eBay being sued over patent infringement

From: J.C.Wren <jcwren_at_jcwren.com>
Date: Thu Apr 24 11:09:01 2003

        Out of curiosity, why is it in my best interest as a seller to prevent
people from making rash decisions? Unless you're a very strange seller,
most sellers are out to get the maximum amount they can for the item in
question. It's not my moral or social responsibility to keep others from
making stupid decisions. If you're old enough to bid/sell on eBay (and RL
auctions), you're old enough to decide if you're spending too much or not
(and I'm not talking about mispresented products).

        This is very much NOT like preying on old people for home repairs. eBay
may turn into an addiction for some, but no one MAKES you press the 'bid'
button.

        --John


> -----Original Message-----
> From: cctalk-admin_at_classiccmp.org
> [mailto:cctalk-admin_at_classiccmp.org]On
> Behalf Of Jeffrey Sharp
> Sent: Thursday, April 24, 2003 11:49
> To: cctalk_at_classiccmp.org
> Subject: Re: eBay being sued over patent infringement
>
>
> On Thursday, April 24, 2003, Innfogra_at_aol.com wrote:
> > Actually, as a seller, I think the eBay process sucks. It
> is the second
> > best bidder that really sets the price. The advantage
> really is to the
> > bidder.
>
> I feel that the advantage quite frequently tilts to the
> seller. When two or
> more bidders are competing in the final moments of an
> auction, they get
> caught in the excitement of battle, and those psychological
> forces induce
> them to place bids higher then they would have normally
> placed. I have
> experienced it both as a seller and as a bidder.
>
> > Another very successful Internet auction run by LabX is a
> much preferred
> > model for me. It is where the sale is extended by a minute
> or two when
> > each bid comes in at the end of the auction. WWW.labx.com
>
> My favorite idea is simply to have sealed bids. That is, you
> don't know the
> high bid until the auction closes. Doing it that way
> prevents last-minute
> psychology from causing bad decisions.
>
> --
> Jeffrey Sharp
Received on Thu Apr 24 2003 - 11:09:01 BST