My saying is "Honest people are honest." Why are they honest? Because they are honest.
I've volunteered at a non-profit playhouse and they have their change (just nickels, quarters and dimes-- nothing much, it's just a little non-profit) in an unlocked desk drawer. An officer worker joked that I could take money and no one would notice. I said "I've known the money's been in there for years, and the thought of taking a nickel hasn't even crossed my mind. It's not that I chose not to steal but the very thought of stealing didn't even enter my mind." She said, "That's because you're honest."
I think the majority of people have no interest or desire in cheating others. They often also are aware of the concept of 'repeat customers.
On the flip side are dishonest scammers who believe everyone in the world thinks dishonestly like them, and usually justify their actions this way.
Then there are the great mass of collectors who fall under enablers, crowd followers and wishful thinkers. If you complain about shilling and fakers, then buy "stuff" from an auction house you know shills and fakes, you are an enabler and a part of the problem. And if are are high grade card investor who glosses over that Mastro said most high grade graded cards have been altered and that the auction house promoted that he could "prep" your raw cards for grading, you're a wishful thinker and probably home there isn't an alterations statistical report for the FBI to someday uncover and publicize. The majority has the control over how things are done, but they chose not to collectively their collective power-- of course, trying to harness that power would be like trying to heard cats.
If collectors want to really exercise their power, they would say they won't bid and buy with dishonest auction houses, and they won't buy stuff that came from the auction houses. If an eBay seller buys stuff from a dishonest auction house then puts it on ebay, you won't buy it then either. That would put the sources in a bind.
But, of course, business will likely go on as usual, because the "silent majority" won't do anything. No doubt a plethora of the complainers in this elongated thread have already placed their bids with the questioned auction houses, and no doubt the bids for high grade graded cards will go higher and higher even as the cards get shorter and shorter and the grading/resubmission/registry game gets stupider and stupider.
The high grade side of the hobby is why I love all those collectors on limited budgets who collect beaters. I always consider them the real collectors. My mom would likely say about a guy paying six figures for a PSA 1964 Topps Roberto Clemente to show off on the PSA registry, "He's probably trying to make up for his little weiner."
When you boil it down and realize that the hobby is dealing in cardboard kid's collectables, a lot of the stuff that goes on is just stupid and silly. Worthy of a Spinal Tap-esque satire. Just think what people outside the hobby would think. That someone makes his living secretly trimming and pressing baseball card's in his basement or resubmitting and resubmitting a baseball card until he gets the right number on a label makes you say "This is what you're doing with your life? Some people aspire to write the Great American Novel." I don't care how much money he makes doing it, it's still stupid.
Though I'm not at all a religious man, my other response explaining why I don't do certain things is "I want to go to Heaven." Yes, as a non-religious person, I roll my eyes when well known scammers wear their religion on their sleeves and bring a Priest to court while simultaneously claiming they did nothing unethical or immoral. Makes me want to ask them "What exactly are the tenants of your religion? Maybe I misheard."
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