You Can Look -- But Don't Touch

  "many retailers have been using the try-then-buy tactic for years"

Many sites also try to do this - allow the user to perform an action (rating, create a playlist, post a comment, ...) without having to commit to creating an account.

It would have been interesting if there was a study with how time between handling and bidding, as it might help with the problem of maintaining engagement of new users.

Keeping in front of the user's eyes using email or inserting themselves into their current interactions can help remind the users to use the new service, but there is a fine line (different for every user) between informing and annoying.

It's interesting reading this right after coming home from and Apple store. Rows and rows of shiny new technology ready for you to play with, priced just at the top end of what you may be willing to spend.

I wonder how this lines up with Ebay. As soon as someone has put a meager bid in they feel a sense of ownership. This might explain some of the bidding wars as people fight not just to win, but also not to loose something they now see as theirs.