Matt Wieters Jersey

[shoremen44]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=220373214100

$355 in like a day... 14 bids... mostly from a couple of guys with no history...

very fishy to me

[MarinersFan34]

Can you explain what you mean by it being very fishy?


I have no idea who Wieters is, but I've heard his name often tossed around by prospectors in the card hobby. The same thing is going on with gu items now, they spend hundreds of dollars on a guy who could either be a HOF'er or the next Willie Bloomquist. Most prospectors will bid fairly high, hoping to cash in later when the player does something big or goes on a tear. I'd guess those zero bidders are kids playing around on eBay. Which does suck for the high bidder but there's not much that can be done about it.

[mr.miracle]

Can you explain what you mean by it being very fishy?


I have no idea who Wieters is, but I've heard his name often tossed around by prospectors in the card hobby. The same thing is going on with gu items now, they spend hundreds of dollars on a guy who could either be a HOF'er or the next Willie Bloomquist. Most prospectors will bid fairly high, hoping to cash in later when the player does something big or goes on a tear. I'd guess those zero bidders are kids playing around on eBay. Which does suck for the high bidder but there's not much that can be done about it.

Wieters is the #1 ranked prospect in the minors in baseball. For once the Orioles actually have someone worth talking about!

[allstarsplus]

Wieters is the #1 ranked prospect in the minors in baseball. For once the Orioles actually have someone worth talking about!

Yep, let's see if he is ROY material when he it counts! He is certainly having a good Spring Training.

[chakes89]

It's the first major piece of his GU memorabilia to hit the open market (eBay)

Im not surprised at all by the early high bidding

[shoremen44]

I'm not surprised by the price... but two bidders with zero feedback?

[mr.miracle]

It's the first major piece of his GU memorabilia to hit the open market (eBay)

Im not surprised at all by the early high bidding

I could be wrong, but I believe that at the time what was reported to be a Wieters game used batting helmet and a set of catchers gear was on ebay about six months to a year ago. Someone is currently also selling what is reportedly a Bowie Baysox game used Wieters autograhed batting helmet on ebay right now. This may however be the first game worn jersey of his sold on ebay however.

[eagles33]

I wanted to respond to the issue of the zero-feedback bidders as I work for the league as Director of Merchandising and am overseeing all merchandise/memorabilia sales, including all game-worn jersey matters.

Certainly, I understand how suspicion may arise from the fact that we had two zero-feedback bidders in the early running for this item. I did email both of these bidders to make sure everything was on the up-and-up, and from the dialogue I've had with them, I have no reason to suspect anything fishy. Based on the level of communication we had with them, the information shared, as well as the fact that they were not using free email services such as Hotmail, Yahoo, etc, I am comfortable with them being legitimate bidders.

I'd also like to unequivocally state that we do not sanction "shill bidding" in any form, and that collectors should rest assured that these are legitimate bidders, and not any sort of artificial price inflation.

Being that this is one of, if not the first jersey offered of Wieters, I don't think it's totally surprising to see a lot of early action and involvement by newly-registered bidders, given his caliber and the hype surrounding him. Again, I understand and appreciate the cause of suspicion but at the same time, being a newly-registered member shouldn't necessarily cast an immediate veil of guilt over someone. Furthermore, in an effort to curb illegitimate bidding, we set up several buyer requirements, such as having unpaid bidder strikes, net negative feedback, et al. I'm hoping the steps we took helped to alleviate any concerns by other collectors.

On a personal note, I am a collector myself, and have made it a point to be as thorough as possible in researching these items and ensuring that we're addressing things that are important to collectors. I have been a member of the league's front office since 2006, so I am very familiar with these jerseys and the players who wore them (including times when we had number changes or other things that might not be stated in a stat sheet). In other words, it's not as though this has been handed off to an intern who doesn't know anything about game worn items and is just looking to push product.

By that token, I know that reputation goes a long way in this hobby, and while I'm not particularly established as a baseball collector, I am an active hockey collector and would like to think that a lot of members in that community (or on the gameworn.net) boards would be familiar with me. Given my involvement in and enjoyment for the hobby, I would not compromise the personal reputation I've built over the years by engaging in unscrupulous practices with my employer. If anything, I feel fortunate to be able to apply my knowledge from the hobby to my day job, and am striving to establish a game worn jersey program for the league that is one of the most thorough and comprehensive when compared to those of other professional teams.

Please feel free to contact me directly at my work address, kurt@hawaiiwinterbaseball.com, if there are any questions.

Thanks,

Kurt Zwald

[mr.miracle]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=220373214100

$861.00 for a minor leaguer that has never played a single game of pro ball. Lets hope Matt works out or someone will be losing a ton of money.

[harleighb]

One of Wieters' Team USA jerseys went for $1,760 at an MLB auction, so I don't find the price for this jersey all that surprising.