With all respect, if you don’t understand the buyers premium (“know what that means”) than you should not bid in auctions. LOTG and every other auction house besides EBay has a buyers premium. Unlike most, Heritage clearly discloses the amount of the buyers premium and the all-in price, so I don’t understand (at all) your gripe there.
The credit card fee is standard and everywhere. You don’t want to pay it, write a check or wire them money. Why should they eat the fee so you can pay by credit card?
I feel the only legit gripe you may have is the shipping and handling, which usually is postage and insurance. Heritage is much better than many - I won a $25k lot in gottahaverocknroll and they charge 1% for that- same percent whether I bought a signed Who Tommy album or some other album for $25. That sucks. Some AHs definitely use the shipping/handling as a profit source, which blows. But it does cost AH’s money and time to package and send items. I don’t see Heritage as being one of the biggest abusers.
Bottom line, the cheaper the item, the less efficient buying at an AH becomes. You may be better off finding these things at card shows, on BST, etc. It is just as much time and effort to list, sell and send a $300 card as it is a $30,000….
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