If people are going to use reported sales to help sell names then I am allowed to display my skepticism about those sales. It would be very easy for anyone who wanted to set the record straight to simply provide the information as to the transaction (maybe even provide the initial email correspondence...if there was one).
My main point is that I am as certain as I can be that there have been a number of transactions that have been pushed through Escrow.com in order to prop up the extention. If new domainers rely on those numbers then they better be legit.
Once again, all of the suspicious sales I have seen have Private Whois, or Whois information that is impossible to verify. None of the names have been developed, and all of the names have people associated with the sale who have a very strong interest in pumping up the extention.
I am still waiting for one of those crazy sales that looks legit. Maybe one where someone outside of the domain industry offers to buy the name, and then invests some time and money to build a website or brand around it.
I keep looking and I haven't seen too much of it. Without the fraudulent sales I would never even open my mouth. But if people rely on false numbers and get excited about these names then it takes dollars out of every other seller's pockets.
It is better for me if people chase extentions that I believe are useless, but I'm not going to let sales get reported and trumpeted by the masses without a few minutes of due diligence. Lots of these Sedo Auctions, and a few of these Escrow.com transaction are just rotten.
You may want to use fear and try to run me off the board if you wish, but I am allowed to give my opinion just like everybody else. You would love me if I agreed with the cheerleaders. At the end of the day, if you cheat, or if you are dishonest, then expect someone to stand up and ask questions if the transaction looks absurd. Most people are afraid to do it, but this board has gone down the toilet, and there needs to be a voice that is allowed to say...."wait a minute here".