Creatures from the Dark Web
 

For any vintage sports card on Ebay, where bidders and their bids are shown, has become a game with an uneven playing field. Having been burned on a a couple of cards I really wanted by the cabal known as "private bidders, identities not disclosed." Doesn't this defeat the purpose of showing who the bidders are? Is Ebay aware of this? And do they care? But my question is: Who are these Guys? I am certainly aware that a few years back some well-heeled dealers had some kind of "gentlemen's agreement" to push prices up on certain high grade stars, e.g. '55 Topps Clemente RC PSA 8 or 9. Have they resurrected themselves; or is it private equity and hedge funds, super rich folks, the Chinese, the Russians playing cyber games, Aliens?
I do know the country is awash in money at the moment and that must be a principal reason for the explosion in card prices.