Q. |
What is shill bidding? |
| A. |
Shill bidding is the deliberate placing of bids to artificially drive up the price of an item. This is also known as "bid padding" and is not allowed.
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Q. |
Can my friends bid on my items? |
| A. |
If your friend sincerely intends to purchase your item, then her bids are certainly allowed. Bidding on your item for the sole purpose of inflating the final bid amount is forbidden.
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Q. |
If I turn someone in for shill bidding, will they be suspended? |
| A. |
It depends on the situation. Many factors will be considered when determining whether shill bidding has occurred. These factors are carefully weighed. In the end, only bidders determined to be shills (based on the evidence) are suspended.
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Q. |
I only bid on items listed by one specific seller; will I be considered a shill bidder? |
| A. |
In some cases, placing bids in only one seller's auctions might raise suspicions about whether or not you are a shill bidder (insincere bidder). However, bidding on only one seller's auctions is not the sole factor that eBay would use to make a determination about the possibility of shill bidding.
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Q. |
Why isn't a seller suspended permanently the first time shill bidding is discovered? |
| A. |
Temporary suspension is serious, and sellers should take it as such. But eBay believes people deserve a second chance.
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Q. |
What happens if the seller shill bids again after the temporary suspension? |
| A. |
If the shill bidding continues at any time after the temporary suspension has ended, the shill bidder will be suspended from eBay indefinitely.
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Q. |
What happens if the seller sets up new accounts after the others are suspended? |
| A. |
Use of secondary registrations (new accounts) to avoid suspensions is cause for indefinite suspension of all participating registrants.
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Q. |
Is a seller allowed to have more than one registered eBay account?
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| A. |
Yes, a seller is permitted more than one eBay registration as long as their reasons are legitimate. However, there can NEVER be any interaction (especially in the areas of bidding or feedback) between the accounts, and all user information MUST be accurate and consistent.
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Q. |
Can sellers bid on their own auctions?
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| A. |
Not any more. eBay originally allowed sellers to bid on their own auctions as a way to close their auction without selling to the highest bidder. Unfortunately, this privilege was abused so it had to be eliminated. Now, bidding on your own item is considered shill bidding and is not allowed.
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Q. |
What if I need to end an auction early and the auction already has bids?
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| A. |
You can do it. When you want to end your auction because you've changed your mind about selling an item, be sure to cancel all bids before you end it. If you don't cancel all bids before ending your auction, you will be required to sell the item to the high bidder when the auction closes.
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