Rumor has it that William Donzelli may have mentioned these words:
> > How is this any different then if I go with a friend to a restaurant, and
> > we both order Apple Pie for dessert, and they tell us "Sorry, there is
> > only one peice left", and I change my order to Key Lime Pie instead,
> > because I know my friend would really like the Apple Pie.
>
>A retail store and an auction have wildly different pricing structures,
>obviously.
And chances are, the Key Lime Pie was the same price as the Apple... The
restaurant didn't lose out on a sale.
Now, if you'd decided to let your friend have the pie, and you chose not to
have dessert, then that's too bad for the restaurant; they should have had
more pie in stock. ;-)
> > I know it is crappy, and I sympathise with any sellers that loose out,
> > but I still don't get how it is unethical for someone to choose not to
> > bid against a friend, or anyone else that they know really wants
> > something.
I don't see "dropping out of a race for a friend" is that unethical; if
that's as far as it goes. I've done it myself - both on ePay and at regular
auctions. I'm talking the scenario of: bowing out of 5 active bidders,
leaving 4 -- thereby giving my friend a better chance (statistically) of
winning the item. Quite often, the price went over what I (or my friend)
was willing to pay anyway.
>Both wanted the item. Obviously before the end of the auction, they
>communicate and determine who will try to win it. After the auction, the
>one that declined to bid writes me asking for another identical item (and
>admits to colluding). Is this not an attempt to keep the price low?
This is the part that I think is very unethical, and is in violation of
eBay's user agreement.
>Does anyone remember when Ebay allowed one legal shill per auction?
Yup. I didn't do any selling then, but I did quite a bit of browsing...
Anyone remember when eBay was an ISP, and the auctions were just a
sideline? ;-) (Anyone remember the name and URL of it?) ;-)
[[ Heck, when you're talking stuff like this, it's almost ontopic...
;-) ]]
Laterz,
Roger "Merch" Merchberger
--
Roger "Merch" Merchberger | A new truth in advertising slogan
SysAdmin, Iceberg Computers | for MicroSoft: "We're not the oxy...
zmerch_at_30below.com | ...in oxymoron!"
Received on Sun Feb 13 2005 - 01:57:58 GMT