Well, the only way to be certain is to report it to eBay for Shill Bidding -- so I did. We shall see what happens. If it is shill bidding, ebay will cancel the auction and reprimand the seller. One of my pet peeves is shill bidding! Just some info on shill bidding: ----------------------------- Shill Bidding is bidding that artificially increases an item’s price or apparent desirability, or bidding by individuals with a level of access to the seller’s item information not available to the general Community. Shill bidding is prohibited on eBay. Because family members, roommates and employees of sellers have a level of access to item information which is not available to the general Community, they are not permitted to bid on items offered by the seller–even if their sole intent is to purchase the item. Family members, roommates or employees may purchase items from a seller without violating this policy simply by using purchase options–such as Buy It Now–which do not involve bidding. eBay strongly encourages sellers with employees to ensure that their employees are aware of this policy and the possible consequences of violation. Violations of this policy may result in a range of actions, including: Listing cancellation Limits on account privileges Account suspension Forfeit of eBay fees on canceled listings Loss of PowerSeller status Referral to Law Enforcement