Ebay surfers like bidding more than winning, researchers say

• You could be suffering from "bidding frenzy" - a condition affecting eBay devotees all over the world.
• The online auction site, where almost anything can be bought or sold, is one of the internet age's great success stories, with some 157 million registered users in 33 countries.
• Researchers in Canada say eBay addicts display similar reactions to those of drug addicts and problem gamblers, but for eBay junkies the "hit" is the rush of winning the bid.
• High states of arousal mean logic is abandoned and people engage in intense b i d d i n g wars, with i t e m s often reaching prices far beyond their value.
• A painting by an unknown artist worth about $40 recently sold online for nearly $30,000.
• Lee Murray, an anime specialist from Fitzroy in Melbourne, admits she's obsessed with eBay, and logs on every day searching for bargains.
• I have my eBay windows open on my computer at work all the time, so I'm shopping all day," she says.
• Lee Murray logs onto eBay every day in search of bargains.
• Murray, 29, has made some big purchases on eBay, including a mobile phone, a sewing machine and video camera.
• "I'm an impulse buyer, and that's why eBay is bad for me, because I instantly want it.
• There are 55 million items available on eBay worldwide, with 50,000 categories ranging from cars to cloth nappies.
• "I was buying picture frames and paintings for my flat, just because they were there.
• "My son and my partner buy and sell car parts on eBay, and my daughter and I like looking for collectables.
• More than 2000 Australians have cashed in on this revelation and are making a full-time living selling on eBay.