I have no idea what the PATZ auction is, when I google it, it appears to be farm equipment? If there are no fees, who eats the cost of the facility, auction personnel, utilities, insurance, security, marketing, etc.?
For me, as long as the costs are all disclosed, I don't care. I just purchased some items at an auction that carried the std 20% "buyer's premium". When you bid it immediately shows your total cost + the fees. I knew what items were worth and bid accordingly based on what my total outlay would be. Likewise, sellers set their reserve to include fees they are obligated to pay. When you buy or sell property, it's the same deal. You may say that the seller pays the commission; however, the reality is that the seller factors in that cost when deciding where to list and what to accept. If there were no commission, the seller would accept a lower price.
At the end of the day, these are just transactions where both buyer and seller agree on a price. The introduction of a third party (auction house, realtor, agent, etc.) simply means the pie is now split three (or more) ways. I think it is reasonable to be upset at how much of the pie goes to the third party; however, it makes no difference in how that piece of the pie is 'built'.
