Posted By:
JimCrandellPeter,
What it takes is to have a buyers revolt. I have virtually stopped buying at auctions--the past 10 years I'm sure I have spent six figures at auction houses annually. As long as buyers say what the heck if its altered its altered and I will just go ahead and buy it then nothing will happen. It only turns into an economic incentive if someone like Rob or Mastro hypothetically says--ok, our auction is littered with altered stuff--we can get a significant edge on the competition by having each lot inspected by Kevin--and not only do we get an edge but we will attract more buyers who will spend more by giving them this additional layer of protection.
Barry,
In my mind your business model does not work for me. For buyers who want to run the risk they may get altered cards--fine. In order to be in the auction business down the road I think you will need size and scale and have the resources to bring in someone like Kevin who can go through each lot.