Hayinhere,

You have done a fine job of summing up the real issue.  In my opinion, there is no need to comply with any additional qualification requests unless they reject your bid.  As long as the protocol is going to be that of posting bids and increasing the wining bid amount before a bidder is fully qualified, then the additional requests should be ignored and business carried on as usual.

I asked Jerrod (Purple Wave) to reconsider how he is handling this situation and according to his post he has decided to do nothing at this time..... maybe in the future.  It's his business to decide, but I really think he is overlooking the obvious from the bidder standpoint. 

I quit bidding after receiving the email because I lost confidence in the process.  I do rather regret not bidding higher after learning that the failure on my part to comply with the qualification request would not have hampered my ability to become the winning bidder. 

It's too bad for the seller (Ray Lee Equipment) that an email was ever sent to me.  I took time to go look over the equipment and talk with the dealer before ever registering and bidding.  They had every right to expect a better price from the auction when they chose to contract with PW.