What would you do?

Spoken like a true non-lawyer. Truth is a defense you can use after you get sued. The idea is not to get sued in the first place. It's not what you don't know that hurts you - it's what you think you do know. Be careful. It's a dangerous world.

Personally, I think that making an accusation like that could open you up to a slander lawsuit. Once you get sued, it doesn't matter who is right or wrong. You will still have to defend yourself, which is a pain. And then what if you lose and you end up with a judgment against you. Don't ever think you'll win a lawsuit because you're telling the truth or God is on your side or whatever. It doesn't work that way. IMO, if you think the bidding is crooked, don't bid and walk away. But, again, IMO, you come out blasting on the web, you have to be ready to take the heat. I wouldn't. There's some free legal advice for you. Take it or don't. Good luck.

OK, then you know that you don't want to be a defendant in a lawsuit if at all possible. Maybe I'm a bit more risk adverse than you are. Getting sued sucks. They don't teach that in law school.

Really - an educated consumer should not be ripped off by shill bidders. When I bid on something, which is rare, I know the top price I want to pay and stick to it. It's not a contest, it's an auction. If someone wants to shill it higher, they can have it. Yes, I understand that in a legit auction, I may have gotten the item for less than my top bid, but if I get it for within my bid range, I'm OK with it. Shill bidding is a risk of ANY auction anywhere and if you can't live with that, there are plenty of fixed price listings. Personally, I think you should either spit it out or walk away. You're devoting far to much time to this thing. IMO.