ebay - tackle shops = shill bidding

Fishingdownthewindy · Nov 18, 2010

Has anyone come across shill bidding with the tackle shops on ebay?, I did and complained after one bidder with ten feedback was bidding on over 40 items with 100% of all his bids with the same seller and in some cases he would be buying 4 of the same item such as bivvys, bedchairs,chairs etc.

Of course ebay have replied back and have said there is nothing to see here please move along, since then the tackleshop in question has gone onto private only auctions (tip off )from ebay no doubt.

I appreciate that shop must generate a fortune for ebay and paypal but it is an illegal practice.

richiekelly · Nov 19, 2010

im not sure what you mean by shill bidding but if you mean someone connected with the seller making sure the item doesnt go for a low price then yes i have had my suspicions before that this was going on when bidding on items,if i think thats whats been going on i dont buy of them in the future. any chance of a pm so that i dont use them.

904_cannon · Nov 19, 2010

Not only tackle dealers, search some other sites (angling forum, but not FM) and you'd be amazed. One guy was selling/buying so much gear he'd need at least two Tesco Extra buildings to store it all in.(probably a slight exaggeration

)

Slightly off-topic, but the CSG book 'Chevin' is now sold out, although they are now appearing at some 'specialist' book shops and on eBay at high mark up prices (200-400% in less than 2 months since the book launch)

Fishingdownthewindy · Nov 19, 2010

the blanker said:
im not sure what you mean by shill bidding but if you mean someone connected with the seller making sure the item doesnt go for a low price then yes i have had my suspicions before that this was going on when bidding on items,if i think thats whats been going on i dont buy of them in the future. any chance of a pm so that i dont use them.

Yes that is exactly what I mean, I appreciate that companies cannot sell below cost but if they start there auctions at 99p it can work both ways a bidding war and good profits or lost profits. pm sent

definition

Shill bidding is when sellers—or someone they know—place a bid on their item to drive the price up. This is called artificial bidding. Often the people placing bids have certain information about the seller's item that other shoppers aren't aware of. To make sure no one gets an unfair advantage, shill bidding is prohibited on eBay.

People who know the seller – such as family members, flatmates, or employees – can't bid on that seller's items, but they can use options like Buy It Now that don't involve bidding. Sellers with employees have to make sure their staff are aware of this policy and what the consequences are for breaking the rules.

Steve King · Nov 19, 2010

eBay are supposed to clamp down on shill bidding, but when the auction is private how can you report dodgy bids to them?

To be honest I am pretty unhappy with eBay's changes!

Neneman Nick · Nov 20, 2010

It`s been going on for donkeys years on e-bay and i`ve lost out on items i`ve wanted because of it.
Just make a note of the sellers etc.... and never use them again,thats what i do.

Lord Paul of Sheffield · Nov 20, 2010

Easy

register on ebay as yourself and as a made up name - then when an item gets too much and you suspect falsr bidding - out in an over the top bid - let the seller think you have "won" the bid then fail to pay - that will show them

bigchub · Nov 20, 2010

Got to admit I used to use Ebay a lot but now I don't bother as the Ebay fees and Paypal fees were crippling me.

theartist · Nov 21, 2010

Shilling does still happen on ebay but they are trying to crack down on it and i think a chap actually went to jail for it a few months back.

The fact that the guy has changed to private only auctions shows that something has happened after you reported it.

I may be biased as a seller myself but there are alot of reputable dealers and shop owners on there and as a customer you have the right to buy elsewhere of someone more honest.

Peter Jacobs · Nov 22, 2010

Steve King said:
eBay are supposed to clamp down on shill bidding, but when the auction is private how can you report dodgy bids to them? To be honest I am pretty unhappy with eBay's changes!

I couldn't agree more!

My own 'rules' for todays E-bay are,

1. Never bid on 'Private' auctions

2. Never bid against people with 100% Bid History with the one seller.

3. Never bid on Shop items.

4. Set a maximum price I'm prepared to pay, bid that price and if unsuccessful don't worry. Like buses and coppers, there will always be another one along shortly!

The days of really good bargains on E-bay are long gone, especially for vintage tackle etc.

the indifferent crucian · Nov 22, 2010

Following Peter's 'rules', you'd be surprised how often you get a second chance offer mailed to you!

I agree about the bargains..there aren't as many as there once were.

Fishingdownthewindy · Nov 22, 2010

the indifferent crucian said:
Following Peter's 'rules', you'd be surprised how often you get a second chance offer mailed to you!

I agree about the bargains..there aren't as many as there once were.

The bargains are there but not as much as they used to be, second chance offers always a good indicator of a shill bid that has gone wrong.

I am not trying to say that all tackle shops are up to no good.......but you find the largest are all private sales on ebay??? it says a lot.

theartist · Nov 23, 2010

Of course theres not as many bargains as before but thats not down to unscrupulous dealers its down to word of mouth getting around and competition amongst buyers.

Most tackle on Ebay is going for almost the retail price now and personally i'd rather pay the extra fiver and get it from a local tackle shop than run the risk of something not getting through the post.

Ebay is however still a great source for angling bargains if you look hard enough especially in the books and art categories.

Jeff Woodhouse · Nov 23, 2010

Peter Jacobs said:
My own 'rules' for todays E-bay are,

1. Never bid on 'Private' auctions

2. Never bid against people with 100% Bid History with the one seller.

3. Never bid on Shop items.

4. Set a maximum price I'm prepared to pay, bid that price and if unsuccessful don't worry. Like buses and coppers, there will always be another one along shortly!

I can agree with 2 and 4.

I've had a few bargains out of private auctions. In one, and I can't think why it happened, I bought a new, ex-display (but perfect) Korum heavy feeder rod for just £20. It had no rod bag, but that was explained and it arrived in perfect condition. I couldn't have bought a quiver tip replacement for my Daiwa feeder for that much!

I've never come across the situation in 2, all the 100% traders I've seen have been genuine as far as I can see and I do bid in shop sales. Real Deals is one and I just bought a small cheap (very cheap at £13.50) Abu Cardinal reel from another. Yes, wait and some more will be along soon, usually.

Always bear in mind though, caveat emptor - buyer beware. Never bid more than you can afford to lose and pay with Paypal to get something of a guarantee.

EDIT: These were my thoughts on Ebay (Clicky).

Lord Paul of Sheffield · Nov 23, 2010

One thing I've noticed is sometimes an item on eBay will sell for more than it costs to buy in shops
Who pays those prices

bigchub · Nov 23, 2010

Lord Paul of Sheffield said:
One thing I've noticed is sometimes an item on eBay will sell for more than it costs to buy in shops
Who pays those prices

People with more money than sense!

theartist · Nov 23, 2010

Lord Paul of Sheffield said:
One thing I've noticed is sometimes an item on eBay will sell for more than it costs to buy in shops
Who pays those prices

Remember some folk dont live anywhere near tackle shops alot of my customers are from remote parts of the country or abroad. Vector in the cost of fuel these days as well and it makes sense.

Alan Tyler · Nov 23, 2010

Please tell me if I'm missing out on something, but it seems to me that ebay is practically the only source of spinnerbaits at a sensible price. Shops don't stock them because they can't sell them - at a fiver each - not really surprising, that! (I am prepared to accept that British anglers can be dreadfully conservative about anything as radical-looking as the "Flying coathanger", but even so...)
Anyone know how much they cost in the States?

Fishingdownthewindy · Nov 27, 2010

theartist said:
Of course theres not as many bargains as before but thats not down to unscrupulous dealers its down to word of mouth getting around and competition amongst buyers.

Most tackle on Ebay is going for almost the retail price now and personally i'd rather pay the extra fiver and get it from a local tackle shop than run the risk of something not getting through the post.

Ebay is however still a great source for angling bargains if you look hard enough especially in the books and art categories.

I have to agree close to retail yes too true if not over sometimes.......that’s with everything of course especially seasonal fishing camping anything outdoors.

Where I live we have a good tackle shop.....but for big ticket items come on I can save a fortune on the internet……and recently on smaller ticket stuff.

However I buy what I know, for example would anyone buy some old serviced Shimano GT 6010 or some used ST 6000, eBay brings not a lot now to second hand buyers but the forums/gumtree can in a more affordable and regional way.

---------- Post added at 21:29 ---------- Previous post was at 21:25 ----------

theartist said:
Remember some folk dont live anywhere near tackle shops alot of my customers are from remote parts of the country or abroad. Vector in the cost of fuel these days as well and it makes sense.

I am not sure if the Lord is quoting local shops but some of this gear goes well over online shop prices. I have seen reels rods et all go for 10-20% over what they can buy from the large chains inc P&P....bidding fever I must beat the next bidder

Lord Paul of Sheffield · Nov 27, 2010

I'm lucky that in 20 minutes I can be in Climax tackle shop but I've seen rods and reels sell for more than I could have got them from buying online with postage

I must admit to buying most of my rods and reels from Climax or Bennets (when it was going) BUT I use my 2 local tackle shop for most other stuff - I may pay a few quid over the big shop prices but they are 5 minutes away i nthe car so I can pop in whenever

ebay - tackle shops = shill bidding

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