Originally Posted by JeffS
I could rant for days about people who start bidding on items days before the end.
As a seller, I love it, but as a buyer it drives me insane.
You'll see something like a nice frame go up with a $10 starting bid (WITH NO RESERVE) and within the first day idiots have run it up to over $500. Some of this is due to shill bidding by sellers, but not the majority. Are their that many people out there who don't understand that the early bidder never wins?
I don't get this ranting. When I am shopping ebay and I see an item I might want I put in a bid for the maximum amount I would pay for the item. If no one else is willing to pay more I win the item, if someone thinks it is worth more then they win it. Early bidders do often win and most of my best deals have been on items I bid 4-5 days before the end. I don't have the time or desire to try to get an item with a last second steal. If your last second bid won the item then you paid more than I was willing to.
As for a den of thieves I think you have to be careful about who you deal with but many of the sellers are either LBSs getting rid of old inventory or entrepreneurs retailing through Ebay.
Craig