Snype - Page 3

Peter_Spaeth · #**101** 11-23-2025, 11:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobbyStrawberry

I hear you. I wish eBay would ban him, but sadly I don't think that will happen.

Over under on how soon he is back?

BobbyStrawberry · #**102** Yesterday, 12:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Over under on how soon he is back?

Two weeks?

bk400 · #**103** Yesterday, 12:24 AM

I'm just trying to understand...why does eBay need Probstein? Fundamentally, the only value that Probstein added was to aggregate sales so that individual sellers could save on eBay fees, but there are a lot of alternatives for that now.

If I were eBay, I'd let Probstein back on like any other seller, but charge him full freight. You've got to shoot a hostage every now and again.

Popcorn · #**104** Yesterday, 12:42 AM

why not do both? Let consignment select a lower rate or eBay. Almost a billion in sales seems silly to just walk away but Rick’s a good businessman and knows what he’s doing lol

bk400 · #**105** Yesterday, 01:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Popcorn

why not do both? Let consignment select a lower rate or eBay. Almost a billion in sales seems silly to just walk away but Rick’s a good businessman and knows what he’s doing lol

I don't think eBay loses much if Probstein shuts down all of a sudden (not saying that I want it to happen). The billion in sales would immediately be absorbed by other eBay platforms.

111gecko · #**106** Yesterday, 06:10 AM

Some days this crap just makes me want to sell everything and quit the hobby.

Here's a question: Do we know if he really "quit" EBay or is there more to that story?

parkplace33 · #**107** Yesterday, 09:04 AM

No update on Snype and Rick still isn't back on Ebay. I am starting to wonder what the next steps are.....

Peter_Spaeth · #**108** Yesterday, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by parkplace33

No update on Snype and Rick still isn't back on Ebay. I am starting to wonder what the next steps are.....

These things must be done..... delicately.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCo7Ae4xQMs

Jewish-collector · #**109** Yesterday, 09:59 AM

More like this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=di60NYGu03Y

Picklepete · #**110** Yesterday, 10:50 AM

The national should also kick his ass out of the show !
Sadly they won't..

Eric72 · #**111** Yesterday, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 111gecko

Some days this crap just makes me want to sell everything and quit the hobby.

Here's a question: Do we know if he really "quit" EBay or is there more to that story?

The only info I heard, which was nothing more than hearsay, was that Rick's contractual agreement with eBay was drawing to a close. He and eBay couldn't come to terms on a new agreement, so Rick stepped away voluntarily.

And then the Snype fiasco took place. Yikes.

Johnny630 · #**112** Yesterday, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Picklepete

The national should also kick his ass out of the show !
Sadly they won't..

He has one of the largest set up's at the National. I'm sure he pays a pretty penny for his table...not a chance in hell he won't be set up at the National.

Adams, Triple S and others all still have a booth.

slightlyrounded · #**113** Yesterday, 01:41 PM

Forgive my ignorance, but did Probstein carry his own inventory or is (was) he a consignment-only seller?

I saw one comment alluding to the fact that many of Snype's first auction items were recently 'sold' on ebay and are still showing as such. Does this mean that consignors had items they consigned with Probstein for eBay that went unpaid? Were these items then transferred to the new platform with the consent of the sellers?

Thinking more about this and there is a LOT of pressure on new auction platforms to 'perform' (ie, sell at comps or higher) and especially early on. All the incentives were there for Rick to (allegedly) shill the hell out of everything, even items that weren't his.

Ebay consignment is very much a questionable business model in the first place. I get the argument that "people don't want to deal with listing/shipping themselves", but it really just creates the perfect environment for self-bidding. None of the major consignment companies currently ask for the consignor's eBay account name at intake and consequently can't stop shilling programatically. I'm surprised that at a minimum eBay does not require every consignor to open up an eBay account personally in order to issue 1099-Ks directly when thresholds are met.

BioCRN · #**114** Yesterday, 01:56 PM

I've taken a good amount of personal criticism (none here that I know of) for saying I don't mind buying from the crooks and criminals of the hobby because the hobby doesn't punish, police, or otherwise move these people out of the hobby. I accept it as part of the hobby because the hobby has never shown me otherwise.

It's kinda odd considering how good the hobby is about self-policing the investigating and breaking the news of hobby corruption. The hobby is really good at finding the bad apples, it's what comes afterwards that's lacking substance.

That said...most people are awesome. Some are above and beyond, downright generous. Nonetheless...

In my own collecting life (since the early 1980s) I've never known an era in this hobby without crooks. I've never known an era in the hobby without nearly yearly "shocking" corruption.

I may be missing some instances, but I'm yet to see any of the corrupt actors leave the hobby unless they voluntarily remove themselves.

I just want pictures of baseball dudes and I can't find a justifiable reason to bring myself to bother with a purity test.

raulus · #**115** Yesterday, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slightlyrounded

Forgive my ignorance, but did Probstein carry his own inventory or is (was) he a consignment-only seller?

To my knowledge, he was 100% consignment.

I think what you saw was a bit of a timing issue. From what I've heard, he left eBay in a hurry. Some auctions closed just before he left eBay, and if payment wasn't made immediately, then the auction was voided, with the item re-listed on snype. Obviously that whole process seems like it could have been managed better to avoid buyers getting hosed simply because they didn't pay within a very short window.

raulus · #**116** Yesterday, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BioCRN

I've taken a good amount of personal criticism (none here that I know of) for saying I don't mind buying from the crooks and criminals of the hobby because the hobby doesn't punish, police, or otherwise move these people out of the hobby. I accept it as part of the hobby because the hobby has never shown me otherwise.

I just want pictures of baseball dudes and I can't find a justifiable reason to bring myself to bother with a purity test.

I'm guessing that you're now probably going to get some criticism here.

parkplace33 · #**117** Yesterday, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by raulus

To my knowledge, he was 100% consignment.

I think what you saw was a bit of a timing issue. From what I've heard, he left eBay in a hurry. Some auctions closed just before he left eBay, and if payment wasn't made immediately, then the auction was voided, with the item re-listed on snype. Obviously that whole process seems like it could have been managed better to avoid buyers getting hosed simply because they didn't pay within a very short window.

I wasn't aware he left ebay that fast. Wow, must have been in a hurry

Again, the longer this goes, the more I wonder what Rick's next steps are.

BioCRN · #**118** Yesterday, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by raulus

I'm guessing that you're now probably going to get some criticism here.

It's not the first time I've said something like this and I don't play in the realm of the hobby movers with a lot more on the line than me...so I'm not much of a target for changing the way I interact with the hobby.

The crooks long ago quit pissing me off. I accept them as part of the hobby and act accordingly. The same names persist until they remove themselves from the hobby.

I know when I'm dealing with certain people or certain spaces where the owners/investors have a known history that I need to take extra personal care of my money habits and especially my spending limits because they may be open for exploitation.

The crooks aren't going anywhere, why should I go anywhere?

I gotta admit, when PWCC got kicked off EBay and set up shop on a private auction site...the first few auctions I got some refreshingly awesome deals because of the controversy that was surrounding them limited the audience buying...which lasted all of a few months before things...once again...because business as usual.

I will say what I do as a minor moral choice when dealing with these known entities...I don't give them consignment material or specifically search them out for sales. I don't weaponize their sketchiness for my gain because I think they might deliver me a better price. I don't play with the big boys, so it doesn't mean a lot, but it is something that I do.

It doesn't cancel out any other financial support I give to the known crooks of the hobby, but I've simply given up on the hobby policing itself beyond the really awesome job it does raising the alarm that someone is out there sketchy.

Peter_Spaeth · #**119** Yesterday, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BioCRN

I've taken a good amount of personal criticism (none here that I know of) for saying I don't mind buying from the crooks and criminals of the hobby because the hobby doesn't punish, police, or otherwise move these people out of the hobby. I accept it as part of the hobby because the hobby has never shown me otherwise.

It's kinda odd considering how good the hobby is about self-policing the investigating and breaking the news of hobby corruption. The hobby is really good at finding the bad apples, it's what comes afterwards that's lacking substance.

That said...most people are awesome. Some are above and beyond, downright generous. Nonetheless...

In my own collecting life (since the early 1980s) I've never known an era in this hobby without crooks. I've never known an era in the hobby without nearly yearly "shocking" corruption.

I may be missing some instances, but I'm yet to see any of the corrupt actors leave the hobby unless they voluntarily remove themselves.

I just want pictures of baseball dudes and I can't find a justifiable reason to bring myself to bother with a purity test.

There's a lot of common sense here. This hobby (business) is completely infested and that is not going to change. The best one can do, if one wants to collect at a certain level, is to learn as much as one can about who to avoid and how to avoid altered cards, but it only gets you so far.

BobbyStrawberry · #**120** Yesterday, 04:12 PM

This discussion brings up an interesting question: knowing that Probstein is doing unethical things in his business, would you, as a buyer, still buy a card from him? Not out of concern that it's a fake or that you were bid up by shill accounts, but purely because you don't want to support him?

I would guess there are differing opinions on this.

mannequin1 · #**121** Yesterday, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brianp-beme

Shill bidding is obviously on the Hunny do list.

Brian

I doubt Rick did any shilling himself, but likely his consignors, or friends of, bid on their own items.

slightlyrounded · #**122** Yesterday, 04:25 PM

Ummmm - the account that did all the bidding was literally registered to his email address?

Also, once on the Snype platform the consignor would be be excluded from bidding, something I believe he spoke about during promotion. Consignment companies on eBay at least have some plausible deniability because they don't know (or ask for) their consignors eBay credentials.

NYYFan63 · #**123** Yesterday, 04:31 PM

Update:

https://www.cllct.com/sports-collect...t-own-platform

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Peter_Spaeth · #**124** Yesterday, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NYYFan63

Update:

https://www.cllct.com/sports-collect...t-own-platform

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Power seller Rick Probstein returned his trading card and memorabilia consignment business to eBay Monday following the indefinite shutdown of snype, a competing marketplace he tried to launch three weeks ago.

There you go. Sorry, all you idealists.

slightlyrounded · #**125** Yesterday, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NYYFan63

Update:

https://www.cllct.com/sports-collect...t-own-platform

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If this doesn’t lay bare eBay’s ‘unofficial’ position on shilling/self-bidding, I’m not sure what does.

brunswickreeves · #**126** Yesterday, 04:49 PM

Slow clap

raulus · #**127** Yesterday, 04:51 PM

I wonder if he had to swallow hard and take an inferior deal from eBay to come back.

And if so, whether that will change his pricing on consignments going forward.

And if so, whether that impacts how attractive his services are to potential consignors.

Peter_Spaeth · #**128** Yesterday, 04:59 PM

Name that tune, for 10 points.

Look like nothing's gonna change
Everything still remains the same

4815162342 · #**129** Yesterday, 05:15 PM

What a week.

Johnny630 · #**130** Yesterday, 05:51 PM

This will all blow over by Black Friday. The hobby and industry is too far gone to stop going up.

Peter_Spaeth · #**131** Yesterday, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny630

This will all blow over by Black Friday. The hobby and industry is too far gone to stop going up.

Tomorrow morning would be my guess.

parkplace33 · #**132** Yesterday, 06:15 PM

Rick’s back, I’m sure flooded with items. Everything is forgiven

Peter_Spaeth · #**133** Yesterday, 06:23 PM

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fss...ller=1&_sop=10

G1911 · #**134** Yesterday, 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mannequin1

I doubt Rick did any shilling himself, but likely his consignors, or friends of, bid on their own items.

How would the consigners and their friends all be shilling from the same account tied to Probstein's name?

Peter_Spaeth · #**135** Yesterday, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by G1911

How would the consigners and their friends all be shilling from the same account tied to Probstein's name?

Of course you would have to read the documents to know that.

premiercardcollectors · #**136** Yesterday, 06:50 PM

Pretty disgusting situation. Shilling is a form of theft. Rick is a religious guy. �Thou shalt not steal�

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

CW · #**137** Yesterday, 06:53 PM

Well if the bad actors don't actually break the law, what do you expect the hobby to do to these people? It's not like we can hold a tribunal and banish them from the hobby. If the do break the law, then it's up to the courts and attorneys to bring the charges. If they shill their auction on eBay, then it's up to eBay to detect that and kick them off their site.

The one and most powerful tool that we, as collectors, do have against these crooks is to no longer deal with them, no longer bid on their auctions, and no longer buy their cards. You can vote with your feet. That's how the hobby should police itself: put the scammers out of business by no longer doing business with them.

I also believe you have the choice to do whatever you want to do and buy from whoever you want. Buying from Probstein doesn't make one a bad person.

You ask for the hobby to punish these crooks, but then you reward them with continued business.

¢hu¢k wolf (since I'm giving an opinion here)

Quote:

Originally Posted by BioCRN

I've taken a good amount of personal criticism (none here that I know of) for saying I don't mind buying from the crooks and criminals of the hobby because the hobby doesn't punish, police, or otherwise move these people out of the hobby. I accept it as part of the hobby because the hobby has never shown me otherwise.

It's kinda odd considering how good the hobby is about self-policing the investigating and breaking the news of hobby corruption. The hobby is really good at finding the bad apples, it's what comes afterwards that's lacking substance.

That said...most people are awesome. Some are above and beyond, downright generous. Nonetheless...

In my own collecting life (since the early 1980s) I've never known an era in this hobby without crooks. I've never known an era in the hobby without nearly yearly "shocking" corruption.

I may be missing some instances, but I'm yet to see any of the corrupt actors leave the hobby unless they voluntarily remove themselves.

I just want pictures of baseball dudes and I can't find a justifiable reason to bring myself to bother with a purity test.

G1911 · #**138** Yesterday, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Of course you would have to read the documents to know that.

To be fair, I had a hard time reading after seeing "byd" used multiple times here. It took great self-control not to pause to gouge my eyes out.

G1911 · #**139** Yesterday, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by premiercardcollectors

Pretty disgusting situation. Shilling is a form of theft. Rick is a religious guy. �Thou shalt not steal�

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The hobby has taught me that Exodus actually says "Thou shalt not steal *unless it makes money for the right people in the hobby, in which case it is totally okay do anything and anyone criticizing it needs to shut up*"

Johnny630 · #**140** Yesterday, 07:05 PM

All is fair in love and war along with the Card Industry.

premiercardcollectors · #**141** Yesterday, 07:39 PM

Received an email about an upcoming auction �Freeman�s�.

This is in the fine fine print.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

BioCRN · #**142** Yesterday, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CW

Well if the bad actors don't actually break the law, what do you expect the hobby to do to these people? It's not like we can hold a tribunal and banish them from the hobby. If the do break the law, then it's up to the courts and attorneys to bring the charges. If they shill their auction on eBay, then it's up to eBay to detect that and kick them off their site.

You ask for the hobby to punish these crooks, but then you reward them with continued business.

�hu�k wolf (since I'm giving an opinion here)

I'm not asking for punishment, I'm saying I don't care about buying cards from the hobby crooks because the hobby has never been clean as long as I've been around, from a kid to adult.

In this very thread there's an allegation of cooperative shill bidding involving someone who's been heavily linked to it various times in the past and someone who's actually done time for what he got "busted" for in the hobby.

Tainted names keep on doing business and they're not hiding their identities or trying to rebrand their images. They simply exist. They buy advertising space. They set up tables at shows. They get smacked down and build up a new (or returning in many cases) consumer base.

I just accept it as part of the hobby and handicap that knowledge vs who I'm dealing with and who the business friends are of who I'm dealing with.

I'm not calling anyone specific out...but a card shill may specialize in shilling, but if they're also friends with card trimmers who can slide their stuff into their cosigned auctions under the guise of "We take cards from so many people." then...well, let's stop there. What I just said probably has 2-3+ unique guesses of who I'm talking about there. That says a lot about how long this has grinded on without any guardrails. It is what it is...

Peter_Spaeth · #**143** Yesterday, 07:52 PM

500 or so items and repopulating quickly. Next scandal?
2200 now.

BobbyStrawberry · #**144** Yesterday, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by premiercardcollectors

Pretty disgusting situation. Shilling is a form of theft. Rick is a religious guy. �Thou shalt not steal�

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

He's not stealing, he's "generating wealth"!

premiercardcollectors · #**145** Yesterday, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

500 or so items and repopulating quickly. Next scandal?

eBay should be ashamed of themselves for not at least investigating the issue first. It just makes me angry that some of us work so hard to do things with integrity but in the end it really doesn�t matter because the scumbags continue to taint the hobby, driving up prices and ultimately making the experience that much less enjoyable for something that has been a passion for almost a lifetime.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Beercan collector · #**146** Yesterday, 08:30 PM

One of these bidders is bidding every two seconds - wonder what the strategy is there ?
https://www.ebay.com/bfl/viewbids/36....m145235.l2565

Beercan collector · #**147** Yesterday, 08:34 PM

Maybe it’s just crazy people
https://www.ebay.com/bfl/viewbids/38....m145235.l2565

Peter_Spaeth · #**148** Yesterday, 08:34 PM

Between a large group of lowlife card doctors (and most of them truly are lowlives) generating supply, corrupt third party grading, unscrupulous auction houses and ebay sellers, and billions of dollars of demand mostly from people who really don't care about bidding fraud or altered cards, it's the perfect storm. Geoff, no use hating it, nothing you or any of us can do except educate ourselves, I am afraid.

swarmee · #**149** Yesterday, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by premiercardcollectors

Received an email about an upcoming auction �Freeman�s�.

This is in the fine fine print.

So it is in their TOSs, which you must agree to in order to bid. And therefore it must also be legal in the state that they're registered in. And they do qualify their ability to house bid only on cards that are set with a reserve.
Not the same thing. And not done after going on a youtube interview claiming their eradicating shill bidding from their auctions by hanging their own shingle.

brunswickreeves · #**150** Yesterday, 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Tomorrow morning would be my guess.

Apparently tomorrow, while only a day away, is too far away.

Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins got it right in Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness album with the song: ‘‘Tonight, Tonight’’.

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