“COLLUSIVE BIDDING” COSTING VENDORS THOUSANDS

Unscrupulous buyers, with the help or encouragement of buyer’s agents, are using dirty tricks to secure properties at auction as a record number of homes are sold under the hammer and prices hover near record levels.

The practice, known as “collusive bidding”, involves two or more bidders who represent the same buyer, but creating the impression that there are multiple buyers bidding for the same property. One buyer’s agent said the tactic worked “brilliantly” and recently saved their client more than $300,000 at auction. Read more