Greg is correct, of course. Any seller can end any auction at any time before it closes. For any reason. Whether or not there is a bid on the item.
The only reason I ever place a bid sooner than the last 30 seconds of any auction is if the item has a "buy-it-now" price and I am afraid someone might buy it. I will then enter the minimum bid, or try to find the reserve, just to make sure the auction runs it's full course. Then I have the option of trying to snipe before it closes.
Duncan Granger
revealing all my ebay secrets in
Mountville, PA