Posted By:
Aaron M.While I think alot of the price difference you see on Mastro as opposed to E-Bay can be chalked up to "high rollers" who don't bother with E-Bay (and it's also partly due to some people thinking they are somehow getting a better guarantee of authenticity) and others getting caught up with the cache and status of buying from the fancy "fine sports" catalog, one of the reasons Mastro's prices are so much higher, I think, is because they allow their own employees and executives to bid on their own lots.
Rule 6 of their terms: "6. Subject to exceptions relating to credit considerations, all registered bidders in good standing are eligible to bid on any lot in the auction, including employees and executives of MastroNet, Inc."
While I would not go so far as to say that they engage in shill bidding (although I don't know how else you would describe it), certainly Robert Edwards strong stand in their auction notices that they do NOT bid on their own lots certainly casts a suspicious eye on the subject (I mean it's not like the card business--no matter how "high-end"--is a stranger to consumer fraud), especially with Robert Edwards auction prices not exploding out of the gate like Mastro's do. While I would note that Robert Edward has placed more reasonable reserves on their lots than Mastro's unrealistically low, two weeks later you do see the pattern of Mastro's items selling for significantly higher than the items regularly sell for on E-Bay and what there actual worth is.
So basically I think it's either people lose their heads and willingly spend more on Mastro lots than they need to (because of the fancy catalog, etc.) or Mastro (and other auction houses who engage in this practice) are possible shilling up their prices, or both.