There are a lot of ethics at question here, but I believe that every unreserved auction on ebay should be completed according to the contractual terms that you agree to when listing an item with ebay! The ethics of the person trying to subvert the deal with a higher offer after the sale was completed, should be the issue here.
If Jeff took the time to explain the rules to a floundering seller, who then realized his mistake-- that action should be applauded.
It is the greed of the the other person that induced him to try and subvert the ethics of a contractual auction, and that person needs to be the one to be flogged!
Eric was simply the lucky buyer on the spot that pushed the buy it now button and Jeff was only trying to point out the contractual obligations of the seller.
This whole scenario came out the way the law intended it to, and the scammer went scott free!
I can't believe anyone would choose to see it any other way.
