Uncommon listings also often expire without bids. This provides instant liquidity for buyers and sellers once an order is placed. A Binding Contract for an Unknown and Random Prices When auctioning collectibles, sellers hope to receive a certain price for their item. In reality, other than through the use of cumbersome reserve pricing, they have no assurance of the final amount they will receive. Often, the same items auctioned simultaneously will sell for vastly different prices.
Prices fluctuate generally because of supply and demand.
There are frequent news reports about sellers creating false identities and bidding on their own auctions to drive up the price or to avoid having to execute an undesirable highest bid. Market makers are able to view all bid and ask prices, inventory levels, order sizes and transaction histories for each card in their market. They also can cross-check the trading activity and portfolios of individual traders to prevent attempts to corner the market in a particular card. While no Internet system can completely prevent users from establishing false identities, the Company's customer service department works closely with its market makers to spot inconsistencies in the information provided by traders when opening and trading in and out of their accounts. The Company also utilizes a credit card authorization service to verify customer information.