[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by MattyC

Try simply sniping what you think a card is worth and are happy paying. Then what happens, happens.

Why even look at bidding histories when people are retracting now just to make an auction look bad-- akin to dissing a card to dampen interest. You know what annoying TMZ drivel is on that channel, so why tune in and annoy yourself? It is tantamount to masochism.

PWCC has a few cards I think are gorgeous up right now. I am not going to let some shiller/owners enter my head for a moment. I snipe what I'm happy paying and let the chips fall. And I'm happy. The rest is headaches. I like great cards and no headaches. Why aggravate oneself?

Matt, I understand your thinking. In theory, if I'm willing to pay up to $1,000 on a card, I can just set an alarm on my phone to give me a "five minutes to auction end" warning, then load up my laptop, desktop computer or the Ebay app on my Windows phone, and put in my $1,000 bid right before the auction ends. And, if I get the card right at $1,000, I should be happy, as that's what I was willing to pay, right? I got the card, and nobody was able to make me exceed my budget.

Only, what if I would have gotten the card for $900, or $950 if it weren't for the shill bidder?

Four years ago, I wouldn't have given it a second thought. I was a single guy living on my own, and after getting my stock broker licenses, I got a pretty big promotion. I was making a good deal of money. So, $50 or $100 would have seemed insignificant to me. But since getting hurt, my thinking has changed. I am more mindful of wasting things now, money included. Losing $50 or $100 due to what is essentially criminal activity is completely unnecessary. When we become accepting of these kinds of losses because we didn't want to "stress out" over it, or "give it a second thought", it just enables these crooks further. What is the quotation with a seemingly endless list of variations that's attributed to Edmund Burke? Something to the effect of "all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." Well? If we are silent, then we're going to get more of the same.

If I were up against one legitimate buyer only, and I was forced to bid the full $1,000 in order to acquire the card, then I'd have no problem. But if I should have gotten the card for less, why should I be even remotely ok with paying more?