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Matthews Auctions has several auctions coming up. Tomorrow an online only auction.

Then November 29, 30 & Dec 1
First day we will be selling silver dollars, firearms and firearm advertising.
Second day is the collection of George Whipkey with a great Coca-Cola items, pertoliana and more.
Third is Gas pumps including a Roman Column, barber shop items and wooden signs.

Up coming Matthews Auctions on Proxibid

I was just looking at the link and noted the following Information and Special Terms.

Information & Special Terms
PLEASE READ: At the request of the auction company, this auction permits bids to be placed by the auctioneer, an employee of the auctioneer, or the seller or an agent on the seller's behalf. While Proxibid's Unified User Agreement prohibits this behavior, in accordance with UCC 2-328, this auction is permitted to engage in this activity by providing this clear disclosure to you, the bidder.
PLEASE READ: This auction company has requested and been granted access to see all bids placed including any maximum pre-bids. This auction is permitted to engage in this activity by providing this clear disclosure to you, the bidder.
Internet Premium: 18%

After having read these disclosure statements, I'm somewhat curious to inquire; What is the purpose of requesting these special terms and engaging in these activities?

This has been discussed before.
http://www.oldgas.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Main=62816&Number=397845#Post397845

Thanks, for posting the link.

Dave. the purpose it seems is to make shill bidding legal

All I will tell you if you don't trust me don't bid, it doesn't get much easier than that does it. Dan

I don't know you or have any reason not to trust you- but I won't be bidding on any auction with those terms.

Dan is honest! My friend set a max bid online and ended up going to the auction and forgot he had placed one online. Dan stopped the auction backed up the price when he notice that my friend was bidding his self up. Dan calls out the repo's how many auction companies don't.
Chad Duncan

Dan:
You just keep coming up with this great stuff. Nice items, almost wish I had a place close to you and a rich uncle. I can't imagine driving back to Portland in the snow, reminds me of Planes, trains, and automobiles. With my luck it would work out just about the same way.
Good luck with all the stuff.

I'd bet my left nut this plane aint landing in Portland....

Questioning Dan Matthews and his auction company is waaaaaaaaaaay off base! If you knew him and dealt with his fine staff, you would know what a STUPID COMMENT that was made regarding Shill Bidding.

Before making negative remarks about someone and/or their company, do some real research and you might think twice about making such foolish remarks.

Dan and his Staff are top notch people who run a quality business and they do everything in their power to make sure that all the buyers are satisfied in their purchases.

alot of the problem with this type clause is it lets the Seller, do things they normally might not do. Makes you wonder if this why the items reach such high prices before the auction ever starts, kinda like some things that are sold on ebay.

Where else would that plane land? and by the way Matt has always been very helpful and in my mind trustworthy.

Here's a simple system that works good for me at auctions, as I collect to relieve stress not create stress. It seems to work well for any auction company.

1. Preview the list. Pick out my want items and research my maximum spending price.
2. Wait for my want item and bid until I reach my maximum spending price. Who am I bidding against? Don't care.
3. Repeat step 2 until sale concludes.

Sorry - its from Planes Trains and Autombiles.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd5dYQHoZS0 (at the very end).

FWIW - I have had good (limited) experience with Matthews - but I do question the need for this policy and wish some one could explain why it is necessary.

I would like some assurance that I can bid maximum beforehand and that the sales price will not go to that maximum unless there is another legitimate bidder.

I agree. Can someone please explain the logic that allows a seller to raise the bid on his own piece. Logically it is his piece. He can sell it for whatever he wants. And raise the price any time he wants. Or back out of a deal if he wants. Bla bla bla.... But is that an auction??

Works for me!!

I have been to many of Dan's Auctions and have bid online a number of times. I have always gotten great service out of Dan and his people and they have always been honest and answered any questions.

As for bidding if you don't like the price because you feel someone is running it up or bidding on their own item (because they feel it's worth more) DONT BID!! It's simple!

Also quite a few of the auctioneers and employees are collectors also and if they want to bid IMO let them buy it and walk away.

Seems to me an auction consigner has just as much right to bid during an auction as any other paying customer. If he wants to pay both the buyer and seller fees to get back his own item, I don't see the problem. If you attend an auction...see the consigner bidding on his own items....and don't like it, then stop bidding. Apparently you didn't want the item as much as the winning bidder. Having been a consigner recently, I can understand the urge to bid on an item that's about to sell for 30% what you paid for it. It happened more often than you might think in my auctions. It feels like the item is being stolen. However, most consigners are smart enough to realize the important thing is the total sale value, not individual prices. I didn't feel at all guilty when items sold for 5 times what I paid, which also happened a few times.

The Matthews Auction folks are as honest as they come, and the best in the country at doing what they do best....auction petroliana. If you choose not to participate, it's your lose.

Richard

Great comment Richard and so true.

It's pretty simple... figure out what you want to pay for something and bid to that number. If you get it for less than great! If it went for more... than someone else wanted it more than you.
There is a term in the hobby called "stepping up to the plate" and paying more for something than it's worth because you want it. It's an auction... it takes 2 to run it up.

I'm not a big fan of auction houses that allow consigners to bid on their own items, but auctioneers do outline the terms of the auction at the start, and you do agree to them when you get your number.

There's a local auction house here that the owner is an avid collector. He makes it known that he's bidding on an item when the item enters the ring, and slows his calls way down to ensure everyone has a chance to bid on the item (to eleminate any perception that he's doing business unfairly).

"PLEASE READ: This auction company has requested and been granted access to see all bids placed including any maximum pre-bids. This auction is permitted to engage in this activity by providing this clear disclosure to you, the bidder."

I don't have a problem with them bidding on the items, but why would they need to know what the maximum pre-bids are?

i think most of the auction companies have a disclosure similar to this now.

the best way is to communicate which ones are honest and which ones are not. you can get a good idea when you attend the auctions in person.

Matthews has always been top notch... He seems very up front with his items and is trustworthy in my book. His staff is one big family.

However, there are auctioneers that I have personally witnessed shill bidding their items. There is one in Wisconsin that I attended that it was blatantly obvious. Of course, its easier to notice in person than when bidding online.

There sure are a lot of people on here that put a lot of items on B.O.T.W., that they gladly bought and are proud to brag about, that got bought from one of Dan's auctions.
When I got on this site,I asked about Matthew's Auctions and I got tired from reading the postive commemts,I did not receive one negative commemt!I did notice that a couple of the folks complaining were very happy about some items they bought since this "notice" came out.
I tell all my customers if you don't trust me please don't do buisness with me and I think Dan said that also. I have never met him but I do buy a few things thru his auctions,and I have not had a bad experience.
One way to look at this is,if more people wouldn't trust Dan I might be able to to buy stuff cheaper! Just my 2 cents

In this hobby as well as others, a persons reputation still means something. Back in the day, the snake oil salesman could show up, rip off people until he got run out of town then just set up in another place and rip off a fresh group of people. Today, a bad eBay seller or auctioneer in small town USA can get almost instant worldwide attention of his (or her) crooked ways thanks to the internet. The Petro hobby is sort of a small closed group. If an auction company is ripping off people, buyers will find out about it and their crooked actions will be remembered at their next sale. The Q then is, is it worth making a couple extra bucks in a commission if you are loosing a lot of future bidders. Also, a seller running up his own signs runs the risk of buying it. Take for example a Beacon sign that sold for $50K. If the seller was running it up and got stuck with it, he would be looking at paying both the points as a buyer and a seller. That would be what, at least 20% of $50K or $10000 just to try to get a few more dollars for his sign? Not saying it doesn't happen sometimes but in the end, a persons reputation is what it is. Rip someone off and your rep will follow you. I myself trust Dan. I bought a couple things already at his auctions and would buy more if my finances were stronger. He is one of the good guys in the hobby.

Well said Wes! Dan has always been very good to deal with.