I agree. It matters a lot whether the last bid is a legitimate opponent or the seller shilling. If they're going to shill like that, they should just set the price at that amount from the start. The true spirit of an auction is putting it out there at a starting price and letting the chips fall where they may between legitimate bidders. Even "reserve prices" are outside the true spirit of auctions. The reserve should just be the starting price in that case. Now, someone might say, then, that yielding isn't in the true spirit either. But it is, in that it's not cheating the system. Once a seller posts an item, they've entered into a defined action that has an 'expectation' around it. Shilling cheats that expectation. Whereas yielding doesn't enter into any action. So there's nothing to go back on or change course. It's a non-action. And with all the shilling & cheating going on out there, it also evens the playing field a bit, too.