What is Shilling?

Shilling is when someone promotes the virtues of a collectible they own in an attempt to get others to buy and drive up the price.

Usage:

Stop shilling Superman, we know you own three of them!

Full Definition:

Shilling, also known as shilling your bags or pumping your bags, is when a user promotes collectibles they have a vested interest in, in an attempt to get other users to buy-in and increase the price.

Shilling is a common practice on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook, where complaining about how “undervalued” or “overlooked” a collectible is is almost a daily ritual.

Of course, it is natural for users to share the excitement for collectibles they love or to offer advice to others about good deals they’ve discovered, but because of the financial incentives involved, this often ends up as shilling.

Users should beware of any influencers that push advice on colletibles to buy on social media, ask if they have a vested interest in promoting it, and do their own research before FOMOing into a purchase.