...with ebay installing software to extend the closing time on a lot
that receives bids just before closing is...what is the purpose of
the closing date at all?? If it can be extended and extended again...
then why not just put a lot up and when the seller feels he/she has
a high enough bid, end the auction? In that respect, it seems kind
of crazy...

Also, the seller, in my opinion, always runs a risk of selling an
item for less than what they really wanted...that's just how auctions
are....it's up to them to choose the starting bid...if they're not
getting the price they really want, it's kind of their fault...in
my opinion...they can always by-pass the auction venue and sell it
outright to someone...

I have to agree with Rich H's statement in an earlier post...sometimes
a snipper is a god-send! The first time I was snipped, I felt just
like you do, David...then I realized that if really wanted something,
I'd have to play by the rules to get it....even if those rules seem
unethical....if you take the same situation but put it in a different
context....let's say you're going out to buy a car...you don't go on to
the car lot and announce to the salesman how high you're willing to go
to buy that car. You wait...look at the car...seem disinterested...then
offer a lower price....in that context, it could be argued that you are
trying to cheat the car lot out of their maximum price.

Okay, I'm done...I'll quit rambling... :-)

Katie