What is shill bidding?
Shill bidding is not allowed on Bob Shop.
Shill bidding is when sellers place bids (personally or under the guise of another user) on their own items with the intent to artificially inflate the price of the product that is on auction. Sometimes, family members or friends may bid because they really want the item. However, since these bidders have personal contact with the seller, gives them an unfair advantage. Shill bidding is regarded by most online auction websites as a deceitful and unethical tactic used mostly by conniving scam artists, which can result in severe repercussions.
Bob Shop has a strict policy against shill bidding and may blacklist any seller participating in this practice. In our fight against shill bidding, we monitor the site on a daily basis and welcome the input of our community of users.
If you suspect shill bidding on an auction, please use the report a problem link in the item page to alert us, or send an email to communitywatch@bobshop.co.za.
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