...the original post, actually an earlier thread, which prompted Steve's post, was about contacting bidders during a live auction. Auction interference is illegal. Contacting any bidders in a live auction, to take them away from that auction by offering them the same merchandise, is wrong, and anyone who would believe differently might as well go bootleg software.

It's OK if someone happens to discover you have something for sale that they are bidding on. It's OK if you list something for auction that someone else currently has for sale. It's not OK to look at the bidder list for current similar items to find people to advertise your auctions to. It's not OK to market your wares to people currently bidding on someone else's auctions for those wares. It's not just a bad idea, it's against the rules.

Once the auction is over, it's a different situation. You guys and gals can debate that all you want.