I wonder

[John Kielly]

... if I made a product

.... if I only sold it to a market who would enhance my reputation

..... if I wanted to up my margin on sale

then I would bypass my process of accepting orders from my chosen demographic

I would publicly advertise one of my product at my new higher price

I would ostensibly offer it to a bidder selected by chance

but I would make sure that the winning bidder fitted the demographic I have been selling to

and lo, I would change the marketplace

....... if

 

[Madrox]

I think that's called a shill or shilling or something and the reason it's illegal is it results in unjustifiable enrichment. It's done everyday on television but that seems okay. Going back to the apartment example. If the apartment owner asked double the price to indicate a rise in value and a rise in demand but sold for typical value then simply reported "sale complete" would that be the same? I really think it would be hard to prosecute. But shilling usually is.

 

[papapaul]

That happens all the time. MLS doesn't tell you the negotiated sale price, you have to dig for it after the sale closes. The sale might fall through and the negotiated price is invalid. It is when you try to manipulate the stated closing price that the crime occurs. Historically this was done to avoid taxes.

 

[jGEE]

This is all totally hypothetical.
*So if a person wanted to try a scam/shill -he would need to tools. Say somebody did as Mr. John suggested -"if I only sold it to a market who would enhance my reputation". He/she does just that and finds the most read public forum that has the largest pool of potential buyers. Then every week crows post after post about how great you are.... doesn't even have the courtesy to buy a banner add as other have done.

The forum becomes the perfect tool for the scam/shill. Only a few see it coming and are shouted down when they try and inform the populace. So now it's time for the scam/shill -Mr/Mss manipulator doesn't even post the scam/shill add. With careful planning Mr/Mss has an unsuspecting accomplice do the deed for him. Now the perpetrator has totally insulated himself from any crime. All he has do is say he never authorized the post or maybe "i got hacked".

You would think any advertisement for pay, say $3 bucks per add would have some responsibility to delete suspect adds. If the adds are free -well let the buyer beware but it would seem when a a fee is involved a little more responsibility would be in order.

Why would a person use friends for monetary gain especially when there is no need to. The manipulator gets off scott free while to me there a few others in this scam/shill i have lost a little respect for. just my view, no disrespect intended towards anyone. joe

 

[Dave Coots]

Supply and demand

Pure and simple. Auction bid. The man selling the item did not price it, the auction bids did. Inflated price, not to the successful buyer. Is all the free advertising right, probably not. Nothing else to talk about anyway.

Dave

 

[Bill Wynne]

... if I made a product

.... if I only sold it to a market who would enhance my reputation

..... if I wanted to up my margin on sale

then I would bypass my process of accepting orders from my chosen demographic

I would publicly advertise one of my product at my new higher price

I would ostensibly offer it to a bidder selected by chance

but I would make sure that the winning bidder fitted the demographic I have been selling to

and lo, I would change the marketplace

....... if

The problem with that plan is the man who sees a product and says to himself, "I can build a it better and sell it for less" and the customer who says, "That's too much".

Concho Bill