I just re-read my last post and I feel the need to clarify; although it may appear flippant, it’s just me trolling for laughs.
If someone outs an auction on eBay, of course it’s “every man for himself”, and some auctions play out like shark attack feeding frenzies, whereas if someone were reluctant to provide details about a sale, I would understand their desire for confidentiality. My main point is that I would never try to perform an “end around run” to out-bid someone out of spite, but if one of my unicorns suddenly became well-advertised and available, I would gladly jump in and join the fray to compete to own it (just as the T-800 said “I would” when asked how his counterpart, the T-1000, would acquire something if he were pursuing it).
An exception would be if a member asked me for assistance in getting a bike from USA - one that I hadn’t heard about already - when a seller doesn’t want to sell internationally and even if I really wanted that bike. As an example, if someone asked me for help getting a <insert name of rare bike here> for <insert ridiculously low price here>, I would honor their request, regardless of the temptation to buy it for myself.
I’m not saying I don’t trust anyone; I’m saying I don’t blame anyone for trying to acquire a bike that’s been outed, and therefore by not outing it, I’m hoping to get it for myself. If I didn’t need help getting it, I never would have posted about it until after I had acquired it. So this is just me writing out the previously unwritten rules of fair play
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