Hi Mark- For some reason the links don't work from my computer.
I agree with you and others about bidding being an open situation.  I think that the only reason for saying anything is so that we don’t accidentally drive the price up on some part that we are just buying against a someday need etc.  I tend to bid what something is worth to me personally at the start and let the system do the bidding for me.
It is a sign of the sprit of our CMP community that we all post things we spot on e-bay even when we are bidding on it ourselves. 
By the way what I really need is two seats.     
Cheers