to sell stuff for 99p before which sucks.

Me too, had to let a set of used coil springs go for 99p, used yes but surely worth more than 99p even for scrap. To rub the salt in the wound the guy proudly told me he buys and sells for profit on eBay