Definition of a Shill

A shill is an associate of a person selling goods or services who pretends no association to the seller and assumes the air of an enthusiastic customer. The intention of the shill is, using crowd psychology, to encourage other potential customers, unaware of the set-up, to purchase said goods or services. Shills are often employed by confidence artists.

Shills are illegal in many circumstances and in many jurisdictions, because of the frequently fraudulent and damaging character of their actions. However, if a shill doesn't actually put uninformed parties at a risk of loss, but merely generates “buzz,” he or she may be legal. A person who is planted in an audience to laugh and applaud when appropriate, see "claque", or to participate in on-stage activities as a “random member of the audience,” is one example of a type of shill who usually operates legally. Remember Jeff Gannon/Gucket?