is active/pending short sale a sales tactic?

[John Milliken]

just wondering...been watching certain houses on the market for almost a year with these labels on mls. I still drive by those certain houses once in awhile with for sale signs in front still.

from a definition stand point, Active/Pending-Short Sale - Offer has been accepted by seller and has been presented to financial institution but has not been accepted - property is still available for showing and back up offers are being accepted.

i know short sales take awhile to close but even some houses that hit day one have this active/pending label. thinking this a tactic to create an illusion of another fake buyer to drive up price.

one house keeps changing price up and down on listing, how can this house be pending a short sale if the listing price keep changing?