Licensing is state by state as is the format for auctions, legal and illegal acts, etc.
Setting aside what an auctioneer can get away with, the issue for me is whether they should be allowed to get away with it. I have a very big issue with an auctioneer who buys for its own account in its auction because it has about a 20%-40% advantage (the commission, BP and shipping costs) over everyone else who is bidding, which means it can safely run up bids and if it gets stuck still end up with a very good price on the item.
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