* With the impending launch of Peter Contarino's, Sean Linkenback's and Ken
Schacter's auctions (vs. fixed price sales which are there now), I've
been visiting their MoviePosterExchange.com site. It's easy to navigate and
very user-friendly. (BTW, where in the
heck did the highly-touted $850,000 "Metropolis" 3-sheet go? I can't
find it! Did it sell?) At any rate, while visiting the site's FAQs, I read
that it has partnered with GavelSnipe, the sniping program service,
which will be available to bidders for timed auctions. That's good
news.
* But what's interesting - and this has nothing to do with
MoviePosterExchange.com - is GavelSnipe "appears" to be owned by Heritage. If
I'm wrong, please correct me - and a thousand apologies if I am. I'm
less concerned about potential abuses like shilling and what not with
Heritage's auctions - than I am about transparency.
GavelSnipe's murky origins are troubling. I couldn't find much info
about who owns or runs it. This is NOT a criticism of
Grey - who I consider a pal. The issue of GavelSnipe's ownership - if
indeed Heritage is its "owner" - is out of his hands. It's bigger than
him because it's available to bidders in Heritage's other departments.
* If true, this is NOT like PayPal being
owned by eBay. It's more like GavelSnipe being owned by Sotheby's or
Christie's, e.g., a conflict
of interest where potential abuses "could" occur - despite
assurances that a "sniping subsidiary" of Sotheby's or Christie's - can
operate independently - with an iron-clad ability to preserve the
confidentiality of all scheduled "snipe" bids submitted online. Do you trust
this, given what you've read in the news about Sotheby's, Christie's, price
fixing, Wall Street buddies in bed with politicians trading stocks with
confidential info, etc.?
* By using
ANY sniping program, you are imparting the same trust you already give to
auction sites when submitting "absentee bids" for "live" showroom sales.
The difference is you can't be "run-up" while using a sniping program,
or so you think, because your bids are placed in the last few seconds of a
timed sale. But what if the wall protecting "sniped bids" is
breached by another department in the SAME building? Here's what I know:
GavelSnipe is based in Dallas and "uses SSL encryption (so that) your passwords
are secured and not VIEWABLE by GavelSnipe personnel." I have no reason to
distrust this. But what about actual snipe bid amounts before a sale closes?
In the effort to make "sniping" available for
clients like myself who've clamored for it - I hope Heritage hasn't errantly
opened a can of worms
by OWNING GavelSnipe - instead of PARTNERING with an
independently-run third party company - such as JustSnipe or others like it.
* Before most of you scoff and dismiss what I'm saying as "manufactured
paranoia" or "no big deal" - please know that I'm approaching
this as a
person who has personally GAINED by buying and
consigning items with Heritage over the years - hence I'm not inclined
to see it stub its toes for ANY reason. Again, I'm
more concerned about transparency than abuse when it comes to Heritage. And
that's mostly because of Grey. But visit the GavelSnipe site. It "feels" like
it has something to
hide - as if it already knows that there's ZERO benefit
to be PROACTIVE with consumers - about who's "really" signing the paychecks for
GavelSnipe's employees. -d.
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