I have run into that as well, even at some local auctions, and it is a dishonest practice in my opinion. If I put in an absentee bid of $1000, and if the auctioneer starts with my bid of $1000, but the only other person at that auction who was interested in the item was only willing to pay $400, I just got ripped off for $550 (since I would have had to pay $450 to bid up the competition). It benefits the consignor and the auction house and no one else. I stopped bidding at a Canadianicon auction house for a few years because I was suspicious that my absentee bids always seemed to win the items for either my max or just one under. Funny how that works!

Ed