Hi,

Just wanted to spend some time to warn decent eBayers about the illegal practice of SHILL BIDDING.

If you dont know what this is, or feel you may have been a victim (as I myself have been) read on:

Ok, I recently found out (from eBay) that what I had experienced is called Shill Bidding.  I hadnt heard of this term before and I guess if your still reading this, neither have you.  Shill bidding is where you are the first bidder and place a bid at the opening bid price of (say) 99p.  As the sale progresses you are outbid (usually by someone with zero feedback).  You place a higher bid and they again outbid you and so on and so on - continuously pushing your original bid higher and higher.  Once this 2nd bidder has your bid at the desired OVER-INFLATED price he OUTBIDS YOU then retracts his bid (usually towards the very end of the auction) and of course, your are back to your original 99p.

However, this second bidder now knows what your maximum bid was becuase he outbid you before retracting his bid!  This is A FRIEND OF THE SELLER.

As the auction reaches its very last moments, back comes the friend of the seller (using a different account he has just set up for the purpose) and BIDS YOU UP TO JUST UNDER YOUR MAXIMUM BID - which, you remember, he discovered by outbidding you first time around, and permits you to win the auction!  This attains the highest possible price for the seller and a total rip off for the unsuspecting first bidder.

I have seen this many times and I have been a victim of this appalling practice more than once!  eBay take a very dim view of it, and at one time used to kick out these unscrupulous sellers and their friends - but no longer!  The auctions are crawling with them - JUST THOUGHT YOU'D LIKE TO KNOW.

DEFINATELY A CASE OF    "BUYER BEWARE" !!!!!!!!!

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