[drcy]

It's considered by some to be faux pas to "out" an ongoing auction on this board. However, you can private message people. And posting general questions and questions about completed auctions is not only okay but welcome.

Personally, if someone is wondering if an item in live auction is real and/or correctly identified, I have no issue with him asking publicly before bidding. In fact, asking for opinions about the authenticity of a live item is fairly common.

Also, if it's in a major auction house auction, where everyone got catalogs in the mail, I don't think there is anything to "out." I feel that you're free to talk about anything anytime in those.

In the beginning and end, this was designed as and is an open public discussion board, not a covert messaging or private email system to protect investments. That some say outing a current auction is board "sin," is their personal opinions. There's no Net54 or voted upon rule that says that. However, yes, some on the board would get mad at you if you "out" a current eBay auction.

If you want to private message to not draw widespread attention to an item you are considering bidding on, that's perfectly okay and understandable. It's no board faux pas or rule breaking to send a private message or email.

And if a new member makes a perceived board faux pas, such as posting in the wrong category or breaking some unwritten rule, they are quickly forgiven as they are new.