Andrew.....you are pissing up a rope.....nobody likes the 17-20% buyers fees but it's a cost of bidding. While Leon & Scott can 'make it' on 12.5%, they're not doing this for a living nor are they producing really high quality catalogs shipping to thousands of people. Like you and everyone else, I've paid my share of the fees but each and every time I bid in one of these auctions, I set a limit (WITH JUICE) and try not to go more than 1 or 2 bumps over my limit. Cause, you know, it's just a limit--right? Over the years (mid 1990's to now) the burden of the fees that the auction houses charged has shifted from a 50/50 type breakdown between consignor and bidder to nearly all the burden being on the bidder. This has allowed the auction houses to continue to entice consignors to bring great stuff out of the woodwork. If they still had to pay the 10-15% consignment fee, I think many of the items of the last few years would still be in lockboxes out there. It also overinflates what the goods sell for when you include the juice and perpetuates the 'growth' in the collectibles industry, which we all benefit from.
As Dennis Miller used to say......."Thats just my opinion....I could be wrong...."
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