Jim,
In principal I have to agree with everything you say, however aren't we confusing business with a hobby?
I for one am not in this for profit. If I can pick up an item for my collection in the free market at a reasonable price, GREAT.

I think that there are also some positive things that can be said about e-bay. For one it has probably given the hobby of chip collecting more exposure than anything else that I can think of.

I also feel that without the exposure of a venue like e-bay the $5 Hacienda may not have reached the heights that it did.
Even if you considered this an exception it does show that e-bay can work both ways.