Posted By:
JK"To put a finer point on it, I think it's okay from the bidder/buyer/offeror end but not so much from the seller end"
Glad we got the seller out of the way. Maybe Im wrong, but without researching the issue, it would seem that the bidder/buyer/offeror (I assume you mean the second in line - ie the one who offers more money to get the seller to reneg) has tortiously interfered with another's contract - so he isnt off the hook either.
"In this case, the sale was advertised as an auction that would end at a specific time, not at a specific dollar amount since it did not have a BIN. Buyers relied on the seller statement (inherent in the auction format and regardless of the express statement added later) that they would have until Time X on Day Y to put in their offers."
Correct, but the seller formed no contract with any of these potential offerors and was under no obligation to continue to accept offers/bids if he found a deal to his liking.
"When, as in this case, an auction disappears, I think it is okay for the other bidders to jump in with subsequent offers to try to undo the sale."
See above.
"The seller? Heck he's already out on a limb for ending the auction early, so undoing that transaction is just the next shade of shady."
True, but I still believe that this is permitted by ebay's rules (though obviously ebay would prefer that it be done by revising the auction and putting it up with a BIN so it gets its fees). The fact that it was done off line is shady only to the extent that the seller is trying to save himself a couple hundred in ebay fees - its not shady simply because he chose to end the auction early and accept an unsolicited offer.