paulpsomiadis wrote on 17.12.08 at 19:14:09:BTW...SHILL bidding...
...unless you like mother of pearl...
Haha, wooops, that was a funny typo.
What the heck, I googled it, and apparently it means something entirely different to what I thought. I thought shill bidding is people keep outbidding each other way over the actual value of the item, but that's not shill bidding apparently.
Quote:Definition: Shill bidding is the act of bidding on your own auction against other bidders in order to raise the price at which your item will eventually sell. It is a violation of both eBay rules and federal law.
Note that on eBay and in most real-life auctions, a bid on an item from anyone related to the seller in almost any way, from friends and family to business associates and roommates, is considered to be a shill bid, will not be honored, and will almost certainly disqualify the seller—even if the bidder would have purchased the item.
What this means is that you can not buy from your family and friends on eBay, no matter what, no exceptions. That is the nature of auction selling.
eBay uses very sophisticated tools to catch shill bidders, so sophisticated that many first-time shills are surprised. Shill bidding renders you subject to suspension or other punishments, so be smart and don't bid on your own, or on your mother's or sister's or aunt's auctions, no matter how much you'd like to.
Lol, I can't believe eBay's stupid policy, you can't bid on items from friends and family to business associates and roommates.
Whatever, that's ridiculous.