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I'm obviously missing something here - where's the beef? As Lang's and several Board members have said, ALL bids, both absentee and live, were executed correctly, and all final bids were correctly entered into the system. Lang's knows who really really REALLY won the rods and , I'll bet, so do the winners.
It appears that eBay Live screwed up the bidding history, but not the bids themselves, so if you're wondering whether your absentee bid or your on-line bid won whatever item you were bidding on, I'd suggest that if you haven't yet received an invoice, you shouldn't hold your breath - there's a vanishingly small chance (let's say zero) you won it.
And if you really worry about the poor widows and orphans, don't. From the standpoint of someone who saw the on-line and off-site bidding frenzy take place, I'm pretty sure every bid was executed. There were even occasions where the starting price asked was about $1000 but, because of competing absentee bids, the item actually opened at $4,000 plus and, on one occasion, at $6500.
I really don't see too much room for complaint - this is far from being the disaster the Bunch auction was. It was smooth, honest and professional. And, believe me, being there in person conferred no extra privilege in bidding - there really was no bidders' elite. That said, if you wanted to really be able to judge condition and value, you either had to be there, or you had to have someone at the showing whom you could trust to relay an accurate description to you. But remember, up to 2 years ago, you wouldn't even have had a chance to bid if you weren't there. And that's better than a blow in the eye with a pointed stick.

I'd have to - if you want (generally) reliable on-line real-time bidding, they're the only game in town.

OK, this has finally gotten under my skin. Get real, guys.
Granted, I hate the 20% commission as much as the next guy, but who says it goes to Lang's? For a cash on-site transaction Lang's takes a 13% commission, very much in line with the 10-15% that other auction houses take, with or without a catalog. EBay, despite its widespread reputation as a charitable institution, doesn't give its services away free, but charges listing fees and final value fees and, I would think, live auction fees - all of which can account for the additional 7% or, I've been told, for somewhat more.
Lang's could, of course, send catalogs out broadcast to everyone registered, or even perhaps to everyone even thinking of registering ( a lot larger number once the news of a free catalog gets around), but it sure wouldn't be the glossy picture-laden catalog we know and love and save and (Grrrrr!) pay for - it'd be a typewritten throwaway sheet. Besides, why do we need a catalog when the same info and same picture is posted on eBay?
As far as this picture that seems to be circulating of a big old nasty predatory auction house sitting out there fattening itself on its bloated commissions is concerned, what a crock! Up to now, Lang's and its staff have survived (and done modestly well for themselves) on two shows, two discovery auctions and two main auctions per year. In talking to the Ganungs at this latest auction, I discovered that the sorting, appraisal and cataloging process for the April auction started a month or so ago, and will continue full time right up to the print date. Over the next months, John and others will be on the road at least a dozen times, traveling as far afield as Florida and Washington state, with numerous stops in-between, looking for lots for next November's auction.
By my count, at this last auction, they were paying two auctioneers, and close to 20 registrars, handlers, tech support and security people for a non-stop operation beginning on-site at about 7:00pm Wednesday and ending Saturday at about the same time, or later.This is not a shoestring operation - and it isn't free.
Auction houses like Lang's provide a needed service to the tackle community, but it's their well-deserved reputation for honesty and efficiency that permits them to garner the merchandise and the trust needed to perform it. Ill-informed carping doesn't help.
By the way, I have NO commercial or other relationship with Lang's or the Ganungs - these are only my observations as a bystander and participant.