As a retired auctioneer and serious AF collector for over 40 years, I have to say Amen to everything Jim said. "Brother-in-lawing" or bid rigging is not only unlawful in every state, but against federal regulation. The only "true value" of any item under federal law is the price it will bring at public auction in an "open and free market". This holds true as to IRS regulations as to how much can be declared as a deduction on taxes for donating an item to a museum or other charitable organization. Therefore, any action that limits the "open and free market" aspect is illegal under federal law.
As an auctioneer, I have seen numerous friendships ruined over the hard feelings that develope later as results of refraining from bidding against a friend. I have yet to see a friendship ruined because of bidding against a friend at a live auction. Those who attend auctions on a regular basis bid on items they want no matter who else is bidding. I have seen persons arrive at an auction in one car and sit side-by-side all day long. They may both bid on the same item several times during a day. There was a time back in the 60s when a newspaper ad in a major city offering to buy American Flyer trains would result in several calls. Most asked less for the trains than the plywood that supported them were worth. This day is gone. The only place left to get the old original items at a reasonable price is through eBay. Any dealer who is pricing lower than regular eBay prices is not going to be in business long, because they will eventually run out of stock and not be able to replace it. Prices at eBay are in line with what I was getting for like items at the time of my retirement. If AF prices at auctions in your area are lower than eBay you should grab them all and use those items for "trading stock" with someone who has something you want. If I want something, I am going to bid my absolute top price, no matter who else is bidding. Just wait until you pass up bidding because a friend is bidding and then see that someone out bid him by $1.00 in the last 30 seconds and you missed out at a price half what you were willing to pay. See how long you call him a friend. If you suddenly become bedfast and decide to have your wife sell your AF collection on eBay. How many of those so called friends will still be your friends if you find out they got together and divided up your collection so as not to bid against each other. All is fair in Love, War and Auctions!!!!! While I am on the soapbox -- Everyone must remember that by far the largest percentage of sellers on eBay are persons who are scouring yard sales, auctions and flea markets throughout the countryside looking for something they think they may be able to make a profit on. Very few of them are experts on the items they sell. You can see this bu clicking to see their other auctions. There may be a couple AF pieces, a pressed glass bowl, silver candlestands, etc. Few know exactly what the piece looked like when it was new. They can only go by what it looks like to them today. When I see something that I consider mis-represented, I click "ask the seller a question" and point it out to the seller. If he then takes no action it is time to start yelling about him. However 98% of the time he will fix the listing. Just because someone sells on eBay does not mean he is a crook until proved otherwise, as some seem to think. Jerry Hiett === On Fri 01/17, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [S-Trains] Re: Bidding against s-list members Any S-list members who sell on ebay or other auction sites should take heed of some of the previous comments on this board. You may want to consider using the private auction function so bidders don't know who they're bidding against. Getting together with other buyers to keep auction prices low is not only unethical, it is known as collusion or bid rigging and is illegal in most if not all states. Sooner or later two or more members of this list are going to want the same item. People should bid what they are willing to pay. Think about who you may be cheating the next time you agree not to bid on something. Get a new screen name if you don't want people to know who you are. Jim Duncan _______________________________________________ Join Excite! - http://www.excite.com The most personalized portal on the Web! S-Trains list sponsor: http://www.americanflyertrains.com All the Flyer you desire...books and accessories too! To UNSUBSCRIBE from this list send a note to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
