A British seller on eBay who drove up prices for his own goods by secretly bidding for them faces fines of up to £50,000 ($83,000).

Paul Barrett also used a second account on the internet auction site to post positive feedback. The company said the case, the first prosecution of its kind in Britain, was a clear warning against the practice of ''shill bidding'' to bump up prices.

Mr Barrett, 39, who runs a minibus hire firm, admitted 10 charges of false bidding for items ranging from a Range Rover to a pie and pasty warmer.

He was caught after a separate complaint over false mileage on a minibus prompted an investigation by local trading standards officers.

Magistrates in Skipton, Yorkshire, were told that Mr Barrett had set up an account with the user name Shanconpaul. But he placed bids using a different identity, Paulthebusman.