I have yet to sell anything on so I do not know this for sure. However, when you change or add something they put something on the auction page such as what follows.

"On Jan-12-02 at 10:20:04 PST, seller added the following information:
For all of you who questioned how I could know a chip would sell out before it went on sale: I put this lot on auction on the 8th. I was at the Casino when the public was allowed to purchase these chips,on the 9th, after seeing I had NO BIDS on this item I changed my title line (which I am ALLOWED to do) to reflect the selling out of these chips, and OBVIOUSLY to generate some interest in this item. I am NOT lying as I WAS THERE and witnessed the chips being sold. I hope this clears everything up, if not feel free to e-mail me. Thank you and good luck."

The seller, above, indicates that he changed the title of his auction after the fact,

"Betty Boop Casino Chip sold out in 14 minutes"

This does not address how he anticipated the sell out when he wrote his discription of the lot,

"You are bidding on 1, $5 Betty Boop chip from Trump Plaza in Atlantic City. Limited to only 1200, this chip will not last long. This chip went on sale to the public today (1-9) and sold out in 14 minutes!! It is the first in a series to honor this irresistible charactor. There is NO reserve and bidding starts at ...... Buyer pays actual shipping. GOOD LUCK. Also see my other auctions for more collectible chips"

He refers to the public sale date of 1/9 as "Today" yet the auction was started on the 8th,

"Started Jan-08-02 14:54:09 PST"

Also, he said that "this chip will not last long." yet in his next words he said "This chip went on sale... (snipped) ...sold out in 14 minutes!!"

At one moment he is speaking in advance and the next after the fact. Will the chip "not last long"? or DID it sell out in 14 min?

Before I make a final decision that this person should be avoided, which I admit is a serious thought, I would like to ask this question. What information can be changed during an auction short of cancelling it and re-listing. Can you change the description and terms or when doing that will add a line such as the one quoted above regarding with the date and an indication that the seller added information.

Just to note, All quoted info was cut and paste from the actual auction listing.

In light of the sellers responses maybe there were some innocent mistakes or misunderstandings. However, As has been pointed out before and from my scruiteny in response, There are still some inconsistancies. I still get an uneasy feeling about this auction. If for no other reason than I know that I will be bidding against others who may not know the true fair value of the chips(s) and will drive up the value. I will not pay that much so will therefore pass on this one.

This auction has highlighted the importance to know some info for yourself and not to rely solely on the discriptions and claims that are made in the auction. While perhaps it is legitimate salesmanship, in some cases, to put the best most enticing discriptions on your items(s), it is often a fine line before you become misleading. Whether this chip sold in 14 minutes or 3 hrs is not as relevant as the fact that there are 1200 in the issue. You can have hundreds or so people buying for 3 hrs at about 3 or 4 chips a piece or you can have a dozen dealers brokers or NIS sellers buying by the hundreds and buying them out in 14 minutes. Mass sales do not indicate rarity or popularity. For all we know, in about 3 weeks some of the dealers may turn up at the cage selling back the ones they could not sell. To use an extreme, that will mean that some emotional auction buyers will have bought a chip for $15 that they might be able to wait and buy for $5. Sometimes you just have to keep cool and think rationally not emotionally. I will confess. Early on in my collecting of chips, I bought, at auction, a few chips for about 15 or 20 dollars that I can buy today for about 8.