Posted By:
Jeff OThe one thing that is often conveniently ignored in these discussions is eBay. They don't get the fees they are rightfully entitled to when the seller pulls his auction and sells offline. I've heard all the excuses before - their fees are too high, they have the only game in town, they're a big company, etc. It's all crap. I'm always amazed at how many people are willing to commit "soft fraud" againt major corporations. The seller enters into a contract with eBay when he lists his item, and if he takes it down to sell offline to someone and doesn't pay eBay their fees, he's breaking the contract.
That's the big difference in the example Steve gives - if the offer is made through a major auction house (pick your favorite), I promise you the auction house would still get their fee for brokering the deal. The reason many (most) folks pull their auctions is to avoid paying eBay fees - essentially using them as free advertising for the item for sale.
When a seller lists with eBay, he knows the rules and expectations, and he shouldn't screw them out of their fees just because he got what he feels was a generous offer.
Jeff