[joed25]

Originally Posted by swarmee

Doubt it; no matter how "Honest" or "protected" or whatever the bidding software claims the ceiling bid is, collectors are trained to distrust claims of auctionhouses after years and years of rampant shill bidding from many sites, eBay mostly, but also auctionhouses who allow it in their Terms of Service.
Most collectors who are told "the bids are encrypted and perfectly safe" will shrug their shoulders, and ignore it. Because someone out there wrote the code, and may have access.
The company is trying to make lemonades by offering free shipping to the buyers. I was more of an interested observer last night, but if I was a "bid at the end" kind of guy, this wouldn't make me place more early bids just waiting for others to keep bidding me up.

Well said.