Shill bidding, “defensive bidding,” fake comps, all that icky stuff has been flying around the hobby. In this episode of Sports Cards Are Dope, I break down what actually happened, what shill bidding is in plain language, how to spot it on eBay, and why it hurts every honest collector, not just the buyer and seller in that one auction.

I wrap with three big takeaways for the hobby and my personal opinion on how we handle auctions without nuking trust.

Timestamps:

• 0:00 What up chicken nuggets + where I’ve been
• 0:36 Quick life update, dad’s surgery and coaching the kids
• 1:04 What kicked off the “defensive bidding” drama
• 1:37 What they meant by “defensive bidding” in that convo
• 2:54 OK, so what actually is shill bidding?
• 3:44 Real hobby examples of obvious shill bidding
• 4:21 How to spot shill bids on eBay in the wild
• 5:02 Is it illegal or just gross? The nuance
• 5:25 Why fake comps wreck the entire market, not just one auction
• 7:14 The risk you take when you list on auction
• 8:43 Why canceling low auctions is also trash behavior
• 9:44 Thought #1, shill bidding breaks the number one rule, trust
• 10:11 Thought #2, transparency is the new currency in the hobby
• 11:10 Thought #3, how auctions might have to evolve
• 11:45 My personal experience, temptations, and why I don’t do it
• 13:02 Advice if you hate watching your card tank at auction
• 13:45 Closing thoughts, Disney, Chicken Nugget Nation, and giveaways

CTA line you can add at the bottom:

Drop your thoughts in the comments, but keep it kind and respectful. Hit subscribe if you love sports cards and hate fake comps.