Seller faces £50,000 fine for sham eBay bids

An eBay seller has become the first person convicted in the UK for making sham bids on his own items on the online auction site. Paul Barrett, 39, from Stanley, Co Durham, could be fined up to £50,000 after pleading guilty to 10 charges under consumer protection laws.

Barrett, a minibus hire firm boss, increased the value of the items he was selling by bidding on them under a separate user name in an attempt to raise prices. Although Barrett admitted to misleading marketing and unfair trading breaches, he claimed he was not aware he was acting illegally.



North Yorkshire Trading Standards brought the case to eBay's attention after investigating a complaint that Barrett advertised and sold a minibus that had its mileage reduced illegally. Officers found he was selling goods under the account name 'shanconpaul' and then bidding for them under his other identity, 'paulthebusman'.

Barrett has had his eBay account suspended and now faces a fine of up to £5,000 for each offence. Sentencing is due to take place at Bradford Crown Court on 21 May. Vanessa Canzini, a spokesperson for eBay, described Barrett's actions as "morally unacceptable".