Mastro Bidding Fee?

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Posted By: Josh Adams

I am fairly new to bidding in auctions from the major houses. I tried to sign up for the Mastro auction today, and was informed that I needed to pay $75.00 in order to bid.
Is this customary for the auction houses to charge a fee to bid? At first blush, it does not seem right. It is almost like paying a monthly "maintainance fee" at the bank. Don't the auctioneers get the buyer's premium as well? Seems a little fishy to me, but then again, like I said, I am somewhat new to the world of major auctions.

Any and all input is appreciated.


Josh

Go Go White Sox
2005 World Series Champions!

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Posted By: Jay

Huh?

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Posted By: Cat

I had heard this was coming. I think this is the first auction that they have attempted to charge the fee. Any of us that had bought (or perhaps simply registered) in the past, have a free pass. I somewhat recall the fee being instituted because it is their "premier auction" and thus "more special."

I wonder if you called them and had references from the other auctions houses if you could get it waived...just a thought.



edited to correct typo

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Posted By: Steve M.

because you signed up late and they didn't have sufficient time to qualify you. That's possibly an explanation. Never heard of it myself.

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Posted By: andy becker

i would hope mastro would read this thread.
bad business decision, imo.

even if you lost on all the bids that you will place, mastro surely would recover $75 in buyer premiums.

imo, it's one thing to charge for the catalog, it's another to charge you to have a bidder number.


isn't this the same as exxon/mobil putting a toll both at the enterence of all their gas stations?

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Posted By: JimB

Maybe it is like a charge for the catalogue the first time. Still not a great idea in my opinion. Look at all the good publicity REA got for giving theirs away to anyone interested.
JimB

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Posted By: quan

all new bidders registering will have to pay the $75 catalog or bidding fee, whatever you want to call it. Don't know when they instituted this rule but I had to pay it 3+ years ago. After paying then you get a a couple free passes on their premier auction, but if you don't bid for a few in a row you might have to pay the fee again . That's my understanding anyways, someone else can chime in if they have better info.

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Posted By: David Vargha

My guess is that this is the standard charge to receive their catalogues. It is a one-time fee and well worth it if that's what it is.

DavidVargha@hotmail.com

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Posted By: Josh Adams

Thanks for all your responses guys.
I was able to pick up the catalogue at the Sun-Times show last month. I told the nice woman at Mastro this, and that I would waive receipt of any future catalogues, in exchange for the fee.
I also said that I could provide references, but she was unbending. It's ok, just wanted to see what others thought about this.



Go Go White Sox
2005 World Series Champions!

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Posted By: Jay

Fee is for new, unknown bidders. The fee covers the credit check and a year of free catalogs. After this year if the bidder bids once in an auction, whether he/she ever wins anything or not, free catalogs will keep coming. Bidding with Mastro's low opening bids in easy and an early bid is virtually assured to never win a lot so a person could basically get free catalogs forever. I think this is a great deal. The catalogs are excellent reference pieces and the cost of sending these out for just a year, given the number of auctions Mastro holds, easily exceeds the $75.

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Posted By: dstudeba

As mentioned previously, they have had it for a while. However it is only for the premier catalog auctions. You can still sign up for the Collector auctions. I couldn't bring myself to spend $75 for the honor of getting outbid in Mastro auctions, so I never did it.

However I did find a way around it. I won a lot in the Collector auction, and then I was automatically signed up for the Premier auctions, and have never had a problem. (Now that they have sucked me in they are more than happy to have me bid....)

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Posted By: Harry Wallace (HW)

I would try and talk to someone in charge there, like Doug Allen. I find it hard to believe that they would charge anybody $75 just to bid in their auction. I assume that they may threaten a $75 fee to keep away tire kickers, but if you are an active collector then I would think that they would do anything to add another bidder to their mailing list.

Give Doug a call. He seems to in tune with the advanced vintage collectors.

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Posted By: fkw

I have never bid in a Mastro Auction because of the fee. A fee has been there for awhile. I tried signing up about 2 years ago and said no way. Never!

Frank

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Posted By: Anthony

I had to pay it when I signed up 5 years ago. Best $75. I ever spent.
You'll need two references as well, in order to bid. I'm happy they do that, cuts down on being run up by people that have no intention of paying.

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Posted By: davidcycleback

Conidering a Mastro auction has millions of dollars of items, it's understandable that they don't want anyone bidding like on eBay. On eBay, people couldn't auction super high end insert cards because winners wouldn't pay and people would bid up the auction as a joke.

Over the long haul, if you bid regularly in auctions, you'll get $75+ worth of catalogs.

Besides, I had heard that if you pay the $75, a Mastro representative will attend your funeral, assuming you are burried within the lower 48 states or Cancun.

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Posted By: Cobby33

It's for real. Had to pay it myself several months ago.