E-Bay and Elvis' Former Home

I know I haven't been around much in the last couple of months, but we've been dealing with some family issues -- illness, death and another illness -- then da boys' birthday and, finally, I was out of town (in Pittsburgh) on business.  So, I know that my first post back should be about something more important than Elvis Presley's old house, but it isn't.

The story in a nutshell is that the owners of Elvis' first Memphis home auctioned it on E-Bay.  The winning bid was under a million dollars and they reneged on the deal.  The winning bidder sued them and lost.  (See full story here)  "On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Jon McCalla ruled that the eBay auction was more of an advertising vehicle than a binding sale."  Really?

I've purchased things on E-Bay, not a lot -- just stuff here and there -- and I seem to recall that warning that my bid is legally binding.  I would assume on the flipside that the seller's bid is also legally binding.  Hasn't Judge McCalla just taken the legally binding out of all of E-Bay's auctions?  Doesn't this mean that I as the buyer can say, "Oh, I just thought it was advertising" ?  And, the seller can do the same?

I don't understand how it can be thought that if you put a home up for sale on E-Bay, that it is any different than selling it in the paper.

Of course, if this was my home or yours, no one would give a rat's butt about the case, but it is Elvis' former home and that makes all the difference, I guess.

God Bless.