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Ethics of last minute auction "poaching"

I was just involved in an auction that left a bad taste in my mouth. I had the high bid on an item for over 2 days and
literally in the last 60 seconds of auction a "poacher" came
out trying to sneak in a last minute bid in to win the auction. This caused the price to rise from $160 to $280 which I still won, but this seems underhanded to me. Attempting to win by last minute sneak attack! If you are interested in bidding on an item it seems common fairness to other members to come out in the open and not make your first bid with 60 seconds of auction ending! I know this is not outlawed, but ticks me off.....anyone else experience this?
megasam
ruptured6def
1 posts
 
Megasam, That last minute sniping was probably the seller. I know a dealer who does this all the time, and he always gets more money out of the unsuspecting buyer.
angela100
435 posts
 
ruptured@me.com (ouch!) that's called *shill bidding*, now we're talking unethical.
joysjane's avatar
joysjane
87 posts
 
Put in the maximum you want to pay for the item and stop whining! It's an auction for cryin' out loud! All bids are fair bids till the auction is over. If you won the auction you still got the item for what you were willing to pay.
blbloom
286 posts
 
Wrong, Joysjane. All bids, within the rules of the auction, are fair. Not in the case of the seller inflating the price to reach the buyer's maximum bid. That is wrong and unethical, as Angela100 stated. Period.
joysjane's avatar
joysjane
87 posts
 
Blbloom,
I agree in that text. I didn't mean a seller inflating his own auction. I meant it in the text of the person who started the thread. Losing an item because of a last minute poacher is well within the rules of an auction! Sorry I wasn't CLEAR enough! Can you tell me how a seller can inflate his own merchandise? Would you have to have a seperate registered name/e-mail/address? I know that when you put something up for sale, as in ebay, the seller cannot bid on his own auction. So, could you please enlighten me on how this is done? NOT THAT I WAN'T TO DO IT!!! But just how do these people do this dasterdly deed?
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