What's you opinion of a person stealing candy from a baby? Fair game?

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

I think the guys who are doing it are slimeballs but the buyer is the one paying the money. If a 10 gig Empeg sells for $800, that's what it was worth to someone. If they didn't do their research and they are denied warranty service, then it's on them, UNLESS the seller claimed they would be entitled to the warranty, at which point allegations of fraud would come into play. EBay has protection against that kind of stuff.

These guys are opportunists, they don't just do it with the Empeg, they do it with alot of other items (handhelds, etc.) They're shrewd and they have every right do do what they're doing. But in this case since we love the Empeg so much, some are taking it a little more personally.

So to return to your Monty Burns analogy, if the buyer is indeed a "baby" in terms of their knowledge of the product and the return policies, and they're the ones GIVING the candy instead of taking it, then I have no sympathy. If the buyer is misleading them with false claims, then the seller deserves legal recourse for being fraudulent.

These EBay sharks prey on the "babies" you are speaking of in your analogy -- those who don't understand the limitations of an EBay transaction and think that having a New In Box item is as good as buying it from the manufacturer.