One more issue I was hoping someone would address, but I guess I'll have to. One of your friends lists a chip. Another friend bids on it. You see the auction and want the chip. If you bid on it, you're competing with a friend who also wants it. If you don't bid on it, you're not doing the seller any favors. Which friend do you choose to hurt?

Remember, by not bidding, you don't guarantee your bidder friend will get it. By bidding, doesn't mean you'll take it away from the first bidder if he thinks it's worth more.

And forget the dime-a-dozen LEs and RARE current house chips. The better chips on eBay, the chips most likely to cause excessive gnashing by long time regulars here... sometimes the seller doesn't know what they're worth, and depends on the free market auction system to determine the price.

So which friend will you do a disservice to? The bidder, who'll know you've bid against him, or the seller who will never know why his chip went for nothing?