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Probstein Bidding Irregularities
PaulMaul
Posts: 4,720 ✭✭✭✭✭
I just checked out a Probstein 1971 auction for the first time in awhile. And I'm chagrined to see the odd bidding activity that went on in the past continues. Check out this Sonny Seibert auction:
Bidder 7***0 is active on this auction. He won the very same card from Rick on November 1 and also on October 8, and is bidding on it again. Doesn't even feel the need to use multiple accounts.
Is there any way Rick is unaware of this kind of activity? I wish this problem would be addressed once and for all. It can't be good for bidder confidence.
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I think he can get away with pleading no knowledge when it's one auction but when the same dude has to email multiple times to say "Hey bro, it's me again. I'm just gonna paypal you the fees, can you relist it again? 'Preciate it, brah!" then it's pretty tough to claim ignorance.
I send comments to PWCC sometimes when someone has like 85% bidding with them in the last 30 days and they have 5000 bids.
I have the #1 registry on a remote set that I compete with almost no one on the registry and will lose every auction. One person one all the auctions and yet they don't have a registry listed. In a few months those cards will come back up for auction.
There is a Jim Rice card out there that has been auctioned off several times and now it's listed as a buy it now with the original person who had listed for two years.
Bottom line is $$$$. They want activity. No real sells.
If Ebay wanted real sells, the person who wins the auction, their hammer price gets automatically deducted from their credit card or cash. Make people responsible, then things change. If they want it back they would have to start a request. That would slow down theses fake sells.
I believe at least one auction house now has this policy. If an item is unpaid, they charge the card on file. Sure the bidders credit limit might be $100, but it's a start
Even if I don't bid, these fake sales mess up VCP. Which may be one of the goals.
I'll defend Rick and his staff ... it's difficult to track each and every single listing
I've bid and won a few cards from him
and I've felt that I paid fair if not lower than market prices at times
Considering the value of the card,
I don't see a "disease" within his listings
Personally, unlike other sellers, I feel VERY confident bidding on his listings
and I've never felt shilling was apparent
Nobody is perfect, but I feel confident with him
and his staff is awesome, sending out items FAST
my 2 pennies
Sorry, I don't see much plausible deniability here. This same individual has been doing this for literally years, and as ReggieCleveland said, it's hard to believe it could go unnoticed. I agree Probstein is great in many respects, but creating a trustworthy auction environment is not among them.
It’s only “difficult” when it hurts their profits.
Agreed, this has been going on for years with this buyer. Look at the 1971 topps psa 8 card number 488. The bidder won it in an auction on 9/24. Won it again in Probstein auction on 10/10. Won it again in Probstein auction on 11/7. Now it's listed again. I always wondered how many times he lets you win your own card.
Then it's culture shock when your consignments bring record lows!
Bidder Information
Bidder: k***g ( 910Feedback score is 500 to 999)
Feedback: 100% Positive
Item description: 1971 Topps #710 Sonny Siebert Red Sox PSA 8 NM-MT
Bids on this item: 2
30-Day Summary
Total bids: 2914
Items bid on: 900
Bid activity (%) with this seller: 66% Help
Bid retractions: 0
Bid retractions (6 months): 1
This person bids on a lot of items and somehow 2/3's of them happen to be with Probstein. I get the high percentages when a person doesn't bid on such a large number of items but come on. Cover your tracks a little better.
confused!?!?
because it seems like a regular probstein auction then to me.
The bidder below is the one the OP is talking about.
Bidder Information
Bidder: 7***0 ( 2103Feedback score is 1000 to 4,999)
Feedback: 100% Positive
Item description:
Item Title:
1971 Topps #710 Sonny Siebert Red Sox PSA 8 NM-MT
Bids on this item: 6
30-Day Summary
Total bids: 1428
Items bid on: 291
Bid activity (%) with this seller: 59% Help
Bid retractions: 0
Bid retractions (6 months): 14
@longtimemetsfan
I just clicked on the link to check it out and saw the winning bidders stats. Looks like this situation is even worse as it may be tag team partners.
And his bidding percentage with Probstein doesn't mean anything in this case. He could be bidding on his own items with Probstein and any number of other sellers.
What I can't figure out is what the point is with these low dollar cards. Is the plan as small time as pumping up VCP with a few fake buys and hoping that will influence bidders the next time around?
thats typically how it all starts.
then shortly followed up w a thread to draw attention
lol
Because drawing attention to fraudulent auctions certainly brings in the bidders!
not all attempts are winners.
and dont know anyone that has ever batted a thousand.
but the ratio of the ones that get by vs those that are caught is astronomical, im sure.
>
I've seen this plenty of times here. What's funny is I've also seen sort of the inverse, where the bad is shone a spotlight upon and then around page 2 the OP drops in how they happen to have some good up at the moment. I've always been impressed with the level of diabolicalness (half the fun of language is creation) those entail.
Arthur
Too much intrigue for me. I'd simply like to be able to bid on some PSA 8 '71s without getting played, but I guess it's not to be.
here's another fine example of one of Probstein's "bidders"
Bidder Information
Bidder: s***p ( 785Feedback score is 500 to 999)
Feedback: 99% Positive
Item description:
Item Title:
1954 Johnston Cookies #12 Ben Johnson Milwaukee Braves PSA 8 NM-MT
Bids on this item: 5
30-Day Summary
Total bids: 229
Items bid on: 189
Bid activity (%) with this seller: 85% Help
Bid retractions: 0
Bid retractions (6 months): 3
My registry sets
And here are his 5 "bids". Any chance he was actually trying to win with all these XX.99 bids?
us(785) $29.99 8 Nov 2017 at 4:37:52PM PST --
us(785) $25.99 8 Nov 2017 at 4:37:35PM PST --
us(785) $21.99 8 Nov 2017 at 4:37:29PM PST --
us(785) $15.99 8 Nov 2017 at 4:37:24PM PST --
u***s(785) $8.99 8 Nov 2017 at 4:37:17PM PST --
My registry sets
these dollar amounts are CRIMINAL !
It's not a probstein auction, but one of the items I'm bidding on has some questionable bids (3 of the last 4 bids) which have nearly doubled the price (over $400 of movement) with the following stats:
30-Day Summary
Total bids: 13
Items bid on: 3
Bid activity (%) with this seller: 92%
Bid retractions: 0
Bid retractions (6 months): 4
At least in this case the bidder is bidding in increments ending in .00. Hopefully these are legitimate bids. The item is already equal to the highest VCP sale ever recorded with a little over a day to go... sigh.
The Doomsday Collection
Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor | All-Time Dallas Cowboys | Bob Lilly Master | Pro Football HOF Dallas Cowboys
To me, anyone with more than one bid retraction in six months is suspect.
he be havin' terrible customer service like ne'er returnin' me messages. who he be thinkin' he is? he bein' like a barnacle on the hull of ye old hobby ship.
Auctions be littered wit' shillin' and such. Argh.
Looks like the 1971 topps psa 8 #488 will finally sell unless 00 bids it up some more. He's already won it twice.
Bidder
Bid Amount Bid Time
ay(2887) $16.00 26 Nov 2017 at 6:26:25PM PST
ay(2887) $16.00 26 Nov 2017 at 6:21:25PM PST
00(2109) $15.51 26 Nov 2017 at 6:25:55PM PST
00(2109) $14.51 26 Nov 2017 at 6:25:52PM PST
00(2109) $13.51 26 Nov 2017 at 6:25:49PM PST
0***0(2109) $12.51 24 Nov 2017 at 7:29:43AM PST
This one goes from $98 to $1111 with one zero feedback bidder pumping up the bid amount on this MJ 97 UD GU Jersey.
https://www.ebay.com/bfl/viewbids/382296423188?item=382296423188&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2565
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
Given that the winning bid was also $1111, doesn't that mean the winner was bid up exactly to his max bid?
it looks it. The auction still has 6 days to go but it looks like a crazy coincidence that the only 2 bids over $98 both landed on $1111. Is there some site or software that lets people see the high bids?
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486