Yes you can game any system online even if honest people can't do so legitimately. And just cause you don't know how doesn't mean someone else doesn't. I do know people buy good e-bay reviews and they're sold in lots of large numbers. And to get a verified sale isn't hard to fake as long as a small amount of money is exchanged. And guess what that's a common tactic in fact it's a common enough tactic that a shockingly high rating can raise it's own red flag. But to me the bottom line is that the people on this list as a group have never steered me wrong as far as sellers go, that hasn't happened once. I've had great experiences with the sellers they said are great, you know above and beyond type of service. And also again if you doctor a picture of a estate pipe you're a con job who has no problem stealing and don't deserve any defense and can be assumed to not be above any low down trick that will allow you to con a few more bucks out anyone.
With some auctions, for whatever reason, my instincts went off. I just felt like someone the seller knew, if not themselves, bid on their own item.
Sometimes I'll put a auto bid on an item. That's the most I'll pay, if it goes over oh well. Other times I'll snipe something. I've been outsniped. But when I'm the only bidder and on the last day someone makes 2-3 bids, sometimes I just get suspicious. Not every time, just once in a while. Most the time the bidder has a very low score but has been a member for several years. Makes me very suspicious.