The premise was not that noone else knew about the site, it was - as I posted - that Mel betrayed a certain level of expected discretion that he was well aware of. So yes personal. But stating or showing "look how easy it is to find" does not simply do away with Mel's actions...
I think it is more about a violation of implied confidence and trust on a poster buddy level.
These charges are false. Please stop repeating them. I already said I found out about AuctionZip.com on my own. The facts are that (1) I asked Matt where he was finding these obscure auctions, (2) he wouldn't tell me, and (3) I figured it out on my own. After I found it on my own, we did discuss the site and some of his specific transactions but at no time did I promise or imply that I would not reveal what I learned on my own. I have not discussed and will not discuss his particular transactions. Matt and I have always “agreed to disagree.” I have always said information should be reasonably shared. He thinks everything should be confidential.
In any event, AuctionZip.com is not a secret and it’s basically like Ebay. Every “live lot” is combed over by dealers and collectors and you are likely to face stiff competition on the best stuff, just as you would on Ebay.
Furthermore, AuctionZip.com is a secondary outlet for auctioneers. Most auctioneers promote their auctions separately and independently. For example, I found out about the Dewey Law Firm international poster auction through a direct promotion. Later, I checked and saw that it was listed on AuctionZip as well.
Finally, I don’t trust these smaller auctioneers. It’s a jungle out there. Most of the collectors reading this thread will not have the time, finances, connections, etc. to make AuctionZip.com really worth the effort. But now at least they know about it and can try and it’s especially good for locating larger independent auctions like Garth’s.