Dave Hinz wrote:

On 12 Jul 2005 06:43:54 -0700, wrote:
Dave Hinz wrote:

Yes. ROFL all you want, but the reason you're doing it (hypothetically,
of course) is to get the item without them having a chance to outbid
you. Tell me I'm wrong. It's all about you doing it to them so they
can't do it to you. Do you deny that?

OK, you're wrong. They can outbid me instantly if they've placed a
proxy. Even if they haven't read eBay's recommendations on how to bid,
anyone with half a brain can figure it out after an auction or two.

And you contend that people make one proxy bid ever, and never up it? I
disagree. It's those people who you're outracing at the last second.

They are still free to up their bid at any point during the auction.
If they rationally determined a maximum amount they would pay for the
item and then bid less than that amount, then either it was an
ignorant bid due to not understanding the rules, or they were trying
to somehow manipulate the bidding. On the other hand, if their maximum
was based simply on what others bid rather than being based on how
they valued the item on their own, then it was an irrational bid.

How did you arrive at the notion that you, as a seller, have a moral
right to take advantage of their irrationality (in the second case) to
get the best possible price for yourself, but I, as a bidder, have no
moral right to take advantage of their ignorance or their unsuccessful
conniving (in the first case) to get the best possible price for
myself?