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Does this forum impair your barracuda instinct?
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19 posts in this topic

As a newbie here, I'm intrigued to see that other members are variously buyers, sellers, or both in online auctions. The nature of a basic art sale is somewhat competitive, since buyer and seller have different ideas of what personally benefits them the most. But it's also somewhat collaborative, since both buyer and seller have some incentive to reach an agreement. An auction, however, seems more competitive: A sale is certain (barring reserve issues), so all that's left is competition between potential buyers.

So my question is: Do long-time members find that this forum makes them more or less aggressive at auctions, given that you know some of the people against whom you are bidding, and maybe know which pieces they're trying to acquire? Do you bid less, or on fewer pieces? Have you ever had a private conversation divvying up potential auction items so as not to run up the price on pieces of mutual interest?

Edited by RBerman
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If I wasn’t really, really interested in a piece, and I knew someone else was, I would personally back away, but that has never happened to me. 
I also don’t engage in punishment bidding. I consider it malicious and offensive to deliberately cause harm to another with no benefit to myself (fighting vigorously to win the same piece is different). 

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I agree with Rick2you2 well UNLESS the punishment bids are happening on a piece I'm selling, then it's less frowned upon.

Pieces I'm interested in - NO PUNISHMENT BIDS

Pieces I'm selling - PUNISH THOSE BUYERS - but not on my behalf - shilling is ALWAYS BAD!

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On 2/4/2020 at 5:29 AM, gumbydarnit said:

I agree with Rick2you2 well UNLESS the punishment bids are happening on a piece I'm selling, then it's less frowned upon.

Pieces I'm interested in - NO PUNISHMENT BIDS

Pieces I'm selling - PUNISH THOSE BUYERS - but not on my behalf - shilling is ALWAYS BAD!

Refreshing honesty 

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On 2/4/2020 at 2:34 AM, Rick2you2 said:

If I wasn’t really, really interested in a piece, and I knew someone else was, I would personally back away, but that has never happened to me. 
I also don’t engage in punishment bidding. I consider it malicious and offensive to deliberately cause harm to another with no benefit to myself (fighting vigorously to win the same piece is different). 

That’s honorable. 

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As primarily a Hulk collector, I am aware of several collectors (many who are now friends) who have similar tastes (some, VERY similar tastes). Early on there was a somewhat uneasy tension going down the wire on an auction wondering who would bid, how much, etc. If you don't talk about it, it's easy as you don't know for sure if they are bidding so you throw your best bid down and see what happens. You win some, you lose some, and along the way you might make a friend pay up a little more for a piece unintentionally - that's how it goes. I have a few friends that I converse with now about auctions and we can actually talk it out and see who wants it most and how hard they will go for it and pretty much always defer to one another on an item. So, I guess you can say that some friendships made in the hobby do suppress that "barracuda instinct"  ... sometimes. 

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1 hour ago, JadeGiant said:

As primarily a Hulk collector, I am aware of several collectors (many who are now friends) who have similar tastes (some, VERY similar tastes). Early on there was a somewhat uneasy tension going down the wire on an auction wondering who would bid, how much, etc. If you don't talk about it, it's easy as you don't know for sure if they are bidding so you throw your best bid down and see what happens. You win some, you lose some, and along the way you might make a friend pay up a little more for a piece unintentionally - that's how it goes. I have a few friends that I converse with now about auctions and we can actually talk it out and see who wants it most and how hard they will go for it and pretty much always defer to one another on an item. So, I guess you can say that some friendships made in the hobby do suppress that "barracuda instinct"  ... sometimes. 

Friends? Bah, Hulk want to be alone!!! Hulk smash friends!! 

:sumo:

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