The percentage bid activity with that seller just doesn't look like shilling.
The original three were 4, 6 and 39 percent. Shill accounts are usually well over 90 percent.
Retractions as a way to interfere or to find a reserve or someone elses high bid seems more likely to me. It's not something I'd be bothered with, but it would be easy to make an "obvious mistake" sort of bid, then retract claiming a typo. Of course the failure of that tactic is that you'd never know what snipe bids were in place. I'm not sure knowing the current maximum of an early bidder would be all that useful.
For reserves I usually just ask if I'm really interested but not sure just how much something will be. Some sellers will tell, some won't. I usually did, once it's reached, it's not a secret anyway.
And there aren't any cards I can afford where knowing someone elses bid would change mine. I have a pretty good idea of which ones will be more than I can spend.
Steve B
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