I would agree with the sentements already expressed. If I were a bidder or watcher on an auction and somebody came in and bid then the auction ended without me having a fair opportunity to bid or rebid I would be a bit upset. I might not think much of it if it happened once or twice as there are times when things like that can happen but if it happened consistantly I would be upset. I would probably make note of such actions and avoid bidding on that sellers auctions in the future.

It seems to me what you would end up with, is a small group of repeat bidders and friends who will be bidding but you won't be getting new customers who will take a chance. You are basically pushing away a large number of potential repeat customers who might not get past the first couple of auctions before they give up on you.

I have seen a couple of auctions though where the seller specifically states that he/she reserves the right to close the auction early if they get what they percieve as a fair bid price. If you are going to insist on doing this I would suggest you at least, if you haven't already done so, be honest enough to post your policies and intentions. While I don't like early closings and can't understand why a seller wouldn't want to go to full length of the auction to get more bids, at least I know going in that the auction could be pulled at any time. I would know that I must actually bid, if I am interested, rather than waste opportunity by watching.