Pete,

What inconsistancy has Katie caught me in? My position has been consistant since I first became involved in this thread.

1. Every eBay seller has the right to cancel all bids and end an auction early. I showed you in private exactly where these rules and procedures are laid out.

2. The first few posts in this thread all agreed that the seller was "crummy", "wrong", and should be reported to eBay. One poster flatly stated that placing a bid creates a contract, which is totally incorrect. My posts have been an effort to set the record straight, to bring the FACTS to the table, so to speak.

3. The group here, as a whole, seemed to pay no attention to the fact that canceling bids and ending an auction early is allowable on eBay. They seemed more concerned with the bidders, WHO HAVE NO RIGHTS in this regard, than they are with the seller, who does have rights. If characterizing that as "rooting" for the bidders against the seller is harsh, I apologize, but that's how I see it.

4. Someone asked me, essentially, if I felt that every item on eBay should sell at market value, and I responded by saying absolutely not, that I rely on getting "good deals" to replenish my sale inventory. I gave an example of how I got a great deal due to a seller's careless misspelling of the word "Ivory". I bid fair and square, and got a great deal. But, if the seller had discovered the error, either himself or by someone notifying him BEFORE THE AUCTION WAS ENDED, and he then chose to cancel my bid and end the auction early, that would have been his right! He would be doing nothing wrong in handling it that way, and while I would go "damn!", I would not begrudge him doing what he had a right to do. I certainly would not "report him to eBay", and I would not publicly accuse him of doing anything wrong.

Again, where is my inconsistancy?