I agree with Mike. While contacting a high bidder and offering a lower price is despicable, it is just as despicable for a high bidder to accept his offer. The seller in an auction never claims you'll get an item at the lowest price available; in fact, of course, it's the buyer who sets the price and initiates the offer to the seller. For him to then back out of that commitment is just an agregious breach of integrity as the guy trying to undercut the seller in the first place. So if we're going to have one of our public show trials, let's make sure we get all the right "defendants" in the courtroom!:)