The easiest way to beat shill bidding is to wait until time =5-2 seconds left to put in your final bid. People don't "Get" this. They think they should be able to put in their high bid early and then get it for the low price they bid at. Sorry, that ain't gonna happen, the seller can afford to have the shill bid it up until it is to your maximum, and relist it next week if the winner is a shill - otherwise, there is enough time between a maximum bid and a shill bid for the third person to say "Mine" and take it from both. And I have noticed many shill bid practices. It's the only way for some people to get what the item is worth, rather then being at the mercy of their low starting bid - sellers start low to avoid the Ebay taxes [read: insertion fee] and have their friends bump it up in the first couple of days closer to a more reasonable selling price - one that is good for BOTH Seller and Buyer. I suspect one of my favorite Ebay vendors uses shill bidding on their auctions, but I cannot be mad at them - for the prices they are selling stuff at regularly, I can barely fathom how this shop is staying alive much less making much if any profit. The deals are THAT good!!! [Bachmann Spectrum Light Mountain, 48 Bucks...plus 12 shipping, which at this point measn I am getting a $120-$160 MSRP locomotive for a killer good price...] Mind you ,the first time I bid on said locomotive, I was outbid. The second time, I was bid up to one dollar less then my previous high bid. I suspect, and I understand. And I am still willing to buy from them in the future. Those extremely good deals you used to get on ebay were not "Everyone wins" sales. Hence why they have become few and far between!
eBay ? Nah, eBay is doing just fine. Like anything else eBay has ups and downs. But eBay is here to stay, which is great. I love eBay. lol.
