The answer is yes.

But, I resist alerting others for any auction items I am bidding on myself. I know I may be shooting myself in the foot, so to say, by letting others potentially bid against me.

I have posted auctions many times for interesting Krags or Krag related items that others may be interested in bidding on that I disclose I am not bidding on myself.

I have also resisted, although, to be honest, I have not followed 100% with, in bidding on an item that someone here has posted that they are interested in or bidding on. I have let a couple of very interesting items go because of this principle. I try to honor others' intentions in getting an opinion from KCA members without having us bid against them.

One thing you could do if you are wanting information about an auction item you might bid on is post a couple pictures you download from the item description and ask questions about the item without posting a link to the auction or even mentioning where it is being auctioned.

But alerting others for an auction item and providing the link to the listing is a good thing to do. I have followed these leads before and, whether or not I want to bid on the item, I have often learned a lot from the item listing or the discussion on the forum about details of the item. We all benefit from that!

It's up to any individual what they want to do about bidding and how much they might be willing to pay. Many people have posted here looking for a specific kind of Krag and we have helped search for a place to buy it. That can be very helpful to people.

Does this answer the question? I wouldn't shy away from doing this. Great discussion, actually. You're not the first in this dilemma.

And, there is another awkward scenario:

You are at a gun-show - let's suppose it is a large one and you have not yet finished your first round, so you do not know who is there, or what is for sale.

An acquaintance comes running up, fairly foaming at the mouth with lust. "Hey, Dick (or Tom or Harry) did you see that trapdoor or Krag - over in the SW corner?"

You respond "No, I have not - just barely got here." 

"Well, can you please take a look, I'll show you where it is, but I don't want the guy to see me talking to you."

"O.K.", you say, and set off. After a minute or so, it becomes evident they he's steering you right towards the table of another acquaintance, or perhaps a friend (who may, or may not, be a mutual friend) and, sure enough, there sits the object of lust.

Let's spice it up a bit - after inspection, you find that the gun has some "issues", not all immediately apparent, but you do not know whether either the seller, or the potential buyer, are aware of them. But, both of them know that you know "more than the average bear" or are "smarter than a 5-year old" (tip of the hat to Jeff Foxworthy).

What do you do?

I know what I've done in the past, but am interested in any new approaches.

As I recently just posted about an auction on this forum, I gotta tell ya I didn't give it much thought. Now that this subject has been breached, it made me think about it. I can see where somebody could be offended, either a buyer or a seller. I had no skin in the game on this recent post and didn't intend to offend anybody. In fact, I am more of a peacemaker. Only problem is, I am not easily offended so I sometimes don't understand how others get offended.
But...I believe I'll be more careful. Peace.

I agree with you on that, it is a good group. But in the spirit of political correctness and some comedic relief, here is a decent joke:

(You need to Login to view media files and links)

Thanks for your opinions guys!

I appreciate the wise council that I receive from the KCA forum members.

Most of the time I remain silent about auctions until they've concluded.

However, a website has some historically significant Krag rifles up for auction that I thought would be of interest to our members.

But as I do most of the time...I will remain silent as to the location of the website.

Thank you once again for your reply's!!!

Whig - couldn't possibly agree with you more. I hate the "in house" messaging systems, no matter whose board it is on. I want all my correspondence in ONE spot - that is what an email address is for!

Human Differences - I don't know 'why', but, the little 'message alert' at the top of the KCA page readily catches my eye. (... and believe me, I am a  technology Returd)! It is nice to have some control and privacy with your email address.

In regard to 'active auctions' - I really enjoyed threads started by Whig and Rcat on the Frederick Grant Krag and Charles Burch items (on ebay).

These were active events when posted. I would have totally missed rather interesting stories. I enjoyed being made aware of the events. (I did unsuccessfully bid on Charles Burch letters).

IMHO - Posting about 'Auctions' is tricky and a judgement call. I really can't make a hard fast rule.