How prevalent do you believe shill bidding is on eBay. There are many items that I watch where it seems HIGHLY implausible that the item would get bid up as high as it is. This isn’t limited to just Pokemon.
What are your thoughts ?
You have to look at each case individually. Here’s a guide I wrote about it back in 2016: www.elitefourum.com/t/how-to-recognize-shill-bidding-on-ebay/14004/1
These days sellers are getting better at it and using things like private listings or high-feedback burner accounts. The days of 0-feedback 100% bid activity are likely over but if you do some digging it can become pretty clear who is shill bidding.
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@admiral77 I mean, and this might be a rough comparison to make but bare with me, I see it kind of like the corona virus in the sense of taking precautions. Just do youre part to not do it yourself, spread the word to others about the significance of not doing it, and help inform the community if theres consistent activity of said practice among an ebayers account and you should be good to go.
You cant change the world of something yourself, but you can sure as hell do your part in making a difference by doing what you can individually first 
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My thoughts are as far as five years ago I’ve clocked one or two regular sellers shill bidding their own items, and ever since I’ve never bid on one item of theirs or done a single deal with them. In that time I could have easily spent hundreds or even thousands on their cards, instead I’ve spent £0, and I’ll bet I’m not the only one.
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Not sure if you misread “prevalent” as “prevent.” I was wondering how often does it take place ?
I appreciate your insight on how to stop shill bidding though! 
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Damn, good catch there! haha I did misread that, but hey, theres some extra info for someone if needed haha
In terms of how prevalent though, im personally not sure. But if the subject was tackled by @fourthstartcg, that will without a doubt be the best source for an answer here. He always has excellent write ups!
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Do you know any ebays names of Shill bidders?
@pokemar, The E4 blacklist is a good place to start:
www.elitefourum.com/t/e4-master-ebay-seller-buyer-blacklist/15572/1
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The way I see it, as long as you stick to your budget and use the market price as guidance you’ll be fine.
Yes, it is wrong to shill bid and I don’t agree with it however, if someone was to shill bid an auction it is entirely up to you to bid the higher offer. As long as you’re willing to spend that amount, you’re fine.
I recently won an auction from a notorious shill bidder, granted it probably wasn’t shill bid, however as long as I was comfortable with my highest offer, I was happy either way.
I think a lot of people get overwhelmed in an auction, so check your emotions and don’t do anything crazy!
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This. I always assume shill bidding and only bid what I’m comfortable with.
I don’t really understand this point here.
Shill bidding strategy varies. Some shill bidders use it as a free and secret reserve price for their auctions, limiting the inherent risk an auction carries and hiding that from the buyers. Some use it to try to get as much money as they possibly can for cards, leading to ridiculous auction prices where there are cheaper BINs available. Regardless of what strategy is used, shill bidding takes market value and throws it out the window, replacing it with seller-preferred price.
On an auction you don’t pay the highest bid, you pay just above the second highest. That means there were at least two people willing to pay that amount for the item. This is a good indicator of market value. Shill bidding turns that into one person’s highest bid for an item, which the seller can artificially manipulate. The auction end price isn’t market value because there’s nobody else out there who would pay that much, and the auction proves it. So hey, maybe you got that card for “market value,” but without shill bidding you would have won it for 20% under market. Whenever you win a shill bid auction, you only won because the seller was comfortable letting the card go at that price. Shill bidding fundamentally alters the nature of an auction and you’re getting screwed even if you do win the card for “market value.” The idea that shill bidding only works if you bid above market is incorrect.
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Ironically most shill bid sellers don’t even earn premiums. It’s such a stupid tactic.
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Id’ say their own greediness works against them. it would be one thing if they didn’t so they didn’t lose money and recovered their cost. However, those that shill bid want to maximize their money. As you said they don’t really earn their premium. Once someone knows you shill bid then people don’t even want to bid. Then you lose the trust of your customer base. Reputation and trust go a long way if you’re looking to stay a long time. Maybe it’s shortsightedness on their part.
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@fourthstartcg, I agree with everything you said.
All I mean is if you are comfortable paying $500 for a card and the last bidder was $350, seller shills it to $400/450 and you end up paying $500. Yes, it is not ideal and yes you shouldn’t waste your money on a shill bid auction, just if you do don’t get carried away. Don’t extend your budget and bid $600 is that I’m trying to say.
On these crazy above market auctions that end and if there is a cheaper BIN, fool on the people bidding against the seller. It’s up to the buyer to research it’s value and if there’s a cheaper option available then purchase it instead.
Again, I do not agree with the practise and I’m not saying I like it or think it’s ok. Just if someone was to bid on a shill bid auction, be aware and don’t bid a ridiculous amount.
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