[MotownMadman]

Matt,
In a case like that with Charlies car the thing to do to insure there is no assumption of foul play would be for the prospective buyer friend of Charlie to let the auction run its course as he stated he wanted in an effort to achieve maximum profit. If the auction price goes above what the friend is willing to pay then so be it. However, near the end of the auction the price has not met what the friend is willing to pay then during the last several minutes the friend can place the maximum bid he is willing to pay, if he wins the auction so be it. If someone else outbids also at the last minute, well the friend had the opportunity to bid more. In this case if the friend wins the auction with his max bid it doesnt have the appearence of foul play as the friend was not bidding through the auction giving the appearence of driving up the price. I dont understand why everyone dosent wait until just prior to auction close anyway, that would stop multiple bidders who keep trying to out do each other therefore driving up the cost. Make a last minute bid for the max you will pay and let the computer do the bidding for you at the last moment. You either win or not, and if not you were not tricked into the competetive game which could cause you to regret your purchase later.
Thanks,
Motown [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif[/img]
P.S. Next time you want to list a car or anything on Ebay let me handle it for you to keep the hassle from your life.