The Energon Pub

[SkyWarpt]

Careful on Transformer bidding wars. It seems there is some shill bidding going on.

In case you are unaware of what shill bidding is, it is when a buyer bids against you with another account. Most of the time it is one with 0 feedback, but sometimes it is a "buddy". Bidder names on Ebay are protected (they look like this: m***v), but if you look at bid history you can click on them to see user bidding history. Most of the time they will have 85% or more bid experience with the seller account they are bidding on. Shill bidding is fraud and a felony.

In this case I retracted my bid and immediately after the "shill" account retracted theirs:

Mine:
Action / Explanation Date of Bid and Retraction
f***e( 796) Retracted: US $160.00
Explanation: Entered wrong amount Bid: Jun-08-12 07:58:24 PDT
Retracted: Jun-08-12 18:59:37 PDT

Shill account:
m***v( 0 ) Retracted: US $155.00
Explanation: Entered wrong amount Bid: Jun-08-12 17:50:47 PDT
Retracted: Jun-08-12 19:02:20 PDT

[SkyWarpt]

You can also see bid retractions in the bidding history page, that may give a clue as to whether the seller is scamming people. If there are more than one check times bid and retracted…and use your own judgement.

[SkyWarpt]

seller has been reported to ebay

[SkyWarpt]

Update… the seller sent me a message this morning at 3:14am….at 3:22am the "shill account" bid up the next bidder to right before their max bid

[Swindle01]

sadly tons of chinese sellers on ebay do this all the time

theres 1 chinese person on ebay with 3 different accounts. If i remember right i think 1 of them is called D0tM or something like that while his others was riflescopezero.

You can tell its the same seller because whenever i bid on something almost straight away a bid would go higher than me...no matter what i was bidding on i would always be outbid by the same bidders time and time again

[SkyWarpt]

This guy is from CA. I am not releasing his name until the investigation is done.

The bids on this one don't go higher, they just go high enough to max out your bid without winning. Now the "real bidder" that didn't bid high enough against me has his bid maxxed out…but he is still winning.

[SkyWarpt]

Looks like other potential real buyers backed out too

[LiKwid]

I've been noticing this alot on Transformers prime stuff and on some select beast wars items Ive been after for months now. When I sense this is the case I just move on and make note of the seller and just avoid them. Im willing to bet good money that this happens alot more than gets reported..

[SkyWarpt]

I moved on and went Buy it Now

[WolfDawg]

Sorry TC, but this is really nothing new.

[jordie5150]

please do check my thread about buying on ebay. there are some interesting stories posted

[SkyWarpt]

will do

[robotmel]

Okay folks, we all take a look at and sometimes bid on our favourite transforming robots now and then, but sometimes that bidding process just doesnt feel quite right?

I am talking about 'shill' bidding which as many of you may have encountered, its when an Ebay seller has multiple accounts or gets a friend to bid on the same item you are to fraudulently increase its sale price without winning it themselves!

Browsing these and other forums have turned up several names which I am familiar Ebay seller names which oddly enough are either 'no longer a registered member' or theres just a huge lack of account activity.

I would like to point out one particular seller who I am getting that familiar feeling about and would like to ask if any of my fellow Seibertronians have had dealings with?

Please look back at your Ebay buying history, not just for Transformers, and see if either of these names rings a bell?

2grandads

japanesefonz

The '2grandads' ID was changed to 'japanesefonz' around a week ago, so your history has probably changed with it to reflect that change.

I draw your attention to this completed listing I was watching until the dying moments...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Transformers-Energon-Superlink-SPRUNG-SPRINGER-MIB-Takara-sc20-very-rare-/221173013813?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&nma=true&si=T2xc6iliy%2F76wRa359BchrZOTEk%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

If you check the bid history you will see the ID 'S***U' which has zero feedback rating and has 100% bid history with this seller, no one else, just this seller.

So I decided to look a little deeper, what else is this seller offering...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Worlds-Smallest-Transformers-SEALED-extremely-rare-item-/221173017914?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&nma=true&si=T2xc6iliy%2F76wRa359BchrZOTEk%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

More Transformers related stuff, so i kept an eye on that also until it ended and who should be seen in the bid history.. 'S***U'!

Coincidence maybe?

Lets look at their other item...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221176668065?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

Totally uninterested in this item but thought I would test the waters for security purposes.
A buyer had already started the bidding with a £0.99p starting bid, so who should pop up but 'S***U' which is when i thought 'Yep this is a fraudulent seller generating shill bids which is totally against Ebays rules and policies.

I popped a bid in and was instantly outbid by the same "buyer" 'S***U', so I quickly retracted my bid and the listing returned to 'S***U's bid which I guess is waiting for the next poor buyer to come along?

Ife you take a look at the bid history of these other completed listing from the same seller that same "buyer" pops up these also, so much more than a coincidence I think.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/captain-power-moc-a-team-knight-rider-street-hawk-tmnt-/221173031570?nma=true&si=T2xc6iliy%2F76wRa359BchrZOTEk%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

So if any of you Ebay buying public care to take a look back at your purchases from seller/s '2grandads' or more recently 'japanesefonz' just give the bidding history a quick check for any zero rated bidders which may be working with or be the same person, shill bidding your item up some!

Seller has been has had all the mentioned listings reported to Ebay for investigation.
I have popped the sellers ID on my favourite sellers list to see if they list more or their account gets deleted, either way I will lets y'all know!

[Sinnertwin]

Which is exactly why i very rarely use eBay these days

[fenrir72]

:-?
Okay folks, we all take a look at and sometimes bid on our favourite transforming robots now and then, but sometimes that bidding process just doesnt feel quite right?

I am talking about 'shill' bidding which as many of you may have encountered, its when an Ebay seller has multiple accounts or gets a friend to bid on the same item you are to fraudulently increase its sale price without winning it themselves!

Browsing these and other forums have turned up several names which I am familiar Ebay seller names which oddly enough are either 'no longer a registered member' or theres just a huge lack of account activity.

I would like to point out one particular seller who I am getting that familiar feeling about and would like to ask if any of my fellow Seibertronians have had dealings with?

Please look back at your Ebay buying history, not just for Transformers, and see if either of these names rings a bell?

2grandads

japanesefonz

The '2grandads' ID was changed to 'japanesefonz' around a week ago, so your history has probably changed with it to reflect that change.

I draw your attention to this completed listing I was watching until the dying moments...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Transformers-Energon-Superlink-SPRUNG-SPRINGER-MIB-Takara-sc20-very-rare-/221173013813?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&nma=true&si=T2xc6iliy%2F76wRa359BchrZOTEk%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

If you check the bid history you will see the ID 'S***U' which has zero feedback rating and has 100% bid history with this seller, no one else, just this seller.

So I decided to look a little deeper, what else is this seller offering...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Worlds-Smallest-Transformers-SEALED-extremely-rare-item-/221173017914?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&nma=true&si=T2xc6iliy%2F76wRa359BchrZOTEk%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

More Transformers related stuff, so i kept an eye on that also until it ended and who should be seen in the bid history.. 'S***U'!

Coincidence maybe?

Lets look at their other item...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221176668065?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

Totally uninterested in this item but thought I would test the waters for security purposes.
A buyer had already started the bidding with a £0.99p starting bid, so who should pop up but 'S***U' which is when i thought 'Yep this is a fraudulent seller generating shill bids which is totally against Ebays rules and policies.

I popped a bid in and was instantly outbid by the same "buyer" 'S***U', so I quickly retracted my bid and the listing returned to 'S***U's bid which I guess is waiting for the next poor buyer to come along?

Ife you take a look at the bid history of these other completed listing from the same seller that same "buyer" pops up these also, so much more than a coincidence I think.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/captain-power-moc-a-team-knight-rider-street-hawk-tmnt-/221173031570?nma=true&si=T2xc6iliy%2F76wRa359BchrZOTEk%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

So if any of you Ebay buying public care to take a look back at your purchases from seller/s '2grandads' or more recently 'japanesefonz' just give the bidding history a quick check for any zero rated bidders which may be working with or be the same person, shill bidding your item up some!

Seller has been has had all the mentioned listings reported to Ebay for investigation.
I have popped the sellers ID on my favourite sellers list to see if they list more or their account gets deleted, either way I will lets y'all know!

Hey! You hit it on the head! Something is indeed fishy! Iirc, I probably bid(and lost to this 2grandads before) I hope ebay bans this snake oil peddler!

[RAcast]

I hope you reported it! That's total garbage!

[leakin' lubricant]

sadly tons of chinese sellers on ebay do this all the time

theres 1 chinese person on ebay with 3 different accounts. If i remember right i think 1 of them is called D0tM or something like that while his others was riflescopezero.

You can tell its the same seller because whenever i bid on something almost straight away a bid would go higher than me...no matter what i was bidding on i would always be outbid by the same bidders time and time again

Hmmmmm, those account names sound very familiar, what a set of b******s!

[joesaysso]

I don't use ebay too much these days. Couldn't this all be avoided if you just wait until the end of the auction and bid once with whatever your max bid is that your comfortable with and then win it or not?

To be clear, I'm not at all justifying these practices. But if you are entering a max bid thats above what you are satisfied with spending, then thats a foul on you. Also, if you are putting in a max bid thats well above what the current bid is 3 days before the auction ends, then you should probably expect to be run up either by legit bidders or by foul accounts.

I usually don't bid on an auction until the final minute and I don't enter a max bid, I bid up in increments until I hit what I've deemed to be my max bid. Then I don't ever feel like I've been ripped off or run up.

Not blaming anybody here or making excuses for those that aren't being legit with their ebay account. Better ebay practices always keep you safe.

[RAcast]

I usually don't bid on an auction until the final minute and I don't enter a max bid, I bid up in increments until I hit what I've deemed to be my max bid. Then I don't ever feel like I've been ripped off or run up.

Not blaming anybody here or making excuses for those that aren't being legit with their ebay account. Better ebay practices always keep you safe.

I do the same thing. It's more fun that way. And I do it for the same reason you do; if the price goes up earlier, then people are likely to bid it up to try to get it. It's better to just leave something sit until the last ten minutes or so, then start bidding a bit.

[Erailea]

@joesaysso - One shouldn't be frightened away from bidding in advance just because there are a few jerks in the world, but they should be mindful.

This kind of crap goes on even at auction houses, big and small - sometimes the house bids against it's clientele (as their profits are higher if the item sells for more) and sometimes the owner of the object pays someone to sit there and milk the buyer (or to manipulate the auction records of certain collectible items - my dad actually knows someone who bought back the items he put up at auction, through a friend, just so he could raise their market value. The guy is a psychopathy. At least he's only the kind of phyco who's interested in robbing you, not killing you)

It's illegal, but that doesn't stop some people (or auction houses) from doing it.

[joesaysso]

@joesaysso - One shouldn't be frightened away from bidding in advance just because there are a few jerks in the world, but they should be mindful.

Yeah, I agree 100%. I guess my point is that, even in a perfect world where everybody is on the up and up, if you throw your max bid in advance you should always expect your bid to be run up by legit bidders.

If it were me and I wanted to bid in advance, I'd throw out a low bid as a feeler. Maybe nobody is watching it and I get lucky and win. Most likely not. I'd save my max bid until the end of the auction. If its an item I'm interested in, then I'm watching the auction at the end anyway.

And I agree with RA....it IS more fun that way.

[jordie5150]

So I know its my post, and I havent posted in awhile.

So, I have had some decent luck on Ebay recently except for some rude sellers that got mad at me for them posting false tracking numbers.

However, Ebay got a little backlash. They gave the wrong address to the seller for shipping and my item ended up in CA instead of my address in PA. So after a decent fight with 4 reps, Ebay compensated me for the shipping with an Ebay coupon.

So my item is still in CA til I get money for shipping because Ebay Coupons are only good on Ebay. The thing that really got me is Ebays told me I should have filed an "Item not received" case, which looks bad on the seller, who had no fault in the wrong address issue.

Way to go Ebay. Scapegoating.

[Arctorro]

However, Ebay got a little backlash. They gave the wrong address to the seller for shipping and my item ended up in CA instead of my address in PA.

That's another reason I use PayPal, the seller always gets the right address with my payment details

Back on topic, I rarely bid on anything these days. Always look for the auctions with "buy it now" and then compare prices and wait till I find what I want at a price I'm willing to pay.

[robotmel]

Oh dear!

Seems that same seller 'japanesefonz' has had more visits from that mysterious account 'S***U' shill bidder, this time for some Planet of the Apes figures!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PLANET-OF-THE-APES-Taylor-and-Cornelius-FIGURES-BY-MEDICOM-TOYS-NEW-rare-/221173020667?nma=true&si=35HJ8mnfBuKWRxHASOhquV3j8qs%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

The sale had already passed and feedback left which has made this visible for anyone with half a brain to see and work out.

I will report this item as well to Ebay and see if they do anything about it?

Click into the bid history and you will see 'S***U' tickles the bidding early on then we see the same shill bidder later a day or so before the end of the sale!

Such a shame when this sort of thing happens in your own country, but I guess thats just the way of the world now!

[Arctorro]

:-(

Oh dear!

Seems that same seller 'japanesefonz' has had more visits from that mysterious account 'S***U' shill bidder, this time for some Planet of the Apes figures!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PLANET-OF-THE-APES-Taylor-and-Cornelius-FIGURES-BY-MEDICOM-TOYS-NEW-rare-/221173020667?nma=true&si=35HJ8mnfBuKWRxHASOhquV3j8qs%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

I was looking on eBay trying to find an explanation to what the next to S***U's name is, but got nowhere. Then looking at the image info the link had New Id in the line, so is that what the icon means?

Sorry for an off topic question, just curious.