Quoted from fosaisu:
Isn't it possible that OP's open letter to pinball buyers was intended, not to catch the eye of the specific person that outbid him, but as a general gripe perfectly in line with your "it's a pinball forum" clause? Sure, we've all had this same conversation ten or twenty times before, but so it goes on any hobbyist's forum.
I never intended the person that outbid me to see this, just venting on a pinball forum about a something foolish. Yes, in the end it's only pinball. I've snagged lots of deals over the last dozen or so years, hopefully will find a handful more over the next dozen years. I know better than to get excited about a purchase until it's in my car, but sometimes you get a little miffed anyway.
I'm glad to see most people see it my way. A deal is a deal. To the guy saying he offers his higher than listed price "if it's still available", this no different than offering more money to buy it from under someone. It's enticing them. If your wording helps you sleep at night, that's fine.
I much prefer Facebook over Craigslist. I can spy on their profile and vet the buyers/sellers. There are many people I won't respond to based on their profile and I bet it saves me a lot of hassle. Craigslist was totally blind.