OK, I tried to put these mails on auto flush, but come on stick a pin in it, who cares.
Heritage is in the auction business last time I checked. Ebay allows people to use their API to build sniping programs because it makes bidders feel all warm and fuzzy making bids, so why shouldn't Heritage pilot their own with a smaller user base. These mails have really come across to me as you have a chip on your shoulder for heritage plain and simple. Your second point makes no sense to me at all. Banks cannot own investment companies, soft drink companies cannot own a snack company. Oh my god, Disney owns ABC and ESPN and don't forget.. Marvel Comics. the sky is falling. There is no story here, move on. From: MoPo List [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of David Kusumoto Sent: Wednesday, April 18, 2012 5:26 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [MOPO] Potential Conflict of Interest? Is Gavel-Snipe owned by Heritage? Thanks, Kerry, for that bit of info below. * Meanwhile, I'm sorry, but the word, "conspiracy" implies seamy dealings involving more than one person or companies gaming a system or flouting a law. I haven't suggested that about Heritage. And as an ex-news guy, my litmus test is to demand things in writing - or to get personal testimonies backed with dates, numbers and other facts - not conjecture. Every company or person, including Heritage, deserves that. Kerry's sleuthing shows that Heritage registered the GavelSnipe domain name - but this doesn't necessarily mean it still owns it. * However, whether Heritage is a "financial backer or an owner" - always matters in the world of business - in the same way that it matters to us that Bank of America owns Merrill Lynch, that PepsiCo owns Frito-Lay, that Disney owns ABC and ESPN, that ComCast owns NBC and that Rupert Murdoch owns the NY Post, Fox Sports, the WSJ and movies and shows produced or distributed by 20th Century Fox. I have not suggested Heritage is breaking the law nor is running up bids - yet the mildly defensive responses thus far - address only that specific element. I don't care about that part personally (although it is a salient concern) - because my experiences with Heritage have been largely positive. * But I always care about transparency and proactive disclosure. So if we say that "the ownership of Gavelsnipe by Heritage corporate was never hidden," what does that mean exactly at the level of a consumer? Does "never hidden" mean it is being disclosed proactively, being disclosed upon request, "never disclosed officially" - or is this simply "universal common knowledge" among those "in the know?" I could not find a one thing addressing this on GavelSnipe's site. That's odd, I thought. It's like having a light bulb go on while I'm visiting a website. I always want to know who owns or runs it. And I was led to this only because of my curiosity - in relation to my praise for the MoviePosterExchange.com site and reading its FAQs. MoviePosterExchange will use GavelSnipe as a third party service, rather than doing it by itself. No conflict there. * I repeat: Doesn't your objectivity get tested when you replace the word, "Heritage" - with the word, "Sotheby's?" Or how about with the words, "Rupert Murdoch" or "Keith Olbermann?" I think it does make a difference. In sum, all of this then becomes a personal preference based on the level of trust you impart to a Sotheby's or a Murdoch or an Olbermann - combined with the number of positive experiences or relationships you have or have had with these people or entities. * Would it bother me a little if Sotheby's owned a company like GavelSnipe and integrated it into a timed auction? Speaking for myself, the answer is yes. For Heritage, the answer is no, but I think disclosing its relationship with GavelSnipe is a "pre-emptive" strike to prevent others with ill intentions from "discovering" it on their own. When you've got material info that may be controversial - my P.R. rule is to always get your message out FIRST to prevent being placed in a defensive position and/or losing control of a potential story about your brand. -d. _____ Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:37:44 -0700 From: [email protected] Subject: Re: Potential Conflict of Interest? Is Gavel-Snipe owned by Heritage? To: [email protected] I found this ownership info, not on the Gavelsnipe.com website (I looked thru their Terms and Conditions and FAQs--and could find nothing about who it's corporate owner is on either page), but on a third party site, called website.informer.com. Heritage is stated as the owner/registrant. Created: 2006-03-14 Expires: 2013-03-14 Owner: Heritage Auctions Registered through: GoDaddy.com, LLC (http://www.godaddy.com) Hosting company: PSINet, Inc Registrar: GODADDY.COM, LLC IPs: 38.107.251.34 DNS: ns1.gavelsniper.com ns2.gavelsniper.com Registrant: Heritage Auctions Registered through: GoDaddy.com, LLC (http://www.godaddy.com) Domain Name: GAVELSNIPE.COM Domain servers in listed order: NS1.GAVELSNIPER.COM NS2.GAVELSNIPER.COM -Kerry _____ Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:20:07 -0700 From: [email protected] Subject: Re: Potential Conflict of Interest? Is Gavel-Snipe owned by Heritage? To: [email protected] I don't recall how I found out that Heritage is a financial backer of Gavelsnipe (which is probably more appropriate than calling them a corporate ownership), but I've known, it's been talked about on Comic Book forums and the like.. But I have never been worried one bit about leaving my bids on gavelsnipe and it's easy for me to see how much money I have saved on both ebay and Heritage auctions by looking at my snipes and how mostly, they've never gotten close to my winning bids then again, I'm not a conspiracist. I know the only way for two people to keep a secret is if one of them is dead _____ Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:50:53 -0700 From: [email protected] Subject: Re: Potential Conflict of Interest? Is Gavel-Snipe owned by Heritage? To: [email protected] Rich How did you know? Through the site itself (which is key) - or through pals or by just "being in the know?" If a consumer signs up with GavelSnipe for the first time today, is there a PROACTIVE disclosure in GavelSnipe's terms and conditions about its relationship with Heritage? If so, it undercuts everything I've written and I owe everyone a big apology. -d. _____ Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:41:37 -0700 To: [email protected]; [email protected] From: [email protected] Subject: Re: [MOPO] Potential Conflict of Interest? Is Gavel-Snipe owned by Heritage? David the ownership of Gavelsnipe by Heritage corporate was never hidden.. I knew about it the day I set up my own account _____ Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:24:52 -0700 From: [email protected] Subject: Re: Potential Conflict of Interest? Is Gavel-Snipe owned by Heritage? To: [email protected] I agree with Kirby too, particularly with his comment: "Any proxy bid system could be undermined with enough 'nefariousness' at work." Hence while I wrote my "essay" with a level of air-tightness - I was trying to convey less personal suspicion about any "nefariousness" at work by Heritage - (and it's only because I know and trust Grey) - but with more concern about the link between GavelSnipe and Heritage - and how in my view, it has a level of newsworthiness with the media that Heritage doesn't need. Don't think so? Just REPLACE Heritage's name in my "essay" below - with Sotheby's or Christie's or Profiles in History. You see, your emotional reaction is based on the type of relationship and comfort level you may or may not already have with any auction house on earth. This is really a personal preference thing with people, e.g., they either trust the "leash" between the two entities - or they don't. I just put it out there because I know most people will read it - and most as a result will mull it over as another quirky element that riddles all hobbies, not just ours. -d. _____ Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:20:39 +0200 From: [email protected] Subject: Re: Potential Conflict of Interest? Is Gavel-Snipe owned by Heritage? To: [email protected] I agree with Kirby. We've been using Gavelsnipe for eBay for quite some time, we don't buy from Heritage, and never had any problems. Ron _____ Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2012 09:05:48 -0500 From: [email protected] Subject: Re: Potential Conflict of Interest? Is Gavel-Snipe owned by Heritage? To: [email protected] I have used Gavelsnipe many times for Heritage and Ebay auctions and I have never had even one whiff of a feeling that I was being run up. I'm glad that this service exists because I like the snipe process. I can set it and forget it. Doesn't mean it couldn't happen if some nefarious persons wanted to pollute the process. Any proxy bid system could be undermined with enough "nefariousness" at work. Kirby _____ Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2012 02:13:00 -0700 From: [email protected] Subject: Potential Conflict of Interest? Is Gavel-Snipe owned by Heritage? To: [email protected] * 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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