Hi Ed, good to hear from you!

Doug does have a bit of the "I've always done it this way" in his process, but there is a bit more that I think drives it. He is in the end putting his name and reputation behind these auctions. He takes on co-signers, and is responsible for the people who bid on those chips. So if there were multiple copies of the catalog floating around for anyone to grab and then, place bids, it could lead to a lot of non-payment or confusion about the auction process. The way it works now, Doug knows everyone who gets a catalog, and hence anyone who places a bid. It's not like eBay where anyone in the world can bid, and then you hope they will pay and the transaction will be completed. He knows the bidders in his auctions and in that way he is protecting the co-signers and their chips.

That being said, he will give anyone who asks for it, a free catalog if you just give him your name and address. All you have to do is place one bid on that auction and you will get a catalog for the next auction. It really is as simple as that.

Hope to see more of your articles in the magazine, they have all been great!
Happy New Year,
Todd Barrett
#5068-91
Ramona, CA