Not only the seller. Another person who wants the item would also benefit, since he could win it.
It has become harder to spot shill bidding since eBay decided to mask bidder IDs. But since a shiller never wants to win, only to push prices higher, look at older listings for bidders who drop out from bidding after nibbling away at a bid.
Another explanation is a newbie who does not understand how proxy bidding works. However, if a bidder raises his maximum bid, when he is already the high bidder, the new bid will not change the high bid. He cannot bid against himself.
Or you could be the newbie who doesn't understand proxy bidding.
Example.
The opening bid is $10.
You want the item and bid $11.
The high bid shows as $10.
I want the item too and bid $11- the high bid is not $11 to you because you bid first.
I really want the item and bid $50. The high bid is now $12 to me.
You bid $13. The high bid goes to $14. You bid $15. The high bid goes to $16 still to me.
It's late and I go to bed.
You bid $17. Although I am fast asleep, the high bid goes automatically to me at $18.
And so on, until you bid $51. while I am on the bus on the way to work.
Is that what is happening?
And of course, any listing can be Reported. EBay will look into it, and act on their findings.
Which could include finding that you are wrong.
