[Rick Lee]

There's nothing unethical about emailing the seller and asking about the reserve or cutting a deal. Lots of eBay items are also listed on Craigslist or other places at the same time and, while the seller usually discloses that in the eBay listing, they don't have to and they can end the auction at any time. If you really want it, I'd contact the seller. How are you gonna feel if you see someone snag it for a great deal and then it reappears on eBay a few weeks later when the deadbeat bidder doesn't pay? Or worse, what if someone snags it for a great price and then flips it on eBay for far more than you could have gotten it for?