Check out this finished sale for a Benedict lamp (which the seller thought was a Van Erp):

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Dirk-van-Erp-1910-Copper-Arts-and-cr...QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

What I find funny is the list of questions to the seller, as seen under the description and pics. If you match the dates of the questions to the bidding history you can see that a couple people tried to get the seller to sell off-line when the price was low. This is an acceptable eBay practice apparently, but why a seller with a hot item would do it is beyond me. There's nothing to lose by leaving it up to the end except for a non-paying bidder but if the value is so high the loss of the posting fee is nothing, and you know legitimate bidders will bring it back up, when you re-list. The third time someone asks the seller if he'll sell off-line they use a story about how their Grandmother had the same lamp and lost it in a fire and they will pay up to $1800. Hmmmm, does anybody believe the Grandmother story? The little bit of irony here is that the lamp ended up selling for $1875. I recall seeing nearly the exact same lamp, as sold at Craftsman Auctions last year for $1300 (had slightly different shade and a new patina, as shown below).
Lot 930 in the May sale
http://www.ragoarts.com/results_2004_5AC04.php

So the eBay seller made a 40% premium over last years value. Good thing he didn't sell it off-line when the first person asked, and we'll never know if Grandma got her lamp back!!!

It was interesting to see the emails the seller received. I do not believe eBay approves of taking off-line bidding since they would not receive their commission on the sale. I thought it was a great idea for the seller to post the inquiries and offers.

I did not believe the grandmother story either.

Fred

I read through the eBay rules and apparently it's perfectly legit to make offers and sell before the end of the sale. I don't understand the logic unless the buyer is someone the seller already knows and trusts, and just wants to end it and get on with other things. Posting the questions and answers is discretionary by the seller - sometimes it helps the sale and sometimes it doesn't. I've sent questions to sellers that haven't been posted, but the seller revised the desription as a result, or even ended the auction early because he/she made a big enough mistake in the description that they just started over with a whole new description.

The flip side of all this is when you win an item and then someone offers the seller more after the sale ends (because they see the winning price) and you get burned. Jason L. relayed a story to me about this happening to him (after I sent him a message about this Benedict piece and what was happening in this sale). EBay is just a game within the game of modern day collecting.