Don, I apologies for calling you a silly putz. I got carried away there making my point.
As for my personal ethics, I don't shill bid my own ebay auctions. Even on a recent occasion when I'm sure that it could have netted me thousands more for a car I sold with only one bidder. But I'm also not bothered one iota by other people using shills or having ridiculous reserves for that matter. I bid what I'm willing to pay for something and if I get it for that price, fine. If I get it for less, (usual scenario), all the better. But I would have paid my max bid amount and been perfectly happy.
The only regrets I ever have on ebay is when I lose an auction and then decide after the fact that I should have bid higher. Or when I forget to bid at all, (frequently), and some nice item goes for peanuts. That happens a lot.
I like eBay for the most part.