"Bidder" Relationship with the Seller? Lessons Learned!

I am new to eBay. And I have been losing bids to "Buyers" under unusual circumstances (transaction smells). For example, bidders that show at the last minute or bidders that go above and beyond the value of the item. So recently, I have found out that you can click on the ID of the bidder and find out their "relationship" with the seller. So, I have stopped bidding on items where the highest bidder do 3% or more of their bidding with the respective seller. In some cases, I have seen percentages as highest 93-95%. Interestingly enough, the same items are re-listed by the original seller (sometimes) shortly after the higher bidder has supposedly bought the item. Try it! It is true!|||Last minute bidders are called "snipers" and are VERY common here at eBay. I wouldn't be surprised if the majority of successful auctions have at least one snipe bid. I had a recent auction that had 4 (with zero bids prior to the last few minutes). There's also a long history of people overbidding on eBay. It's one of the reasons sellers use auctions in the first place. So, neither of these activities are necessarily suspicious. The 93%-95% activity would depend on how much activity that buyer/bidder had, though it's sure to raise an eyebrow. Relisting would only be suspicious if the item was OOAK or exceedingly rare. Many commodity sellers have multiples of the items they list.|||Showing up to buy at the last minute is common (called sniping). Going above the value of the item could be currency conversion, ignorance, or need to get something now instead of trying for a good deal. I'm not saying the things you've observed can't be suspicious by the way. I just didn't know if you were aware of sniping, etc. I buy most things buy it now or within the last minute or two myself. I think some people actually have programs that snipe for them, though I don't have any experience with those.|||"and find out their "relationship" with the seller" Huh???? Don't think so....|||If you are losing because someone bids at the last minute(w a higher bid than you) or w a higher bid than you that is the nature of bidding.High bid wins no matter when placed. To be suspicious it would have to be an underbidder bidding enough to drive your bid to its max without actually going over it-leaving you the winner .It may not be your fault but it is your responsibility Silver rule "do not do to others what you would not like to be done to you"||||||Going above the value of the item could be currency conversion, ignorance, or need to get something now instead of trying for a good deal. Or it could also be that the other bidder simply values the item more than you do.friends Director,|||Some people don't live close to big chain stores and are willing to pay extra not to drive 1-2 hours to get the item. Instead they pay over price but have it delivered to their door saving both time and money(driving expenses).|||You should also take into consideration that some sellers have worked very hard over the years to build a loyal customer base and so they will sometimes have several purchases from one bidder. When my mother first started buying on ebay many years ago she had some bad experiences. There are only a select few sellers that she trusts now. In any given time period she might have as high as 100% of her purchases with one seller. It is always good to keep an eye on things because there are cheats and scammers on ebay but most of the time I think there are very logical explanations for the behavior you have mentioned.|||may be best to just shop at wal-mart. there you don't have to worry about your bid being to low . or some silly person paying what they believe the item is worth. at times i've only bought from one seller for a few months as i buy to resell and they have the best items. so it'd show 100% . which shows you only that i like that seller's items. your concerns are silly in most cases. just bid your max and if out id look at other's items.|||I snipe and do quite well at it. I love one particular seller, so I make quite a few purchases (post cards) at the last second. I recently paid WAYYY TOOO MUCH for a cat post card because I wanted to frame it...as art goes, it was priceless to ME. Nothing wrong with over-paying...|||||||||cause your new, I'll clarify for you.... sniping is just waiting to bid till the last minute so that your bid doesn't drive up a newbie's bid thereby causing you to have to bid again reactively.... keeps you sane and keeps your bid at the max you were actually willing to pay...Friends just call me Crazy. Or you can call me Ms. Crazy.