Whats' wrong with this bidding pattern?

Zohar

Multiple folks bidding it up one with zero feedback.

EVillageProwler

IMO, a shill bidder would look legitimate. A 0-feedback bidder may just be a noob. They have to start from somewhere, and from what I can tell, it looks like he doesn't know what he's doing. A true, experienced, shill bidder likely wouldn't spend so much effort.

So, if this is a noob, his behavior is unpredictable but seems like he's probing for the right bid increment or amount.

A long time ago, I used to bid in spurts like this person. Then, a few years, a friend of mine gave me some guidance and now my bidding activity looks less goofy (or suspicious, depending on one's point of view).

Does your snapshot of bid activity also include auto-bids?

EVP

brg5658

Sadly, nothing you can do about it. Happens all the time.

Zohar

No autobids... unique bids and he is doing it across seller items

EVillageProwler

@Zohar said:
No autobids... unique bids and he is doing it across seller items

When you say 'across seller items', is it plenty or a few, and are they largely the same one or two type of items or all over the place? That is, is the bidder doing so in a pattern (or two or three, in case he has multiple interests) or his bidding is truly all over the place with no discernible pattern based on grade, modern vs classic vs ancient, country, motif, etc.?

Zohar

Talers all of them

marcmoish

@Zohar said:
Talers all of them

relax it's your wife!

ShadyDave

@EVillageProwler said:

A long time ago, I used to bid in spurts like this person. Then, a few years, a friend of mine gave me some guidance and now my bidding activity looks less goofy (or suspicious, depending on one's point of view).

Does your snapshot of bid activity also include auto-bids?

EVP

What sort of advice we're you given, if you don't mind sharing?

EVillageProwler

@ShadyDave said:

@EVillageProwler said:

A long time ago, I used to bid in spurts like this person. Then, a few years, a friend of mine gave me some guidance and now my bidding activity looks less goofy (or suspicious, depending on one's point of view).

Does your snapshot of bid activity also include auto-bids?

EVP

What sort of advice we're you given, if you don't mind sharing?

The advice holds less for eBay than for regular auctions like with HA: (1) know the increments; and (2) know at what level someone might be more likely to stop bidding, so I can bid just below it (so the next level is possibly too high); and (3) don't constantly increment because that will telegraph intention of interest (so folks become interested knowing others are interested).

For eBay specifically, I can contact the seller without bidding sometimes, or I will get told (by my friend) how much to bid and throw in that exact amount. I rarely do any eBay stuff so I think I am still not too comfortable doing so on my own.

If it's an item I really want, regardless if eBay or not, then I might initially place a low tracker bid (like with CNG) and then near the lot closing moment throw in my max bid and cross my nail-bitten fingers.

As you can tell, all of the above is pretty obvious to just about everyone around here. But, this is all good stuff to know compared to how inexperienced I was long ago.

EVP

ShadyDave

@EVillageProwler said:

@ShadyDave said:

@EVillageProwler said:

A long time ago, I used to bid in spurts like this person. Then, a few years, a friend of mine gave me some guidance and now my bidding activity looks less goofy (or suspicious, depending on one's point of view).

Does your snapshot of bid activity also include auto-bids?

EVP

What sort of advice we're you given, if you don't mind sharing?

The advice holds less for eBay than for regular auctions like with HA: (1) know the increments; and (2) know at what level someone might be more likely to stop bidding, so I can bid just below it (so the next level is possibly too high); and (3) don't constantly increment because that will telegraph intention of interest (so folks become interested knowing others are interested).

For eBay specifically, I can contact the seller without bidding sometimes, or I will get told (by my friend) how much to bid and throw in that exact amount. I rarely do any eBay stuff so I think I am still not too comfortable doing so on my own.

If it's an item I really want, regardless if eBay or not, then I might initially place a low tracker bid (like with CNG) and then near the lot closing moment throw in my max bid and cross my nail-bitten fingers.

As you can tell, all of the above is pretty obvious to just about everyone around here. But, this is all good stuff to know compared to how inexperienced I was long ago.

EVP

Thanks for the follow-up!

WorldCoinsDmitry

This bidding pattern, with low and zero feedback bidders who are bidding seemingly sporadically is a perfect match to what I saw across multiple accounts used to sell high end modern Chinese counterfeits.
Not implying that is the case here, just that the it looks the same, especially since you mentioned this is happening on multiple items from the seller.

Zohar

This was a bidder from china

Stork

It could go either way. A newb bidder (was there once) can not quite get the whole automatic bidding thing. S/he might be thinking 'who is this guy who ups their bid as soon as I place mine...it's got to be a faker'.

Being eBay specific, for my bid vs. other bidders I basically have gotten to the point of picking my bid and dropping it
and ignoring the other bidders. If it's a bid I like then I won't go over it, end of story. Have I gotten shilled up, surely yes. Have the shills overbid me, surely yes. But, then I don't go back up. I can totally over think things and it would take away from the enjoyment factor if I thought about....and my imagination would create many more.

I suppose the alternative is if the seller would just put the starting bid at a point they really consider their selling floor. IIRC there is an eBay fee increase depending on start price (that may be old/outdated/wrong) so shilling may just be more of an eBay fee avoidance tactic. Don't love it, but can comprehend it.

TwoKopeiki

Probably a shill. That's why I just snipe using esnipe

WorldCoinsDmitry

@Zohar said:
This was a bidder from china

By any chance did the title/description for the coin in question not include the denomination, but rather just an abbreviation? For example, "Germany silver 2T" instead of 2 thaler.