An article published earlier this week (see eBay’s *stoneark*: “Buyer/Bidder Network” Analysis, Part 1) included analysis of a select set of eBay accounts and their bidding activities with eBay seller *stoneark* (AKA stonark, AKA Corner Collectibles, AKA Cornner Collectibles). Anthony Shkutnick, partnered with eBay, offers for public sale “guaranteed authentic” wardrobe attributed to various classic Hollywood stars.
8 eBay accounts, collectively identified as part of a *stoneark* “Buyer/Bidder Network”, are the subject of this ongoing analysis, with new insights shared below, while taking eBay “Shill Bidding” policy under consideration.
As noted in the last article, 6 of the 8 accounts identified were very active participants in approximately 250 *stoneark* eBay listings that ended earlier this month – in fact, *stoneark* auctions are the only listings those 6 eBay members bid on in the past 120 days.
I identified a list of 6 *stoneark* buyers that had transactions with each and every other eBay member on the list, and 2 more that had transacted with nearly all of the 8 in total (click each for links to eBay feedback):
Below is a chart reflecting the minimum number of transactions conducted between these eBay members (taking the higher of the two mutual feedback comments each party left for the other, per a Toolhaus search):
NOTE: t_hunter1995 is a suspended, “No Longer A Registered User” (NARU) account, and appears to have been in this status since mid-2004.
NOTE: toycollies2 did a high number of transactions with *stoneark* from mid-2000 through the end of 2006, and none since.
eBay Bid History Details on “Buyer/Bidder Network” Participants
Though eBay has recently changed its website to “anonymize” both bidder and buyer identities – see eBay Announces More “Progress”, Less Transparency – it is still possible to search on buyer usernames to see what they have bid on, and the buyers are still identifiable by the feedback score and inclusion of the same alpha/numeric characters seen in the eBay-assigned anonymous monikers. This was explained in more detail in the prior article on this topic.
Below are the eBay usernames of the 6 active participants in the *stoneark* “Buyer/Bidder Network” alongside the eBay-assigned anonymous monikers employed in the most recent wave of over 250 items listed on eBay by *stoneark*:
- apnj (464) = p***j (464)
- b1966 (11) = 6***b (11)
- chynadolls (28) = c***a (28)
- c-ingstarz (25) = n***n (25)
- my-imac (192) = y***i (192)
- o-my-starz (372) = a***r (372)
Below are the eBay Bid History Details for each of these participants. In all, these 6 eBay members accounted for a total of 252 bids on *stoneark* listings over the course of 31 days (not including 7 bid retractions). On average, about one bid placed per auction listed on eBay.
apnj (464) = p***j (464)
- 30-Day Summary
- 100% of bids with *stoneark*
- 46 Total Bids
- 18 Items Bid On
- 2 Bid Retractions | 2 Bid Retractions Past 6 Months
b1966 (11) = 6***b (11)
- 30-Day Summary
- 100% of bids with *stoneark*
- 19 Total Bids
- 10 Items Bid On
- 1 Bid Retraction | 3 Bid Retractions Past 6 Months
chynadolls (28) = c***a (28)
- 30-Day Summary
- 100% of bids with *stoneark*
- 78 Total Bids
- 34 Items Bid On
- 0 Bid Retractions | 3 Bid Retractions Past 6 Months
c-ingstarz (25) = n***n (25)
- 30-Day Summary
- 100% of bids with *stoneark*
- 44 Total Bids
- 17 Items Bid On
- 0 Bid Retractions | 2 Bid Retractions Past 6 Months
my-imac (192) = y***i (192)
- 30-Day Summary
- 100% of bids with *stoneark*
- 40 Total Bids
- 17 Items Bid On
- 2 Bid Retractions | 5 Bid Retractions Past 6 Months
o-my-starz (372) = a***r (372)
- 30-Day Summary
- 100% of bids with *stoneark*
- 25 Total Bids
- 18 Items Bid On
- 2 Bid Retractions | 2 Bid Retractions Past 6 Months
*stoneark* eBay Listing “Buyer/Bidder Network” – Bids Sorted eBay Timestamps
The following is a spreadsheet which captures nearly all of the bids placed by the *stoneark* “Buyer/Bidder Network” in the month of December. These were copied from the Bid History page of completed *stoneark* eBay listings and reformatted for Microsoft Excel. Annotations note the time differential between one account’s last bid and the first bid of another account, as noted. In a number of cases, one of the identified accounts will make a series of bids, a few minutes will pass, and then one of the other identified accounts will make a series of bids. Line entries in all red are retracted bids.
This list of bidding activity is sorted by the eBay bid time stamp – oldest (TOP) to newest (BOTTOM) – to show the actual sequence of events:
Below are some excerpts from the spreadsheet with comments.
apnj placed 36 bids over the course of 27 minutes. Following the last bid placed by apnj in that session, b1966 placed their first bid just 3 minutes and 45 seconds later, placing 3 bids on two different *stoneark* listings.
The first transition above, from chynadolls to b1966, marks a 3 minute, 5 second differential between bids
The second transition above, from b1966 to apjn, marks a 5 minute, 50 second differential. Then a third, unmarked back from apjn to b1966, marks a 1 minute, 33 second differential.
The forth transition above from b1966 back to apjn, marks a 1 minute, 27 second differential.
The overall transition from the last bid place by chynadolls to b1966 to apjn to b1966 to the first a new series by apjn all took place over the course of 27 minutes and 6 seconds.
chynadolls placed 23 bids over the course of 41 minutes. Following the last bid placed by chynadolls in that session, c-ingstarz placed their first bid just 10 minutes and 31 seconds later, placing 10 bids on a variety of *stoneark* listings.
o-my-starz placed 23 bids over the course of 32 minutes. Following the last bid placed by o-my-starz in that session, c-ingstarz placed their first bid just 3 minutes and 41 seconds later, placing 5 bids on a variety of *stoneark* listings. chynadolls then placed their first of 15 bids just 9 minutes and 4 seconds following c-ingstarz’s last bid in their session.
my-imac placed 20 bids over the course of 22 minutes. Following the last bid placed by my-imac in that session, b1966 placed their first bid just 30 minutes and 27 seconds later, placing 4 bids on a variety of *stoneark* listings. chynadolls then placed a single bid just 29 minutes and 5 seconds following b1966’s last bid in their session.
apnj placed 9 bids over the course of 18 minutes. Following the last bid placed by apnj in that session, my-imac placed their first bid just 4 minutes and 14 seconds later, placing 7 bids in their session.
Also of note, apnj placed a bid of $124.55 on the Boris Karloff cufflinks set, then retracted it 26 seconds later.
The first bid by my-imac, less than five minutes later, was on the same listing, in the amount of $122.39.
eBay member t***9 (33) won the Boris Karloff listing for $124.89, only $0.34 more than apnj’s retracted bid amount.
Following the my-imac bidding session noted above, c-ingstarz placed their first bid following my-imac’s last just 2 minutes, 57 seconds later, which initiated another bidding session of 5 successive bids over the course of about 9 minutes.
c-ingstarz placed 8 bids over the course of 11 minutes. Following the last bid placed by c-ingstarz in that session, chynadolls placed their first bid just 10 minutes and 59 seconds later, placing 7 bids on 2 *stoneark* listings.
There are other interesting patterns found in reviewing the spreadsheet – trends in time of bids (also related to upload and end times of the *stoneark* listings themselves), bidding increments (with an emphasis on .01 and .55 amounts) and more.
*stoneark* eBay Listing “Buyer/Bidder Network” – Additional Case Studies
Below are additional companion case studies to archive along with the example in the last article.
These case studies archive examples of *stoneark* items listed on eBay, in which the 6 designated as active participants in the “Buyer/Bidder Network” all placed bids. As noted in the opening, the “hidden” eBay bidder ID’s can be identified by the overall feedback score displayed. This is also cross-referenced and verified per the eBay and Goofbay public records above (searching on bids by username reveals the specific public auctions in which they participated)
Below are the eBay usernames of the 6 active participants in the *stoneark* “Buyer/Bidder Network” alongside the eBay-assigned anonymous monikers employed in the most recent wave of over 250 items listed on eBay by *stoneark*:
- apnj (464) = p***j (464)
- b1966 (11) = 6***b (11)
- chynadolls (28) = c***a (28)
- c-ingstarz (25) = n***n (25)
- my-imac (192) = y***i (192)
- o-my-starz (372) = a***r (372)
Note: The eBay feedback summary is always a match and the eBay-assigned anonymous monikers always contain characters (alpha and/or numeric) that are found in the true, root username.
The following ten examples of some of the 250+ offered for sale on eBay in December 2008 by Anthony Shkutnick’s *stoneark*, all starting at $99.99. These are annotated with notes regarding the “Buyer/Bidder Network” and a key of the actual eBay member and associated eBay anonymous moniker:
ACTRESS NATALIE WOOD OWNED EVENING COAT
eBay Item # 120345028413
SINGER/ACTOR DEAN MARTIN OWNED S/SILVER MONEY CLIP
eBay Item # 120345488526
Special Note: In the case of this auction y***t (192), which is the eBay anonymous moniker for my-imac (192) made two bid retractions in the course of the auction.
Upon close inspection, the records show that eBay user z***8 (788) [unidentified – outside of the “Buyer/Bidder Network] had placed a bid of:
- $176.51 on 12/12/08 @ 12:41:32
my-imac (192) placed three successive bids approximately three hours later:
- $154.75 on 12/12/08 @ 17:37:32
- $159.95 on 12/12/08 @ 17:37:48
- $174.01 on 12/12/08 @ 17:38:09
my-imac (192) placed a four successive bid less than 30 seconds later:
- $184.01 on 12/12/08 @ 17:38:36
Being that z***8 (788) had a proxy (or high) bid of $176.51, the my-imac bid placed him as the new high bidder. Less than 30 seconds later, my-imac retracted his bid, noting the explanation as “Entered wrong amount”.
my-imac then placed another bid, a little more than a minute after retracting the previous high bid amount (this time $5 less than the “wrong amount”):
- $179.01 on 12/12/08 @ 17:40:24
The newly entered my-imac bid placed him as the new high bidder yet again. A little more than 30 seconds later, my-imac again retracted his bid, noting the explanation as “Entered wrong amount” yet again.
ACTRESS MARILYN MONROE OWNED PATENT LEATHER SHOES
eBay Item # 120345484243
ACTRESS VIVIEN LEIGH OWNED 3PC JEWELRY SET
eBay Item # 120345019559
ACTRESS MARILYN MONROE OWNED HIGH HEELED SHOES
eBay Item # 120345963919
SINGER/ACTOR FRANK SINATRA OWNED MONO. MONEY CLIP
eBay Item # 120345978778
ACTOR CARY GRANT OWNED OVERCOAT
eBay Item # 120345984124
ACTRESS KATHARINE HEPBURN OWNED CIGARETTE CASE
eBay Item # 120346553476
ACTRESS BETTE DAVIS OWNED JEWELRY SET
eBay Item # 120347148083
ACTRESS JEAN ARTHUR OWNED EVENING GOWN
eBay Item # 120344025458
ACTOR BORIS KARLOFF OWNED VINTAGE CUFFLINK SET
eBay Item # 120345983815
ACTOR BUD ABBOTT OWNED VINTAGE TUXEDO
eBay Item # 120344509564
ACTOR ERROL FYLNN OWNED BONE CIGARETTE CASE
eBay Item # 120345504844
ACTOR GENE KELLY OWNED OVERCOAT
eBay Item # 120346533054
ACTOR LESLIE HOWARD OWNED MONOGRAMMED CIG CASE.
eBay Item # 120345973775
ACTRESS AUDREY HEPBURN OWNED ACCESSORIE SET
eBay Item # 120345501459
ACTRESS JAYNE MANSFIELD OWNED JEWELRY SET
eBay Item # 120345493099
ACTRESS NATALIE WOOD OWNED SILVER BRACELET
eBay Item # 120345962128
Special Note: In the case of this auction a***r (372), which is the eBay anonymous moniker for o-my-starz (372) made two bid retractions in the course of the auction.
Upon close inspection, the records show that eBay user 1***a (83) [unidentified – outside of the “Buyer/Bidder Network] had placed a bid of:
- $197.51 – or more – on 12/11/08 @ 10:25:31
o-my-starz (372) placed two successive bids and subsequent retractions the same day:
- First Bid Placed in Amount of $1,145.00 on 12/11/08 @ 19:00:33 – Bid Retracted @ 19:01:01
- Second Bid Placed in Amount of $200.01 on 12/11/08 @ 19:01:36 – Bid Retracted @ 19:02:30
Just 25 minutes later, c-ingstarz (25) placed 4 successive bids on the same auction, the highest bid being $195.01 – just below the winning bid amount of $197.51.
MISS ELIZABETH HEWLETTE OWNED 3pc JEWELRY SET
eBay Item # 120345039149
SINGER.. BOBBY HATFIELD OWNED SUIT
eBay Item # 120344028490
eBay Policy on Shill Bidding
From eBay Policy, eBay.com: eBay Policy on Shill Bidding
Shill Bidding is bidding that artificially increases an item’s price or apparent desirability, or bidding by individuals with a level of access to the seller’s item information not available to the general Community. Shill bidding is prohibited on eBay.
Because family members, roommates and employees of sellers have a level of access to item information which is not available to the general Community, they are not permitted to bid on items offered by the seller-even if their sole intent is to purchase the item. Family members, roommates or employees may purchase items from a seller without violating this policy simply by using purchase options-such as Buy It Now-which do not involve bidding.
eBay strongly encourages sellers with employees to ensure that their employees are aware of this policy and the possible consequences of violation.
Violations of this policy may result in a range of actions, including:
* Listing cancellation
* Limits on account privileges
* Account suspension
* Forfeit of eBay fees on canceled listings
* Loss of PowerSeller status
* Referral to Law EnforcementSpend a few minutes taking eBay’s tutorial on shill bidding.
If you believe that another member is artificially raising the price or desirability of an item by shill bidding please report it to eBay. Please be sure to provide the user IDs and the item numbers in question.
Some Examples
Below are several examples in which shill bidding has taken place. Shill bidding can take place in other situations than those illustrated here. Remember, the key issues determining shill bidding are manipulation of price or desirability, or bidding by individuals with a level of access to the seller’s item information not available to the general Community.
Jean operates a very successful business auctioning items on eBay. Ben, an employee of Jean’s, wants to purchase several of the items offered by Jean and places bids on those items. Even though Ben really wants to buy the items, his special access to information not available to the general Community creates an inherent, unfair advantage.
John is selling his extra MP3 player on eBay. During the auction John’s girlfriend, Jane, places a bid on the MP3 player even though she does not intend to buy the MP3 player. The MP3 player is won by a third person, Bob, whose bid is $5 higher than Jane’s.
Sally is selling her car on eBay. During the auction, Sally becomes worried that her car might sell for less than the amount she is hoping to receive. To ensure that no bidder can win her car for less than the price she has in mind, Sally uses another eBay account to place bids on her own car, increasing the volume of bidding and raising the price to the level she feels is “fair.”
Bob is a high-volume seller on eBay, who wants to be sure that he never sells at a loss. Rather than use eBay’s “Reserve Price” feature to set his minimum sale prices, Bob has an associate place bids on his auctions… in effect, setting a “hidden” reserve price.
Additional Information
Shill bids manipulate auctions or involve bidding by individuals with a level of access to the seller’s item information not available to the general Community. They are placed or caused to be placed by the seller or bidders associated with the seller. Shill bidding is forbidden under the terms of the eBay User Agreement. To review your eBay User Agreement – click here. Shill bidding is also illegal in many places throughout the world, with severe penalties.
Reporting shill bidding: Shill bidding reports are investigated thoroughly. Sometimes, what appears to be shill bidding may actually be legitimate bidding activity. If eBay concludes that shill bidding has taken place, a wide range of actions may occur-from a warning and education about this policy, to account suspension and even referral to law enforcement. eBay’s policy with regard to member privacy prevents us from disclosing to you any details or results of an investigation.
Suspending sellers: A seller may be suspended permanently the first time shill bidding is discovered. However, eBay recognizes that some members might not understand that shill bidding is wrong. We believe in educating those members and providing them with a second chance. At times, that education may be reinforced by a temporary suspension and other consequences.
Seller rules:* A seller is allowed to have more than one registered eBay account. However, there must never be any interaction between the accounts in the areas of bidding or feedback, and all user information must be accurate and consistent.
* Sellers cannot bid on their own listings.
* Friends and people you know who are truly interested in purchasing items you have listed may do so, provided they use fixed price purchasing options like Buy It Now. Bidding on your item for any other reason is forbidden.
* If you bid on some of your own auctions, but you did not know this was shill bidding, you are still responsible. Under the eBay User Agreement- to which you agreed when you registered to join eBay-you are responsible for understanding and complying with eBay policies.
* If your accounts were suspended for shill bidding because your child used your account to list items and then bid on those items, you are still responsible. These accounts may not be reinstated before completion of the suspension period. Individuals are responsible for maintaining the security of their account password and for all eBay account activity carried out under their identity. Furthermore, it is a violation of eBay’s User Agreement for a person under the age of 18 to use eBay unless the child is under the direct supervision of the adult or guardian who owns the account.
Ending listings early: You may end a listing early unless 1) there is a bid which exceeds your reserve price, and 2) it is within twelve hours of online auction end. When you want to end your listing because you’ve changed your mind about selling an item, be sure to cancel all bids before you end it. If you don’t cancel all bids before ending your listing, you will be required to sell the item to the high bidder when the listing closes.
Bid History and Bidder Search: The Bid History page provides a view of the bidding and retractions that take place while the listing is active. Bidding patterns that show no advantage to the bidder but significantly increase the bidding price of the listing may suggest shill bidding. Questionable patterns include multiple bids by a bidder in short, deliberate intervals or bidding several times in small amounts even when other bids have not been placed on the item.
To keep eBay a safe place for buyers and sellers, eBay limits how bid history information is displayed. When the highest bid, reserve or Buy It Now price on an item reaches or exceeds a certain level, members cannot view or search for member-specific information-such as user IDs-on the Bid History page. The Bidding Details page contains detailed information on bidders, however, all bidders are assigned anonymous names-such as x***y. Only the seller can see a bidder’s user ID.
Regardless of the current high bid, when a reserve or Buy It Now price is initially set at a certain level, user IDs will appear as anonymous names throughout the duration of the auction, even if the seller lowers the price.
Note: The price or bid amount at which user IDs are no longer viewable is determined by eBay and varies by country.
Trading Assistants: eBay recommends that, as a Trading Assistant, you do several things. First, include language in your Contract that:
* prohibits this type of activity and references eBay’s policy on Shill Bidding
* states that you would report such activity to eBay if discovered
* states that you would cooperate with Law Enforcement in prosecution of such activitySecond, if you do become aware of such activity, you should:
* notify the individual who is shill bidding that they are in violation of eBay policy
* cancel all relevant bids
* proactively report the shill bidding ID and relevant auction information to eBayInvestigating shill bidding: eBay’s policy against Shill Bidding applies equally to all eBay members. eBay’s Shill Bidding policy enforcement and violation consequences focus on the nature of the offense, not the status of the offender. eBay will apply its consequence guidelines impartially, without regard to whether the member is a long-established and large-scale seller or a new member. In order to protect the marketplace effectively, eBay refrains from any discussion of detection and investigation methods. Discussion of specific methods can provide sellers intentionally attempting to shill bid with information that can then be used in circumventing detection. Consequently, eBay will not disclose specific methods or types of evidence unless they are obvious.
Why does eBay have this policy?
Shill bidding undermines trust in the marketplace since prices are being artificially manipulated. Furthermore, it is illegal in many locations throughout the world. To ensure that buyers’ and sellers’ trust in eBay’s marketplace is appropriately placed, shill bidding is not permitted.
For More Information: Market Watch | stonark/*stoneark* (Corner Collectibles / Cornner Collectibles)
Jason De Bord