Am I Crazy???

[trsent]

Which auction houses ended last night anyway?

[BoneRubbedBat]

It's amazing.....I won my item at my highest bid also.

Eric, do you think we are just that good at predicting how much items are worth and how much they will go for??

If anyone wants to know exactly how much their item will go for in an auction, just call me or Eric. LOL

Marcus Sevier

[seven4five20]

(**moderator edited this post** POSTER MADE ACCUSATORY STATEMENTS WITHOUT PROOF) AMERICAN MEMORABILIA still oweS me a check from my consignments in the SEPTEMBER auction. Anyone else have a AM horror story?

[BULBUS]

I havent won many auctions, maybe about 5, but they have all been at my maximum bid. The thing that got me thinking was when I won a game used bat over the summer. I didnt really like the bat, so I wanted to sell it. In my search for a buyer, I found out that the previous owner was one of the authenticators. I was the high bidder late into the night, and woke up to find out that I won the bat at my maximum bid. It was about $400 higher than when I went to bed. So, I dont think you are crazy either.

[BULBUS]

I didnt mention it in my first post, but mine is an AM experience as well. They also did a horrible job with a couple of items that I consigned with them. The descriptions were garbage. Their writer is more concerned with the players acomplishments, than the item itself. I am done with AM!

[sammy]

Eric,

I believe it would be in the best interest of your fellow forum members and collectors in general if you would post the name of the auction company, or the name of the player you referred to in your posting.

Anyone else have this experience, please post the auction house names here. We need to make these people more honest, by the economics of not bidding or exposure.

If this happened on eBay, the seller would be kicked off, maybe, (Broadway Rick) or at the very least, his name would be circulated on here and elsewhere as a warning to others. Why should these thieves, yes they are thieves if it is shill bidding, be allowed to continue this with impunity?

I am very hesitate to bid in any auction where I can't see who I am bidding against, nationally known or local. When I do bid, I only place one opening minimum bid in the beginning and see where it is at in the end. That way I have a bid placed and can bid after the initial auction closes if I desire.

I'd be absolutely crazy to trust any of these auction houses to be honest, Robert Edward Auctions is the exclusion.

[otismalibu]

I've only ever bid on one auction site other than eBay. It was GFC. I kept checking online to see if anyone had outbid me, but it always said I was in the lead. I wasn't sure how often they updated the website during the auction, so I called in to make sure I hadn't been outbid. When I called to check, they said I'd been outbid, so I placed another bid. Again, I kept checking on the website, but no new info was posted. I called back again (later) and again they said I'd been outbid. I didn't like the feel of things, so I placed one final bid and told the guy I wouldn't be placing anymore. Of course I won with that bid. Since then, I stick to eBay.

Greg

[seven4five20]

I called AM today, and spoke with Kieta, I assume she is one of the higgher ups since I had asked to speak with Victor, and they directed me to her. I got the same old song and dance, "your check was sent out today" (about the fourth time), I then told her about the post, and how what little reputation they have si being challenged on this forum. I tld her about how the shill bidding has been observed....her tone dramatically changed. She said "we do not participate in those forums because we do not believe in the people who stand behind them"....basically a slap in the face to everyone who participates on this forum.

[martindl]

This stuff can drive you crazy and it certainly makes you wonder what might be going on what that 'man behind the curtain' but don't overlook the fact that we are generally a fairly educated bunch when it comes to pricing and value, as are others who bid in these auctions.

Eric, if you told me that the general market value/price of item A was $500, then i'd be very suspicious. If the general market value is much closer to your top bid, with vig, then i'm much more willing to accept that its just a case of a couple of people with simialr interests, and similar knowledge of value, going after the same thing - and you just got in there first.

i tend to bid low early on all items i'm interested in and then come back the day of the auction and put my 'i'll buy it for that bid'. I also collect certain players, so in the scenario you outlined, i could see where i'd put bids on items in quick succession and it bump to my limited. If you had already done the same thing and gotten there first, and we both had similar views on value, then i'd get shut out and you'd be left wondering why you got bid up.

I will say, i much prefer auctions where i can enter a straight amount versus having an amount picked for me.

[Eric]

I then told her about the post, and how what little reputation they have si being challenged on this forum. I tld her about how the shill bidding has been observed....her tone dramatically changed.

Whoa everyone. I have not mentioned that shill bidding was involved. I merely mentioned a pattern I thought was strange. And since there was no proof, I felt it wasn't fair to mention the auction house.

It wasn't right to tell American Memorabilia that they have been accused of shill bidding. If you go back and read the thread you'll see how the facts have been laid out.

I do have to edit one post in this thread which made the leap to naming AMI and making negative statements about them. It is important that we all deal with fact here and not assumptions.

Eric
moderator