[swarmee]

I believe it is legal in *some* states, with prior notification to other bidders that it can happen. As in, some auction companies have it in their terms of service (Heritage?) that the auctioneer can bid on behalf of consignors or members can bid on their own consignments.

It is not legal according to eBay terms of service, to my knowledge. eBay is also a worldwide auctionhouse, so whatever Betsy says that might apply in Oregon likely does not apply to eBay at large.

Most auction bidders would say that Betsy's definition doesn't meet the smell test. Edit: Basically, her definition allows the pushing of bids leading to market manipulation.