Auctions are a double edged sword.

Ain't it the truth?!?! As a rule I do not read anything he writes but sometimes I have to peek. I don't participate in any of his threads but I couldn't help myself when the "greedy hoarders" complaint reared its head again.

 

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Just another thought here.....

Detecto, your parents need to auction off some heirlooms immediately and can't wait to put them on ebay so the alternative is to use a local auction house.

In your thinking, everyone should be able to get a deal at auction. So, at the auction your family's heirlooms are in, there are no greedy hoarders, no one bidding up the auctions etc.. Everybody that wins gets an incredible deal. However, your family winds up getting 10 cents on the dollar for their precious heirlooms that should have gone for at least 10x more.

How would you feel then?

Wouldn't you want to get the most money for the items you sold?

When you're buying, you want to get the best deal. Why? Because like everyone else you want to pay as little as possible for a valuable item. Why? So you can sell it to someone else and so you can make money.

You can't have it both ways.

At the auctions I sell at, I want the greedy hoarders, the unknowlegable, the buyers with more money than brains! I want to make as much money as possible.

At the auctions I buy at, I'd like to be the only one there.

 

I don't know about where you guys are from, but many o sf the auctions around here are truly estate auctions. An old farmer passes away and his family decides to sell off most of his assets at a public auction.

The 2nd most frequent auction is for bankruptcy, usually businesses. Keep in mind creditors get paid before shareholders when a company declares bankruptcy. In line with the big creditors like the banks, are mom & pop businesses and contractors. So the guy that just finished putting a roof on the business might or might not get paid, depending on how the auction goes. Usually, there isn't enough money to pay the shareholders anything, but sometimes there is. This usually affects the employees as many of them own stock in the company they worked for. They want their fair share too. But here's the catch: They actually earned their fair share.

Now, we go back to the beginning of the thread where you say things like "fair share" and "the top wants to have it all" and "Colluding is not going to ruin a seller". At the end of the day, either the family of the recently deceased, or the people who had lent money to or invested money in a company are going to receive less money so that you can have your fair share.

And speaking of fair share, where is that coming from anyway? Why is it that anyone that shows up to an auction is entitled to their fair share of anything, unless of course they're willing to pay more than the guy standing next to them?

If you suspect a few people of making sure you stay at the bottom of their pecking order, then keep going to the auctions and make it so they aren't getting a good deal on anything you want. Bid everything up to grey sheet bid price at the start of the item. If you win, great. If not, they will have paid more than grey sheet bid price to outbid you. That's the sort of thing that could easily become a hobby for someone that has enough time on their hands...

 

....like greedy hoarders.:devil:

 

Your describing the glory of humanity Detecto. Both sides talk**** about
fair trade, then, both sides do everything to bend, break, or change the rules
to their advantage. If they succeed, they rationalize it as "leveling the playing
field" or "change is good." And the other side screams "unfair advantage."
Until they get one.

 

After reading the OP, I actually did this. Post of the Year!

@Detecto, you are officially not allowed to play in the poker game!

 

Reminds me of the "Odd Couple" episode in which Felix was kvetching about competition in kid's sports.
Later on at the guys' poker game, the guys conspired against Felix to show him the error of his egalitarian ways by splitting the pot equally no matter who won.
Felix quickly learned his lesson after winning a big hand and being forced to share it with Vinny, Speed, Oscar and Murray.

 

There is no "fair share". Ever heard of Darwin? I'm ok with cheating if you can get away with it. But if you think you are entitled to something then Edited ~ forum rules, please read them. Language, including abbrev.

 

But see, the problem is I'm not wanting to be able to buy anything low enough to sell it. All I'm asking to be able to do is purchase coins for the same or slightly higher price than eBay or a B&M.

I like buying on eBay. But I would prefer to buy locally. A majority of eBay sellers take really poor photos, and even resorting to using a scanner.

I like to be able to pick the coin up, actually feel the coin in my hands, and get to closely examine it. You cannot do that when you purchase a coin on the internet.

 

"You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometime, you might just find, you get what you need."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HQdl4ai3tk

 

I very much agree with the last two sentences. I am the same way. I imagine there are a lot of other people that feel the same way too, and I think this adds value to the coins being auctioned. Maybe that's why they're fetching a premium.

 

That's not going to happen.

Take it from someone who has been to many an estate sale containing numismatic collections.

The number of bidders wanting a particular coin are going to battle it out bidding for it, all hoping they win it.

That's the way it is.

 

Then, my young friend, you have to pay for that privilege.
The world can be a cold hard place and it can be grossly unfair.
The best way to get thru life is to adapt to the world and not expect the world to adapt to you.

 

My opinion is you should just stay home until you figure out why you are going in the first place. Auctions and B&Ms both.
You seem to have a really warped view of why an auction style sale exists and why you should bid or not bid.
If you dont understand it, if you dont think its fair, if it hurts your feelings, just dont do that! Stay on the porch.

 

I would be really careful with auctions unless you have a lot of money or reasons to buy. It is easy to get carried away. Most full time dealers are extremely disciplined and have very specific price points which they will not exceed. They know how to sit on their hands, because that little bidding paddle is a dangerous thing in the wrong hands.

 

And deadly in others.

 

Good Lord, this OP is so incredibly immature. He has not a clue of how the auction process works--an auction is by definition, a competitive bidding on an item. If one doesn't wanna do that--don't go to auctions. Simple as that.

 

Then the auction is not the place for you. To win, you have to have the highest bid. It doesn't matter what the guides or ebay or the greysheet says because the coin goes to the person who is the last to bid. And if he wants to pay double, triple or more who's to stop them.

A few weeks ago I sold a roll of common date cents for $48. It was worth $1.50. If you wanted to buy that roll, it would have cost you more than $48. It doesn't matter if it was worth that or not. That's what the final bid was. That's how it works.

If you don't like the auction system. Then don't go. It isn't going to change for you.

 

Have you ever tried to offer to buy coins that are part of a lot from the winning bidder? Maybe the winning bidder wanted somethign else in the lot and doesn't even like coins.