Is there any actual evidence that getting several people "involved" really yields higher prices all the time? That's as much urban legend as it is fact, which is to say "no, there is no consistent evidence". It takes exactly two and only two every time - the winner and the runner up.
I hate secret reserves, and I don't see how this can be good for anyone. So many people here have discussed how they "move" their funds between auctions at various points based on what they're winning or not. If you don't at least know it's a "reserve auction", even if you don't know what the reserve is, you've allocated your funds to that auction. Then you find out AFTER it's over that you didn't actually win because it didn't hit the reserve?
This one is simple - at least note there's a reserve so people know. Once the reserve it met, the auction should say it's live and will sell. Anything else is just silly.
As far as auction houses and their employees consigning/bidding, I probably don't have that big of an issue with it as long as there are some common sense rules and disclosure around it. Some of that has been suggested, like disclosing which auctions have bids from parties with potential "conflicts of interest". Another should be for the auction house itself - if they're bidding, bid once and once only at some point prior to final day. The idea that the auction house and their employees would have the same "rights" as other bidders is again good for no one, and it clearly fuels speculation of manipulation and improper price reporting post auction, as this thread and many others demonstrate.
For the most part I set a bid and forget it - if I win great, if I don't oh well. I do try to revisit late in the auction (day before final or final day) and search for overlooked items. Otherwise, I'm comfortable with what I bid which makes it easy to go to sleep and not worry about it. I have never woke up the following morning and been disappointed as a result. And yes, I'm the second bidder quite a bit, but when I am it reinforces that I set value correctly. You literally just can't win them all.
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