AAF started selling a select 30-40 corals/week on ebay! The ebay seller name is NOT AAf but, reef_pets. I bid and won a coral a couple weeks ago and have been to AAF many times over the years and YES they do carry an absolutely impressive selection of rare and exotic coral. Of course as we all know with that comes a hefty price tag, so when I can get a nice or rare coral for a few dollars I'm takin it. The reason so many know about it is, anyone on AAFs mailing list got an email with the details.
I agree, there is NO WAY to control bidding against your friends, but THAT is what an auction is. It simply is up to the bidder how much they are willing to spend for an auctioned item. JMHO of course. The biggest problem I guess, is the vendor is the one who benefits from the competition. Business is business, they are there to put food on their table, and gas in their tank. I really can't grasp why anyone would be offended or upset about being out bid or being bid against by someone they know.