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Jeff LichtmanMan, this is one of those issues that really has compelling arguments both ways. It's incredible to me that while I know it is against ebay's rules to end auctions early and thus evade ebay's fees I am persuaded by a lot of what the anti-ebay folks say. Their rules are really a one-way street in terms of protection. Charlie is right in that if ebay actually made it difficult to open an account there would be a fraction of the shilling that goes on -- but that would not help ebay's bottom line. The truth is that ebay is a great marketplace, maybe the greatest one we'll ever see online but it is fraught with problems. I don't fault Charlie for ending his auction early as I've done it on occasion and will do it again. I know it's not right...but for some reason it doesn't bother me much due to the kick in the ass that ebay gives all of us on occasion.
Edited to add: Jeff O's post above is 100 % right on the money. He's right, period. But still......