Art galleries bid up items at art auctions all the time, especially those dealing with editions of prints. Say they have 3 duplicate prints by one artist in an edition of 10, then they find out that the same print is at auction. They will send an intern over to bid up the price. If they win the auction, then they have increased the value of their previous property as well as partially monopolized the edition in total. Even if they dont 'win' the auction they will still have increased (legitimately?) the value of their previous property. My father collects art, and I collect bikes. It's interesting to see how the two are related in so many ways. (Craftsmenship/artisanship, lineage of teacher to pupil, the effect that technology has on the product etc.) Although I guess many bikes that people on this list have would no doubt be considered valuable antiques in their own right. Isaac Schell Philadelphia PA USA
Raymond Dobbins <raydobbins2003@yahoo.com> wrote: Now that sounds like an extremely interesting cautionary tale. Kevin, care to give us the details? I don't think you'd be breaking any laws :)
Ray Dobbins Miami FL USA
Kevin Moran wrote: You're not beating the system, you're manipulating the market. I can tell you that bidding up your own auction, or colluding with people to do so, is a bad idea. Someone did that to me on eBay about 8 years ago and both eBay and the DOJ made an example of him. Not only did they get him for wire fraud (a felony), but when he sent the item through the mail, he was also guilty of mail fraud (also a felony). He should have known better, too. He was a lawyer until he was disbarred over the incident.
Kevin Moran
Bloomington, Indiana
USA
> Shill or clever. With ebay fees through the roof for
> every turn you make you can easily run up a big bill
> with something as simple as a bicycle. What with
> posting fees and reserve fees quite a bit more then
> the .25 cents per post that they started with back
> in 96.
>
> Now if you can figure a way to beat this system,
> let's say by posting an item at a very low price
> with no reserve then turning around and bidding it
> up youself to your real reserve price.
>
> Just wish I thought of it first.
>
> Ray Homiski
Elizabeth, NJ
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