auction fees and the damage done

[nolemmings]

Originally Posted by oldjudge

No fallacy at all. When I bid I set a limit as to what I will pay for each lot and bid to that level or less. The level is my total cost including buyers fees, tax, shipping, etc. I don’t care how you name the pieces, for my part you can call them auction house vacation fund, I just care about the aggregate number.

Exactly. Call the final price what you will, so long as I know in advance how to calculate it. The fallacy is the guy who thinks he really would have/ should have won that card for $250 it it weren't for that nasty, unfair, hidden, undeserved and evil 20% BP that adds another $50. As if no one would have bid the card to $300 if there was no BP.

As for the minimum BP, that does suck but at least it was disclosed. It sends a clear message that the AH prefers to sell higher dollar items and encourages bidders to think about bidding on multiple items. Makes sense at some level, but it can be harsh to some, as we now see.

[jamest206]

I paid, and await. No biggie to me, just a reminder why I should not be bidding half asleep in bed. Greg Morris on Ebay is doing a fine job with their auctions, and REA has been 100 percent professional since I started purchasing from them as well.

[bobbyw8469]

Originally Posted by jamest206

I paid, and await. No biggie to me, just a reminder why I should not be bidding half asleep in bed. Greg Morris on Ebay is doing a fine job with their auctions, and REA has been 100 percent professional since I started purchasing from them as well.

But Heritage no longer gets your business, correct?

[Exhibitman]

The simplest thing would be to take the % out of the overall sale price, like eBay, but then that % of people who either miss the BP or cannot do the math to factor it into their bids would not overbid. Multiply that by thousands of bidders a year and the advantage to the house is apparent.

FWIW, I bid on some cheap HA lots tonight and the system noted the $29 BP on the bidding page, so no mystery there.