The Mystery at MLB.com Auctions: Prices Going Down, Not Up!

[frikativ54]

I've noticed something very curious about George Springer's items on MLB.com Auctions. First of all, his debut lineup card, Memorial Day cap, and Memorial Day jersey, were all relisted. It was my understanding that, in order to bid on MLB.com Auctions, that you have to have a valid credit card. Unless someone was bidding on an expired card, I don't see how someone could get away with not paying for an auction.

Second of all, from last night to this morning, the relisted auctions all went down in price, some dramatically. I've never before seen this happen on MLB.com Auctions, as there is no way for a bidder to retract a bid. Here is a screenshot of the way my computer looked last night:



Here is a screen shot from this morning:

.

In all my time following MLB.com Auctions, I've never seen items relisted, bids retracted, and prices going down on the site.

Has anybody else seen a similar scenario?

Any ideas as to what's transpiring?

I'm perplexed.

[frikativ54]

Here is a link to the current auctions:

http://auctions.mlb.com/iSynApp/allAuction.action?sid=1101001&rc=25&pgmode1=teamsi te&pgcust2=brandHome&qt[0].type=openbrac&qt[0].name=&qt[0].value1=&qt[0].value2=&qt[1].type=openbrac&qt[1].name=&qt[1].value1=&qt[1].value2=&qt[2].type=fieldmatch&qt[2].name=panname_partnername_s&qt[2].value1=mlb&qt[2].value2=&qt[3].type=operor&qt[3].name=&qt[3].value1=&qt[3].value2=&qt[4].type=fieldmatch&qt[4].name=panname_partnername_s&qt[4].value1=team&qt[4].value2=&qt[5].type=closebrac&qt[5].name=&qt[5].value1=&qt[5].value2=&qt[6].type=operand&qt[6].name=&qt[6].value1=&qt[6].value2=&qt[7].type=fieldmatch&qt[7].name=panname_teamname_s&qt[7].value1=astros&&qt[1].value2=&qt[8].type=closebrac&qt[8].name=&qt[8].value1=&qt[8].value2=&pgcust1=astros&=.

The previously closed auctions:

Memorial Day Camo Jersey.

Memorial Day Camo Cap.

MLB Debut Lineup Card.

[Dach0sen0ne]

You need a valid credit card on file, but they don't know your credit limit. Normally they will do a $1 merchant hold to verify the card is active. You can bid all these items up and possibly win, but when it's charge time it will be declined. I believe this happens more than you think, but items aren't relisted just offered to the second highest bidder like ebays second chance offer.

[BamaHater]

I noticed that the bidder who one the previous auctions is no longer bidding on the re listed items. Maybe a case of shill bidding if there is such a thing on the MLB auctions? He might have bid without the means to pay for it, or did it as a joke.

[BamaHater]

Bidder Rilles won all three original auctions at crazy prices.

[gingi79]

Good eye Les.

I've never heard of it before but I agree with others, must have been a case of bidding up the items with no intent to pay.

The two reasons that come to mind would be a) someone owns some of his other game used material and wanted to inflate value in order to possibly sell or b) doing it as a prank or just to be obnoxious.

The cynic in my who experienced having b) done to me on an item I really coveted tends to think that's the reason.

[rchimes13@yahoo.com]

You can contact MLB Auctions and request that your bid be cancelled and they will do that within a certain timeframe of the end of auction.

[BamaHater]

The odd thing about all 3 of these auctions is the high bidder was the same person. Makes it seem that there is something shady going on. Not shady on MLB's or Springer's part but something shady with the bidder.

[sportsnbikes]

I spoke with Justin at the Royals Authentics store on Friday because some guy with a 0 feedback rating and an address listed as 243 st, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 was the high bidder on a Springer lineup card that I sold but hadn't paid. The address just looked wrong. Justin had previously told me that the guy who won the Springer MLB auctions hadn't paid yet. I was curious to see how it worked out and thought it could've even been the same guy. He told me the guy didn't pay. I didn't ask for details but I do not believe that anything is going on shady with Royals Authentics. I do however believe that there is someone out there trying to run up Springer items, for whatever reason. I would imagine that they figured the guy ran the auction up and wouldn't be fair to offer it to the next guy in line knowing that it was ran up like that. I think Justin mentioned he believes the guy who ran up the auction tried to make another account after this was not paid for. I'm not sure of all the details on that one well, because it was hot and the beer was cold and I had to quench my thirst a lot that night.

After talking with Justin quite a bit at games, he's actually a pretty good guy and even though he runs the store, he still has someone to answer to. He has taught me a little bit about how the authentication process works just through conversation. I think they run a pretty tight ship and would surprise me if anyone at the Royals was involved in shady practices.

[BamaHater]

Now that you shed some light on the Springer line up card from the Royals perspective I can almost say 100% it was a shady ass bidder who did this. He did up all the Springer Stuff on MLB auctions. I know the MLB and it's teams would never do this, ever. I know Mike Acosta the guy who runs the Astros Authentics and he is a 100% stand up guy. He has a true passion for the game and the Astros.