Can't speak for others.
In my case, my current auction is a result of a) my Cavalry Clubs being purchased, and b) the top-off order getting scuttled.
Initially I was going to use the Empress Star set as my "one big set" but couldn't afford to buy what I wanted with the initial order. I'd have to split it into two - one initially very playable set, and then round it out with the top-off. But then that never happened and I was in search of a larger set to cover future need (and the golf game). Once I came to an agreement with the golf players, I actually pared down some of my Star sets to increase my
AS tourney set and to pay myself back for my Cavalry Clubs, knowing I'd have to make a choice once they came in.
The
CC's were expected in November/December, and had that occurred I'd have sold within the group. But they were delayed for various reasons and in that interim the Star chips were made fully public.
For my part, there was no intent to overbuy and sell for profit. I'm simply at a point where I no longer need them, and would prefer the money wrapped up in them go to something else (custom tourneys or other chip/hobby-related stuff). It just happens that I have a stronger attachment to my Empress chips than the
ES set, so the
ES set gets jettisoned. And since chip-related stuff isn't free - and especially since I had to take money from savings for surgery - I need to make a little coin where I can.
If I were going for maximum value I'd have done a reverse auction, set the initial price somewhere around $7k for the set, and dropped the price $100 each day. Instead, I set them at a more reasonable starting number and am letting the general market set their value.
the idea is that chip inflation is bad for the hobby.
Yup, I get this & to a high degree empathize. And at the same time, I've realized it's just not realistic. I don't see chips as a proper investment and generally have no intent to flip chips. When I do, it's typically a good deal for both parties, such as when I farmed the Gulfports at the convention and turned them over to you well below maximum price & I still made a few dollars. But sometimes people are going to profit from chip deals, be it incidentally, intentionally, or somewhere in between, and I find it very difficult to tell someone they can't profit off of good circumstances or sell a product for maximum value, even if I don't like it. After all, the alternative is telling someone they should turn down hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars just because someone else wants them at a lower price. That's a *really* hard sell.