This is one area where Stamp Smarter does not help and the real responsibility falls upon the listing agency (in this case
ebay). Stamp Smarter avoids reviewing listings where shill bidding may be occurring simply because it is nearly impossible to actually detect. This thread reveals a case which certainly looks suspect, but no one can actually prove it. And as has been pointed out, there can be some legitimate, albeit farfetched, reasons the numbers look as they do.
Why anyone would ever buy with this company is beyond me; their terms and conditions clearly state that their material has been 'expertly repaired'. I guess if I was looking for a cheap space filler I might consider one of their 'start at 0.01' listings. They have this currently listing, even a complete amateur can see these are fake perfs,
http://www.ebay.com/itm/nystamps-US...51408311845?I have asked them to revisit this listing, will see what happens.
But shill bidding really requires that the listing agency assume the responsibility of oversight. They have access to the IP logs and other tools to quickly detect much of this kind of nonsense. The practice of having multiple accounts would be impacted. This would put a huge dent in the frequency of online shill bidding but would not completely alleviate the problem. Preventing all collusion would require a massive effort that reached beyond just online resources. It is simply too easy to call a 'friend' and ask them to place a bid on a listing.
Don
Posted 05/24/2015 4:52 pm
