Michael,

Nice post. Clear, concise, and though provoking.

However, you say, referring the the second of the two post-convention auctions on eBay, "Does the description intend to mislead potential bidders as to the true value of the chip? It seems clear to me that the answer is yes."

How can you say what the sellers intentions are without talking to him, to see if he shares the same knowledge as you do? If you have spoken to him, or have other knowledge of exactly what he knows, then I guess his alleged "intent to mislead" could be clear to you.

If you have NOT spoken to him, or if you do not have other direct knowledge of his mindset when composing his auction description, labeling him a deceptive (implication: aggregiously unethical) seller is rather harsh, don't you think?

Please don't take this post as criticism, I like your post, and fully expect to hear back from you that you have spoken to him. Heck, I don't even know if this seller is a club member or not, and therefore bound by the Code of Ethics.