Ever Wanted To See A "Shill Auction"?
Well, here you go:
 |
You'll notice that a new bidder "tooeasybaby1" jumped into the fray - driving up the price. This new bidder bid so hard that he/she eventually 'won', beating out other known established Thomas Collectors. |
Now,
this is the very next day - from same seller (Note: Actual auction
starting date was October 12)
He now realizes that he has to cash out as soon as possible.
So he lists it with a BIN price nearly $20 LESS than he would have gotten
from... himself. Or his friend. Whatever.
I feel bad for my fellow Frank Thomas Fan - CKHand8. He's a diligent and conscientious
buyer and was screwed out of a card by a jerk running a scam.
This was a blatant (and easy-to-spot) example. But be aware that there are
MUCH more sophisticated versions of this scam being played out across eBay.
That's why you'll hear longtime members complaining that the hidden bidder
feature is insurance for eBay's Top Sellers = so they won't be caught shill
rigging auctions. It's nothing more than eBay making sure eBay gets "their
cut".
Be VERY careful when you bid. Make sure you know who's involved and what's
actually going on before you get into the ring.