Ethics of last minute auction "poaching"

I don't think sniping is necessarily pro-buyer. I've sold a few items on e-bay that were 'sniped'. In a few of the cases a previous high bidder who had the high bid for a relatively long time (say 12 hours on a one week auction) would write me, explain what happened, and ask if they could buy it for a slightly higher price. I always demure, but it's clear that an extention system would have yielded me a higher selling price. I do agree, however, that almost every problem is addressed if bidders actually use their high price when they bid. On the other hand I've bid on auctions where that high price moved up a little in the last hour or so...

Some auction sites have a 5 minute overtime rule, where the auction ends once 5 minutes pass with no new bid. Kind of like "Going, Going, Gone". ----- If I am not there at the end I alway bid the most I am willing to pay and hope for the best.

Auctions are for the "Big Boys" the rules are the same for everyone. STOP! crying! If you want to bid, BID, if not just look elsewhere.

AGAIN AUCTIONS ARE FOR ADULTS.

I attend regular auctions during the normal course of business. I'm in the car business and auctions are part of it. There have been many times I've been outbid by last second bidders who wait to see if others, including myself, have bid less than what they ultimately will pay. The auction process is interesting to say the least; emotions play a big role and there are many times when someone will pay more than they wanted to just because they figure they're "in for a penny, in for a pound" and so they stay in the auction longer than they should and pay the price. The secret, if there is such a thing, is to calculate what you are willing to pay at most for what your bidding on and have the "balls" to walk away once the price exceeds that figure. Auctions can be fun. Once in a while you might get a great deal on some piece of equipment that's worth more to you than it is to others. It's not a life or death siuation and remember this is supposed to be fun!!

Yea. I do it. It's a free market.