Big Nob eBay.
Years ago and far far away, many believed eBay was A Good Thing.
Whereas today, they don't because it's not.
Of the £6 million eBay says it spends on anti-fraud measures -- including shill bidding -- around £5.9 million is probably invested in producing corporate Public Relations news releases about how £6 million is spent on anti-fraud measures.
Fact: the nob in this case used two almost identical IDs and the same address and IP details.
Fact: the nob in this case would've been pretty much instantly identified as a shiller by other eBayers a few years ago.
Fact: eBay stopped other eBayers from identifying and reporting shillers by introducing ID masking.
Fact: eBay makes its money from commission on items sold, so the higher the price, the higher the commission. Having to act on reports about shill bidding -- it never did anyway, but that's by-the-by -- means acting against eBay's own interests. The introductionof ID masking thus spared eBay both the embarrassment of dealing with shill bidders whilst simultaneously protecting eBay's income stream.
Fact: eBay didn't spot this shill bidder (or, if it did, then as usual it hoped for the best and ignored it.) even though this particular nob has to be one of the thickest and most amateurish scumbags ever to get an eBay ID.
Fact: eBay is now desperately trying to exploit this court case to its own advantage in exactly the same way it exploits everyone who uses it to its own advantage.
Fact: the nob in this case could've been fined £5,000 per offence but wasn't -- so no, El Reg's feedback rating is utterly misplaced: should've been a neg. Not a pozzi.
Fact: the nob in this case isn't the only nob who uses eBay. By definition, anyone who buys anything on eBay is a nob -- unless they're a shiller, in which case, welcome to eBay.
Fact: a P&P-free 12-month guaranteed brand new product from Amazon UK will in 90% of cases always be a better deal than the same product flogged second-hand without warranty on eBay and posted to you in a black bin liner at a P&P cost of £4.99p to cover the seller's "inconvenience" in having to, er, pack and post it to you.