I hope this isn't getting personal, John, I 'm not suggesting you're being less than honest. But I think it's pretty common knowledge that some sellers on ebay use the secret reserve to sell items while trying to avoid paying ebay the fees. I consider this less than totally honest and reputable, ie they're trying to rip off ebay. However your words about "when previous
buyers of that certain material rely on that seller
to protect their investment" sounds a bit like an attempt to keep prices artificially high. I say our good old American "Free" market system is the best and if it's good enough for our country as a whole, it ought to be good enough for auctioning off chips on ebay. (And I guess the bottom line is I and others don't like the secret reserves and you do, and I imagine neither of us are going to change our opinions.) But despite our difference of opinion I think you're a fine fellow and a much more knowledgeable chip collector than I am.