Harris, you are dead on right about pipestud as a buyer. But you would have to be a complete moron to use him to sell a pipe. First, he doesn't do a damn thing to make the pipes looks good - not even a wipe - yet his consignment take is quite high. Second, his photography leaves a lot to be desired (which given how dirty the pipes are, maybe is a blessing). Finally, his auctions are only available to US buyers. There was a pipe he had I was interested in and I e-mailed him and asked him if I could bid on it given that I am from Canada. He could see my rating - over 300, all positive rating - and he said no. The pipe ended up going for a LOT less than I was willing to pay for it. Anybody who is running an auction will tell you that they key to maximizing auction prices is to get as many bids as possible, with the hope that a bidding war will develop. So the more bidders the merrier. All of the big three no reserve sellers know this - how could they not, it is just common sense - but not pipestud.
