The "auction" (for lack of a better word) is over. Look at what happened.

[T206Collector]

Originally Posted by vintagetoppsguy

And how do you avoid that if you're shilled up?

The same way I avoid it when I buy something at a fixed price.

[VoodooChild]

MattyC - that's the best post I've read here since I joined. I 100% agree except for the sex with the wife part - unless the auction is taking place on one of the four nights a year where that actually happens !!!

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by T206Collector

The same way I avoid it when I buy something at a fixed price.

So the only way to avoid shilling is to buy fixed price items?

Skip regular auctions?

[T206Collector]

Me: Don't pay more than you want to pay for something.

DJ: And how do you avoid that if you're shilled up?

Me: The same way I avoid it when I buy something at a fixed price.

DJ: So the only way to avoid shilling is to buy fixed price items? Skip regular auctions?

Me: No. What I mean is that when I buy something at a fixed price I am often all too keenly aware that I may be overpaying for the item. But, I still buy things with price tags all of the time. Obviously buying items at a fixed price does not mean you bought something at the lowest possible price.

[T206Collector]

Frank La Porte

$139.99 + $2 s/h for this T206 Frank LaPorte PSA 5 as a BIN:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/T206-FRANK-L...item3ce0e236f4

History of the sales of this card suggest the buyer grossly overpaid:

http://www.cardtarget.com/cgi-bin/gm...716722&grade=5

But, was the buyer an idiot or a fool? Is $139.99 a relevant price point for this card in the future? How can we confirm that this was an arm's length transaction between two consenting and rational adults? What if every seller tried to shill up to a price below this one going forward - would it manipulate the market?

[tschock]

Originally Posted by T206Collector

What if every seller tried to shill up to a price below this one going forward - would it manipulate the market?

Yes. That's why price manipulation and collusion are generally against the law.

[T206Collector]

Originally Posted by tschock

Yes. That's why price manipulation and collusion are generally against the law.

Just pointing out that a high purchase of a BIN on ebay -- or a single bid at a high opening reserve -- has the same propensity to "manipulate" markets.

[tschock]

Originally Posted by T206Collector

Just pointing out that a high purchase of a BIN on ebay -- or a single bid at a high opening reserve -- has the same propensity to "manipulate" markets.

Your position is starting to make a little more sense in light of a previous post. "The concern of a market artificially inflated by shilling is a red herring, in my view. It is an argument used solely to respond to the shilling-indifferent in an effort to point out a tangible cost of shilling."

One could also point out that the shilling-indifferent might offer other market inflation methods to justify their shilling indifference, since there are tangible costs to shilling. I've yet to see this proven otherwise or even addressed. I'll prefer hundreds of years of real life experience that market manipulation negatively affects prices rather than a theory that BINs will rise if shilling auctions were eliminated.

I think Steve B pointed it out best in that there are 3 approaches to this:
A ) Whether someone takes the high road of abandoning any market or seller that encourages or condones that stuff
B ) Or The middle road of only participating in some auctions.
C ) Or Ignores it all and only bids what they think is fair

[arc2q]

I always wondered what the motivation was for people to consign items to another seller to sell on eBay. Setting up an eBay listing is fairly easy to do on one's own. I understand for many people consigning a large number of cards makes sense rather than trying to manage many listings. And for some avoiding the tediousness of setting up the auction is worth the commission.

But now the cynic in me is thinking a lot of people do it because it allows them to shill their own auctions with impunity.

[ullmandds]

Originally Posted by arc2q

I always wondered what the motivation was for people to consign items to another seller to sell on eBay. Setting up an eBay listing is fairly easy to do on one's own. I understand for many people consigning a large number of cards makes sense rather than trying to manage many listings. And for some avoiding the tediousness of setting up the auction is worth the commission.

But now the cynic in me is thinking a lot of people do it because it allows them to shill their own auctions with impunity.

I used to wonder the same thing...I'd wonder how these huge "clearinghouses" could stay in business...and keep getting quantities of quality material...and continuously set record prices for certain cards sold...again and again.

It is much more clear these days!

[drcy]

For the record and in response to previous comment on my post, I specifically said bidding with an auctioneer where you know (are consciously and keenly aware) he is using unethical and possibly illegal practice(s) to covertly cheat customers out of their money. I didn't say anything about where you are ignorant to the practice(s).

And, yes, I do think it is a problem with this hobby that collectors continue to give money to auction houses they know cheat and break the law. These collectors supply the money that keeps the auction houses in business. As soon as the well of money goes dry in protest or response to the practices, the auction houses will either go out of business or change their practices.

Do I have a practical, real world solution to the previous paragraph? No. I am aware that many collectors follow the stuff and I never claimed to know how to heard cats. If a seller has a card a collector 'needs,' the seller has the card the collector 'needs.' . . . I put needs in quotes, because people don't really need a card. They just really, really want it. "The heart wants what the heart wants," as an old girlfriend once said.

[chernieto]

[QUOTE=drcy;1273249]For the record and in response to previous comment on my post, I specifically said bidding with an auctioneer where you know (are consciously and keenly aware) he is using unethical and possibly illegal practice(s) to covertly cheat customers out of their money. I didn't say anything about where you are ignorant to the practice(s).

And, yes, I do think it is a problem with this hobby that collectors continue to give money to auction houses they know cheat and break the law. These collectors supply the money that keeps the auction houses in business. As soon as the well of money goes dry in protest or response to the practices, the auction houses will either go out of business or change their practices.
__________________________________________________ ________

Once a bid is placed in any auction house it would seem all bidders are ignorant to who places additional higher bids or if the auction house just illegally pushes price up to a pre-existing max bid.
If you are aware of any auction house that "cheat and break the law" I would love to know about it and would avoid it! To me at least there is a vast difference between someone claiming "all his auctions are shilled" & someone proving that. I believe in the theory of innocent until proven guilty.