Smart sellers have family members bid the price up to as close to the reserve price as possible so that the next bid puts it over the reserve price thus making the sale a good one

It's a real beauty. Which button is eliminated to make it 9 buttons? The thing I found out with Ebay is that there are robo programs set to bump up the bid at the last 3 seconds so that no one can beat it. I was high bidder for a Bon Temps by Jude Moreau in C. I sat and watched the clock tick down and right at 3 seconds, the bid jumped by almost $300. Buying on Ebay is tricky at best and I think you are better off dealing with a seller directly. Like some one from our group or an accordion builder or dealer.

The button eliminated is the one used the least, the very top one. 9 button accordions are typically louder, and use more bellows movement when playing (seems like using more air). Still don't completely understand why they're louder, but the extra bellows movement is because there's less air in the smaller bellows.