Hi Frank and others:
Re: Interesting ecommerce ethics question regarding solicitation of
unsuccessful bidders with an item they have shown an interest in.
If a company (in this case ebay) leaves an information hole that allows
competitors to exploit (however small the competitor is), isn't the
responsibility of the company to plug the hole? To not do so is to allow a
loss of profits. That loss should not be the responsibility of a successful
competitor. Marketing by its very nature is the exploitation of niches (i.e.,
holes). Successful companies plug their holes.
A flip side to this situation is a seller being solicited (I refrain from
using the word spam) by a non-bidding after a sale and having the buyer says
they will purchase the item at asking price. That also avoids ebay's
commission.
The auction agent cannot and should not place controls on communications that
take place between buyers and sellers AFTER an auction. They no longer carry
a contract with the seller at that point and buyers and sellers should be free
to barter as they wish. In a real life auction, one might approach (upon
leaving the premises) the owner of an item that failed to sell. A deal might
be worked out outside the auction hall, when the seller has retaken possession
of his or her goods (and paid the auctioneer a listing fee). I can't think of
anyone who would argue that is unethical.
The act of approaching the seller in the real world is the same as e-mailing
the seller in the virtual world. Likewise, the act of approaching an
unsuccessful buyer in the real world, to tell him or her you have a similiar
item, is the same as e-mailing a potential buyer in the virtual world. In
either case, if the contacted party rebukes the offer/approach, one simply
apologies.
One's presence at an auction convays information that would not have been
gained if they had not taken the time to be there. Since there is a
business cost involved in having attended an auction, I see no ethics problem
with recouping those expenses by using the knowledge gained to generate sales.
Gary Reese
Las Vegas, NV
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