Help - Frequently Asked Questions
Shill Bidding
Shill Bidding is bidding that artificially seeks to manipulate or increase the price or supposed appeal of an item. It also includes bidding by members with a level of access to the seller's item information not obtainable by the general public. Shill Bidding is not permitted on CPAPAuction.Since family members, roommates and employees of sellers have a level of access to item information which is not accessible to the general public, they are not allowed to place bids on products offered by the seller, even if their sole intent is to purchase the item.
CPAPAuction highly recommends to sellers with employees that they make certain their employees are observant and cognizant of the CPAPAuction Shill Bidding policy and the potential ramifications of violating this policy.
Violating this policy might lead to a series of actions, including:
- Limited account access and abilities
- Suspended account
- The forfeiture of CPAPAuction fees on terminated listings
- Listing termination
- Selling fee schedule adjustments
- Referral to Law Enforcement
Examples of Shill Bidding include, but are not limited to, the following types of activities:
Gary runs a highly profitable business selling items on CPAPAuction. Jason, one of Gary's employees, desires to buy a few of the products that Gary is selling, and so he places bids on the auctions. However, his privileged access to information not accessible by the general public provides him with a fundamentally improper advantage.
Sarah has an extra CPAP mask she has listed on CPAPAuction. Once the auction has started, Sarah's husband, Greg, starts bidding on the CPAP mask even though he has no intention of actually buying the item. The winner of the CPAP mask is another CPAPAuction member named Ronald, whose winning bid ends up being $10.00 more than Greg's last bid.
Bear is trying to sell a CPAP machine on CPAPAuction. During the listing period, Bear get concerned that he may not get as much money for the item as he had really wanted. So, Bear creates another CPAPAuction member account and starts bidding on his own item, raising up the price, all in an effort to make certain he gets the amount of money that he feels he should get for the item.
Shill Bidding is not permitted under the CPAPAuction User Agreement. Shill Bidding is illegal in several jurisdictions around the world, often involving severe penalties.
Seller rules:
- A seller is allowed to have more than one registered CPAPAuction 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 may not place bids on their own auction items.
- Friends and people you know are allowed to bid on your item if they really have the honest intention of purchasing the item. They are not permitted to bid on your item for any other reason.
- You are still responsible if you place bids on some of your own items, even if you did not realize this was considered Shill Bidding.
- If your account is suspended because your child, or someone else, uses your accounts and lists items and places bids on those items, then you are still held liable and those accounts must complete any period of suspension that we deem appropriate. Individuals are responsible for maintaining the security of their account password and for all CPAPAuction account activity carried out under their identity. Furthermore, it is a violation of CPAPAuction's User Agreement for a person under the age of 18 to use CPAPAuction.
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