[MOPO] about private auctions

[J R]

A lot of people don't feel there is a problem with private auctions. But in a private auction you can't see the user name and check the feedback of those bidding against you -- so you have no way of knowing if the person running up the price is a legitimate buyer or a shill. Now, it can often be difficult to tell this distinction even when the auction is NOT private -- but at least there is something to go on when it is public. With a private auction, you no way of knowing.   Some say, "Yeah, but a reputable auctioneer wouldn't let that happen." Sorry, but the auctioneer -- no matter how reputable -- can't prevent it. Particularly in the case of a private auction. Unless I'm mistaken, the seller can't see the names of the bidders either, so the seller has no way of know who is bidding or if the bids are legitimate or if it is someone shilling up the price.   With a public auction, if you saw a lot of items being run up by the same person -- particularly if that person had low feedback, or had recently registered, or their feedback showed that they had not bought such items in the past -- you would have a legitimate basis for suspecting that person was shilling --  running up the prices with no real intent to be the final bidder. A lot of people don't bother to check that closely, but with a public auction you do have the option if you want to pursue it. You have no chance of determining this if the auction is private -- and neither does the seller.   So, with a private auction you just don't know. The idea that the auctioneer can and will protect you from shill bidding is naive and simply wrong. As a result, I almost never bid on a private auction myself. The fact that the "major houses" regularly use the technique does NOT mean it is a good idea. It simply means that they do it -- and to see someone like Bruce (who has always made a big boast about doing thing "better" than everyone else) -- using the rationale of "As long as Heritage does it, so will I" strikes me a weird. Bruce's regularly weekly auctions used to be public. He only changed this in the past year or so, and he's certainly got "a right to do it" if he wants -- but I liked the way he did it before much better.   -- JR   Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.