Trolling For Auctions

[Harvey A. Kader]

People should be aware that on-line auctions have rules which FORBID
shill bidding. This is where the seller bids on his own auction or has a
friend or relative do the same, just to drive the bids up. So with shill
bidding, free market forces can't act on the auction. In other words the
auction becomes contaminated with fake bids and the bids are therefore
biased upwards.

Trolling on this Heathkit list BY THE SELLER for Heathkit items listed
on an auction is SIMILAR to shill bidding because the activity does not
allow free market forces to operate. Free market forces means that
people discover the auctioned item on their own - they are not PROMPTED
into finding the item, which is what trolling does. So trolling should
also be forbidden, and NOT ALLOWED on the list.

The legal reason that trolling should be outlawed is CONFLICT OF
INTEREST. Trolling INTERFERS with the normal free market operation of
on-line auctions.

Only people who have NO CONNECTION WHATSOEVER to the item under auction
should be allowed to draw our attention to it.

Harvey.

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