[twobjshelbys]

They do try to pump cars but take my word for it it doesn't always work. I speak from personal experience.

Shill bidding would get them shut down immediately. And if it happens at BJ then it happens everywhere. And everyone thinks they know someone who heard from someone that someone placed false bids. But noone has ever admitted it. And it it happens at BJ then it happens at Mecum and all the others. File that under old wives tales.

Furthermore, real shill bidding requires at least two shills. Lets say the shills are B and C.

A is the last bid before it stalls.

Shills come into action.

B bids. If there is only one shill, A might bid again, and might not. If so B gets it (car or whatever). That's a losing proposition with some probability. Not worth it since B didn't want it anyway since he's just an actor.

So B and C bid with each other to reach the threshold. A may or may not be have reached his actual limit so with a 1/3 chance, A's last bid is trumped by B (and maybe C). Let's say he is which means that at any time B or C ends up with it.

Shill bidding has too many downsides to be a factor.

That's not to say that the seller might not inject a bidder whose sole intent is to place a top bid below a "threshold" or seller imposed reserve. BJ and Mecum make it very clear that they know how to spot those and the seller almost always loses since he has to pay BOTH seller and buyer commissions. Again, not feasible unless the bids are 30+% off the mark.

Do "bad actor" events happen? Sure, but the payoff probabilities are so low as to make a steady profit are unlikely.

Bad bids do happen. I was at the BJ auction in the sky box when they auctioned the Bugatti Veyron. It went for alot less than it was supposed to. The auction stalled and the hammer went down. Someone got a really good price, everyone thought. Then about 10 minutes later after the next car or two passed over the block Craig came on with an announcement that the bidder that won the car was an unqualified bidder (didn't have the money) and that he was banned from ever attending BJ again. Craig re-opened the bidding at the previous bidder's amount who by that time had either left or didn't want it, and Craig bought the car for the false bidder's price. The car still sports a "Barrett Jackson" logo and is a "company car".