:: As is so often the case, there are (at least) two schools of
: thought about discussing live auctions. One (extreme) position
: is that we should never discuss a live auction or even one that
: has just ended. Live auctions, with time remaining, present the
: opportunity for a range of abuses. Will some of our members
: trash a watch, hoping to buy it cheap? Will we discuss a watch
: that sold for a very low price, hoping that the seller may see
: the thread and think twice about selling to the eBay winner at
: the crazy low price? Yes, there are definitely opportunities for
: bad behavior in discussing live auctions.

: The other (extreme) view suggests that the free flow of information
: is always better, and that it is fair game to discuss any watch,
: any time. Yes, newbies will benefit from this flow of
: information, and we will just rely on community norms and good
: behavior to keep the shenanigans to a minimum.

: Thanks for this suggestion. Let's continue to explore and ponder
: these possibilities as we consider whether a thread or multiple
: threads on live auctions might be useful. I don't have a view at
: the moment, but would like to hear what others are thinking.

: Jeff

Hi Jeff, a very interesting topic indeed and once that IMHO would merit a thread of its own otherwise buried here it'll be overlooked.
Anyway, I am in the favour of not disclosing but finding a third way, such as an after-the-fact appraisal - which is already done anyway a lot of times here.

I can recall very vividly a case of the first type of behaviour: the watch got mentioned here, a very well known collector lambasted it, going as far as naming all the faults he could find and hinting at others that he suggested were lurking: just enough to put off anyone less experienced than him.
But, guess what? A few days later, after winning the auction, he came back here showing it off. To put it mildly, I was disgusted and surely I learnt a lesson the hard way.

I like to say that gentlemen's agreements work in a group only if ALL members are gentlemen, and one rogue is enough to cause them to fail - the infamous weak link in a chain.

Cheers,
Fabrizio