Best post ever. Because of this great post, I read all subsequent posts in a Russian accent. The humor has made all this a tiny bit easier to stomach.

As I mentioned in Post # 15.

All these shills bother me especially the one done against me. But the one that really bothers me is T.J. Schwartz. He was the only reason that I kept subscribing to SCD. Always enjoyed his column "On Your Side". Or should it now be called "Shill You". I just sent off a check on Weds to renew that publication. If I only knew, I would have not renewed.

Moving forward, I think one way to stop some of this shilling would be if an AH put out a list after each auction showing the same type of info that was used in Mastro's case. Knowing that your name will be put out there might make you think twice about shilling another auction.

Bill,

If the guy used shill bidding to boost his profits, what makes you think when he gets out he wont shill his advice?

Can we please put an end to this stupid "stay within your budget and be patient, and you will never be a "victim" of shilling again." argument? It's complete BS.

If there's an item that you are willing to pay $5,000 for (with that being within your budget) but legitimate bidding goes no higher than $2,000, you should win the item at he next increment above that. Just over $2,000. If you are shilled (and I'm not talking about placing a max bid) up to or near your max, you will still win the item for an amount that was within your budget. But the market has determined that it's a $2,000 item. You'll find that out when you go try to sell it and lose $3,000. Because you were a "victim" of dirtbags who got rich by stealing from many of us in the hobby.

If that situation happens in a private sale or at a show, it's on the buyer. If someone is selling a $2,000 item for $5,000 and you buy it, it's your own fault. In an auction, it shouldn't be unreasonable to assume that you are bidding against a legitimate buyer. Unfortunately, we all know that with very few exceptions, that is not a safe assumption.

It's stupid and incorrect to assume that anyone who was shilled was desperate or caught up in the moment with no self-control. It's equally false to assume that you can only be shilled if you set a max bid. I do not set max bids because I've always believed it was an invitation to be shilled. Which it clearly is, with certain auction houses. So there are plenty of us on that list that were victims in spite of your guarantee that we couldn't be shilled in those circumstances. So let's stop with that, k?

-Ryan

You could cancel the check. Tell him to "shill off."

+1 your almighty dollar will speak volumes. Where you decide to spend your money is the best way to make a statement.

How do I know Mastro is out of the hobby? Of course, I don't, although he and his lawyer did tell a judge that before he was sentenced. You never can count anyone out of this hobby...

It's well worth re-reading this thread for a reminder of Mastro's dishonesty. The shill bidding was his idea, he promoted it within his company, and he altered items in order to defraud collectors.

Bill

In the past year, I had a red infield B18 listed for sale on eBay. A person named Bill Mastro made me a low ball offer on it. I'm dead serious.

Thanks Bill, I know that thread well, and I meant nothing bad by what I wrote. It's just like "mob" guys that go to jail, they're still deep in it while behind bars :p

Greg