I am one of those eBay sellers that add the $15 fee also. I start my auctions at $1 plus the $15 fee = $16. My fees, registration, etc., add up to about $10 per name. I don't think a $6 minimum profit margin is excessive considering the effort involved to obtain names.
I have tried starting auctions at $16 as opposed to the fee and found that most domain buyers (on eBay) are used to the "transfer fee" and assume that if I have a $16 start that it must mean $31 since all the sellers add the fee - thus fewer bidders,lower sell prices.
It doesn't really matter to me one way or the other and has nothing to with cheating eBay or screwing the buyer, but everything to do with following common eBay domain selling practices so buyers are not confused and I can compete with other sellers on a level playing field. A low start bid with a transfer fee is just a marketing tool to get more people to view the item.
My guess is that the poster that started this thread bid on someone's $1 auction and is upset because he isn't getting a $10-$15 name for $1. It's this kind of bottom-feeder, I don't want to pay market value, mentality that forces the sellers to be more creative. If the seller had started the auction at $16 he probably wouldn't have looked at it. If he had a reserve, he would probably still complain or say the seller was shill bidding it.
Bottom line - read the auction description and terms before bidding. Email the seller and resolve any potential issues before you bid on the name.