I know many of the people on this site try not to bid against each other on machines, especially if they are only thinking about buying the machine and flipping. I think things change when it is a machine that you plan on buying and keeping--especially one that does not come up to often.
If this was a Westinghouse standard cooler and one member outbid another, I think that would be an issue (although I have seen them go for $6,000 on E-Bay!
). But on a rare item like a Popperette, I don't see that there is an issue. I am sure that many people on this site (include me in that group) were watching that item even before the E-Bay cat was let out of the bag on SMC. And we all had a max bid that we were willing to place if it did not got to high (again guilty as charged). If it had stayed under $2K I would have probably been in the mix as well.
Last year when a Stoner Jr. with a Gum Wheel came up several members were bidding on it and I think Frank ended up getting it. It is a rare machine that you don't see too often. We can do our best to stay out of each other's way; but, in the instance of a rare machine I think you are going to have multiple members bidding whether they admit it or not.
This is still a great forum and all of the members that I have interacted with go out of their way to help each other but we all know when you want a machine as a keeper and you have the cash available you are going to go for it!
Tim
PS: If a Cavalier C9-871/494 ever comes up:
http://soda-machines.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=247&Itemid=14I will not only be bidding against you but I will also be looking for several of you to help me pick it up and deliver it to my garage!
