Auction House RULES

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

I don't know of any state where it's legal to "shill" bid and then remove a bid if you accidentally go too far which is what the clause above appears to say. In PA an owner is allowed to bid on his own items, but if he wins he has to pay the juice to take his item back. We as an auction house do not allow an owner to bid on their own item, and we don't place any bids ourselves on any items. Occasionally I have an employee who wants something for their collection, we disclose that at the auction.

[Rhotchkiss]

Disclosed or not, it’s definitly messed up. Will I bid in Heritage’s next auction? Yes, if they have something I want. Sad but true

That said, I think there is a difference between shilling (inflating prices) and the auction house or it’s employees bidding on something with the intent to win and pay for it; like a real estate broker making an offer on a client’s listing.

[mechanicalman]

Originally Posted by Rhotchkiss

Disclosed or not, it’s definitly messed up. Will I bid in Heritage’s next auction? Yes, if they have something I want. Sad but true

L.

I, too, would bid, but I guess I’d ask, why should you or I or anyone else apologize for bidding with Heritage? I don’t understand the sentiment expressed by others in this thread that the way to show your displeasure with their policies is to avoid bidding. That just means someone else will step in and fill the void.

End of day, AHs don’t make their money from bids; they make them from consignments. Bidders will always be there, but if a firm has nothing to sell, they’re done. I, for one, don’t appreciate the policies Heritage has, and frankly, I think their biggest transgression is that they nuke their scans, so I would not consider consigning my cards there. Clearly though, I’m in the minority, as they seem to land amazing sh*t each and every auction.

[Peter_Spaeth]

The scans are a mixed blessing. On the one hand you need eye protection, but on the other hand they are so high res that you can get a phenomenal close-up of the edges and corners.