DiscoverSports Cards LiveHow Much Shill Is Baked Into COMPs? + New School Pushback + What Buyers Should Demand
How Much Shill Is Baked Into COMPs? + New School Pushback + What Buyers Should Demand

How Much Shill Is Baked Into COMPs? + New School Pushback + What Buyers Should Demand

Update: 2025-11-21
Share

Description

Dan the Card Lawyer and Josh Adams from 90s Auctions join us to keep pulling back the curtain on shill bidding, reserves, and how auction houses really work behind the scenes. We look at where “accepted hobby practice” ends and fraud begins, why some newer hobby-first auction houses are drawing hard lines, and how much shill is quietly baked into the prices we all rely on. We also touch on eBay authentication horror stories, stolen mail, and whether it is even possible to collect without being touched by any of this.


Highlights include:




  • A criminal defense lawyer’s perspective on shill bidding, fraud, and why some practices cross the line




  • An auction owner explaining why 90s Auctions walked away from reserves and house bidding




  • How guarantees, reserves, and “system bids” can warp prices long before you place your max bid




  • The uncomfortable question of how much shill is baked into almost every COMP in the hobby




Your comments drive the show, so bring your questions and experiences to the live chat.

If you find value in this conversation, please hit like, subscribe to Sports Cards Live, and share the episode with another collector who needs to hear it.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Comments 
In Channel
loading
00:00
00:00
x

0.5x

0.8x

1.0x

1.25x

1.5x

2.0x

3.0x

Sleep Timer

Off

End of Episode

5 Minutes

10 Minutes

15 Minutes

30 Minutes

45 Minutes

60 Minutes

120 Minutes

How Much Shill Is Baked Into COMPs? + New School Pushback + What Buyers Should Demand

How Much Shill Is Baked Into COMPs? + New School Pushback + What Buyers Should Demand

Cloud10