How to date an early Herman Miller lounge (gift from Paul Newman...)  

I
have to agree with Barry, apart from being bad sport, it can only serve to push up the fees even higher if people continue to evade them..bit like taxes.
For all their faults, eBay fees are still less than a regular auction house, and the audience is somewhat larger..

Oops, I was wrong...
...sellers can't end an auction in the last 12 hours if there is a bid. Ebay must have changed that rule since the last time I did it, which was awhile ago. They have always had problems with some sellers using ebay as free or cheap marketing for their items---list stuff to get it seen and then deal off ebay to avoid paying ebay's commission. This is just another step in their attempts to control that.
I get bidders all the time asking me to sell to them before the listing is over and I just assume they want me to cancel the other bids and re-do the listing as a Buy It Now. Most ask "what's your Buy It Now price for this?", in fact. The only way to contact a seller is through Ebay (another one of their controls), so any overt offers can be intercepted. I don't think they screen every email but there's no way of knowing what gets monitored, so it's a good system.
The Eames chair seller was dealing over the phone, though, wasn't he? There are still ways to evade paying fees but Ebay has made it pretty difficult. I have been selling on Ebay for 10 years and remember well the early days when sellers got away with all kinds of crap. I applaud Ebay for instituting controls. They provide a venue like no other and for way, way less money than you'd pay if you sold at local auctions or consignment stores.

ebay is a monopoly with by...
ebay is a monopoly with by far the worst customer service of any company i have ever dealt with. i jump at any chance i get to buy and/or sell off of the site (trust me, this isn't why they keep raising prices...it's because they're greedy). if you see something that you really want, i'd encourage all of you to pursue it before the auction closes or there's a good chance you'll be bidding against the sellers friends.
if you're looking for a real auction experience, i'd suggest staying away from ebay and going to a real auction (and if you've never been to an auction, know that many play as many games as those on ebay) : )