I [don't] hate E-Bay (was Cromemco 68000 on ebay)

Because many of the buyers on Ebay are not rational--or at least, not what you and I would consider rational. Rather than deciding ahead of time on their maximum bid, they check the item over an over again during the auction and if they've been outbid, they enter a higher bid--usually $2 at a time, until theirs is the highest bid. If you come along and outbid them, they will do this again. If there are two of them, they'll do it to each other in a rather comical fashion (not so comical if you want the item in question). The only way to defeat these jokers is to not bid until the last moment, depriving them of the chance to come nickel and dime you to death. Even if they don't outbid you, several of their little increments will drive your price up. Remember, you don't pay your bid amount, you pay a fixed increment higher than the second highest bid amount. Of course, from a seller's point of view, these folks are (maybe) useful. Jeff Walther