[geeks] eBay question

[Dan Sikorski]

Phil Stracchino wrote:
> I agree it is not fraudulent.  However, I still feel it is deceptive.
> It amounts to advertising something for sale at a starting price you
> know up front you have no intention of ever honoring, while concealing
> that fact from the buyer.
The seller is not concealing that fact from the buyer.  Every reserve 
price auction indicates very clearly that it has a reserve price.  The 
only thing concealed is the actual reserve amount.

I certainly agree that it can SEEM deceptive to someone who is 
unfamiliar with the auction process, but that is why ebay has extensive 
pages describing the auction process and it's rules.  Ignorance is no 
excuse, ebay makes every attempt to educate the bidder on this.  When 
that page comes up that says "You're currently the high bidder, but the 
reserve price hasn't been met."  On the right side of that page there is 
a section that is titled:  "What does "reserve price has not been 
met"mean?" that gives a breif description, and a link to a page with a 
full description.  Bidding in an auction is a different buying 
experience than purchasing an item in a store.  Don't like that buying 
experience?  Don't bid, use buy it now, use ebay stores, or just avoid 
ebay entirely.

If you understand the auction process, it's not deceptive.  If you don't 
understand the process, you probably should not bid.

    -Dan Sikorski