Jal,
Some common sense is needed when interpreting the Rules - that's one reason why we have a mod/admin team that discusses these things.
Basically, if you link directly to the one page of advertising on a site, it's a problem. If people have to go actively looking, that's not. If you link to something that's a picture of a mini and a link to a webshop, that's a problem.
The eBay example is a bit ingenuous - while the site contains other active auctions, the link to a closed auction does not directly advertise active auctions. You have to "get there from here". For the moment, work with the phrase "directly advertising" eg. right there in the open in the linked post.
Let's work with that interpretation and see how it goes.
W.