Posted By:
MarkIt might be called shilling, but Ebay allows reserves as well. People often find themselves bidding against the Ebay reserve, rather than against other bidders.
Seeing that the dynamics of a live auction are different than Ebay, I simply perceive Hunts' method as a different way of getting to the reserve. I can understand why some people might find it deceiving, but they do it to protect consignors.
On the last batch of consignments I sent to Hunt's, they suggested reserves on 4 of the 7 items. I think they do it for most items valued over $500, and don't bother with reserves on less-expensive lots. That has been my experience, anyway.