Grifting by High End Estate Sale Companies?

Not looking to impugn any particular local company, and requests to out the offending estate sale company will be ignored. Just wondering if anyone else has similar stories or can confirm what my friend said.

Attended a high end estate sale about a month ago on a Saturday morning, at a $2mil+ property bordering the Reservation. Great furniture priced to move, incredible book collection and artwork. I had my eye on $350 high end speakers but ultimately passed. I took some phone pictures of artwork that a friend ended up wanting so I headed back for her Sunday 10 minutes before the end of sale for maximum leverage. Got the painting at an even better discount without even asking and stuff was flying out of there.. except for a few items that really stood out. Those speakers? I researched and found I could buy them for around $200 used and guaranteed to work. When I asked for some flexibility on price I got eyerolls and $5 knocked off. I chalked it up to stupidity until I saw another guy trying to buy a $500 art deco lamp - they absolutely would not move on the price even though the homeowners had set no price floors and everything had to be out of there. And this was 5 minutes before shutting down for the weekend.

I shared this encounter with a friend and he chuckled telling me it was standard operating procedure, a few choice items get earmarked, they go back to the family saying this, this, and that didn't sell but we'll give you pennies on the dollar for stuff non one was interested in. Though having a retail arm or ebay store is a clear conflict of interest, it doesn't appear that unseemly because the estate sale company is after all handing over a check for $20,000 for stuff they actually did sell.

Is my friend paranoid or does this actually happen?

http://www.consumersdigest.com/special-reports/the-truth-about-estate-sales

What you mention above is also mentioned in this article.

Can I point out there is nothing to "out" this particular company for? You have no evidence that they might be doing what your friend suggested.

How is having a retail arm or eBay store a "clear conflict of interest"? What if the company purchased the contents outright and the profit/loss is their risk? Why assume the family has no idea what they're looking to get out of the deal or, alternatively, even cares? Or that they weren't aware of the pricing or around before or at the sale?