Goldin lots still open 1/2 he after nobids

bounce · #1 10-19-2019, 10:26 PM

Actually, it's even worse than I thought. As of 10:22 PM CST, it's ANOTHER 36 minutes BEFORE extended bidding.

With no explanation other than a message board post.

Unbelievable. Just, wow...

ValKehl · #2 10-19-2019, 10:44 PM

I received this email from Goldin at 10:48 p.m. EST:

"Due to the system slowness and crash earlier, in fairness to all bidders and consignors the auction is OPEN.

ALL LOTS are in extended bidding. you can ONLY bid on lots you have placed a bid on. at midnight eastern a new 30 minute clock will begin and the auction will close lot by lot on the 30 minute rule. Please EMAIL if you have a question do not call, we are jammed on the phones.

thank you"

joed25 · #3 10-20-2019, 03:34 PM

Why would they schedule an auction during the Postseason? Wait till November.

ValKehl · #4 10-20-2019, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joed25

Why would they schedule an auction during the Postseason? Wait till November.

Several auction houses do this. I assume it's because they know there is great interest in MLB during the postseason, and they believe it will carry over to their auctions.

If they wait until November, after the postseason has ended, interest in MLB declines as folks get geared up for Thanksgiving.

steve B · #5 10-20-2019, 08:43 PM

Extending things because there's some system slowdown or failure is better than the alternative.

One auction I was bidding on (Bike auction, not cards) I had a few decent bids I'd put in on maybe 10 items.

Log on in the morning, and all of them had sold for less sometimes much less than my maximum. Waited a couple days and asked why I hadn't gotten an invoice yet.
Oh, because you didn't win anything...
Went through my list of bids placed and final prices with them on the phone.
Every lot was during a time their computer that had the internet bids on it was down.

Instead of waiting a bit to reboot or fix it, they just carried on with the auction and ignored the already placed internet bids. Mine weren't that night, but a couple weeks before.

So the consigners were out maybe a thousand from me, not a huge deal I guess, but it was something like 50-100 lots they sold cheap because of it.

All I got was "sorry, we didn't have the time to fix the computer. "
Ever heard of a pencil?
Yeah, sorry, we don't write down any bids. We don't have the time.

And that was it.

Leon · #6 10-21-2019, 08:31 AM

As someone who has run a small online auction company I can safely say there is no playbook when the system goes down, for whatever reason, near the end of an auction. The auctioneer has to protect his consignors as well as hopefully not upset the bidders too. It isn't easy, I can assure folks of that. It is usually a very fluid and crappy situation.

Snapolit1 · #7 10-21-2019, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leon

As someone who has run a small online auction company I can safely say there is no playbook when the system goes down, for whatever reason, near the end of an auction. The auctioneer has to protect his consignors as well as hopefully not upset the bidders too. It isn't easy, I can assure folks of that. It is usually a very fluid and crappy situation.

System going down, near the end of the auction, for whatever reason . . . .

Seems to be something we have now seen with most of the major AHs in the last year. Very odd.

If I was the leading bidder on a high priced item and someone then proceeded to bid in extended, extended hours, moving my bid up higher after they had days to do so . . . I'd think long and hard about whether to honor my commitment. Is there boiler plate language in the terms of auction basically saying "you still need to honor you commitment to pay regardless of what crazy things goes wrong with the closing of the auction regardless of how ridiculous it is. . . ." I'm sure there is. If I thought something potentially fraudulent was going on my response may well I'm withdrawing my bid. If that's not acceptable perhaps my second response would be let's litigate it, and I'll need to see all your documents (including emails) as to exactly what went wrong and why so I understand what reasonable precautions you took before and during the problem to protect me a customer. Maybe then I'll make a decision as to how I want to proceed.

And I'm not suggesting that any of these incidents were problematic. I have no proof of that. But as a customer of all of them this is alarming. Particularly where the AH and their employees can bid on an item.

drcy · #8 10-21-2019, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve B

Extending things because there's some system slowdown or failure is better than the alternative.

One auction I was bidding on (Bike auction, not cards) I had a few decent bids I'd put in on maybe 10 items.

Log on in the morning, and all of them had sold for less sometimes much less than my maximum. Waited a couple days and asked why I hadn't gotten an invoice yet.
Oh, because you didn't win anything...
Went through my list of bids placed and final prices with them on the phone.
Every lot was during a time their computer that had the internet bids on it was down.

Instead of waiting a bit to reboot or fix it, they just carried on with the auction and ignored the already placed internet bids. Mine weren't that night, but a couple weeks before.

So the consigners were out maybe a thousand from me, not a huge deal I guess, but it was something like 50-100 lots they sold cheap because of it.

All I got was "sorry, we didn't have the time to fix the computer. "
Ever heard of a pencil?
Yeah, sorry, we don't write down any bids. We don't have the time.

And that was it.

Funny. I work two nights a week at a playhouse, and when the computer for the bar goes down (funky wifi once in a while) I have the bartenders tabulate orders the old fashioned way-- pen on paper.

AGuinness · #9 10-21-2019, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drcy

Funny. I work two nights a week at a playhouse, and when the computer for the bar goes down (funky wifi once in a while) I have the bartenders tabulate orders the old fashioned way-- pen on paper.

There's probably a slightly more than subtle difference between a bar tab and the auction items that could get into five or six figures (although there are those tall tales about people throwing down at bars, too). If auction houses and their clients (consignors and bidders) were all completely comfortable with a system that used pen and paper to determine auction outcomes (with bidding information obviously out in the open for the auction house representatives), that system would probably be used - much cheaper than software, etc. But I don't think I'd want my maximum bid known by the auction house, much less scribbled down in someone's handwriting that might look like chicken scratch.
Taking a step back, something like this kind of seems like a first-world problem. We are so used to having regularly occurring auctions that offer a wide range of desired items (including many expensive ones, scarce pieces, etc.) that we can track, bid on and critique all while in our pajamas with the TV on in the background. And without the hassle of interacting with a live person (who the heck wants to do that?!). Most of the time, these auctions happen without a hitch. I didn't have any skin in this one (or any others that have been hacked), but I'm not sure a little delay in the final bell is such a big deal.

swarmee · #10 10-21-2019, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve B

Yeah, sorry, we don't write down any bids. We don't have the time.

Sounds like a story their state licensing board would like to know.

Rich Klein · #11 10-21-2019, 11:07 AM

It appears this is all part of a mischievous plan. And remember this occurred to Huggins and Scott a while back as well.

https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.co...ckers-at-work/

Regards
Rich

steve B · #12 10-21-2019, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swarmee

Sounds like a story their state licensing board would like to know.

I'm not sure how NY requires things.

Apparently they have the online bids available on one computer and someone bids on behalf of the online bidders. And the winning bids and bidders are tracked on a different machine.

All the local places I've been to (Mass) do things the same way, but with the addition of a hardcopy listing of the online and left bids, and another hardcopy of the winning bids. Even the antique auction that didn't appear to have lot numbers, but "lot" numbers that I think were numbered consigner Ids. I think they also recorded the auctioneer in the event there was a problem with an item or with how it was described.

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