Mickey’s Circus – WHY I BID $6K in the Auction.
Every year, the Walt Disney World Pin event has an auction – where the hard-core players of pin trading compete for the hard to find, prototype and canceled projected project pins offered by Disney.
This is a favored event for many –as it involves months of strategy and deal-making before the auction happens on Saturday. (Groups combine; make deals, split lots, agreed to not bid on certain lots; etc).
Normally Friday to mid Sat; would be the time that people would walk around and linger at the items in the cases…and those not already in a group for a lot; would put their name down on the bid sheet to indicate their desire to play the game. This was done in small incremental bids to indicate who wanted to play.
This year however – things changed when a newbie arrived on the scene.
So, this guy shows up to the auction bid sheets on Friday and tells the others at the table there that he was there to “win the Alice lot†and that the others should “give up.†He then proceeded to immediately bid $3,000 and walks away (Ironically he asked where the bathrooms were...as he hasn’t been in the room long enough to learn the set-up).
Okay…you have to understand...this NEVER happens. No one ever bids that high the DAY BEFORE the auction close. It is normally considered a time for strategy and deal-making. The effect of this guy’s bid was basically telling the Alice lot group to go F*** themselves (yes, my opinion…but also an opinion shared by many auction participants). As this behavior was not respectful, nor caring of other traders. True...he had the right...but just because it is legal doesn’t make it considerate.
THE STORY CONTINUES….
So this guy blows past the 4-5 Alice people wishing to make a deal (divide the lot) with him…if he would only stop to listen. But he walks away.
This is where I come in. I find out that several of my pin friends were planning on bidding on the Alice lot...but now were just blown of out the water by the newbie.
Then rumors start flying that this newbie is actually working for someone else…and that person was the source of bad pins (counterfeits). People stated that they believed the newbie was part of a scheme to counterfeit the unreleased Alice pins in the lot. Hearing this did affect my mindset.
Most importantly however; I wanted to stand up for my friends who planned on dividing the lot months before.
Making a long story short…I placed my $3500 bid with the note: Bring It On.
The newbie went back and crossed off my comment and then increased his bid to $4,000.
I let it be known; that if I won the lot; I planned to divide it with the Alice collectors who previously hoped to win.
What started as an insult by a newbie…became the top spectacles of the event. It was the talk of the town (aptly a circus)– where people in the trading areas even started taking up a collection to increase my bids. (Very funny!)
In the end, I guess the newbie guy was finally scared off; as he did his final bid about 30 minutes before auction close and didn’t even wait to see the final result. Someone said he was looking for hidden Mickeys on trade boards instead (strengthening the theory he was bidding for someone else).
In the end…good won over evil. I paid $6,000 for the Alice lot and the canceled project/unreleased pins are now nicely tucked away in an Alice collection. It has been an absolute joy to make people so happy with the new additions to their collections.
Just thought it was a fun story to tell...especially since it had a happy ending...and my favorite part…I got Tigger out of the deal as well! :hsd:
TTFN,
Diana
This is a favored event for many –as it involves months of strategy and deal-making before the auction happens on Saturday. (Groups combine; make deals, split lots, agreed to not bid on certain lots; etc).
Normally Friday to mid Sat; would be the time that people would walk around and linger at the items in the cases…and those not already in a group for a lot; would put their name down on the bid sheet to indicate their desire to play the game. This was done in small incremental bids to indicate who wanted to play.
This year however – things changed when a newbie arrived on the scene.
So, this guy shows up to the auction bid sheets on Friday and tells the others at the table there that he was there to “win the Alice lot†and that the others should “give up.†He then proceeded to immediately bid $3,000 and walks away (Ironically he asked where the bathrooms were...as he hasn’t been in the room long enough to learn the set-up).
Okay…you have to understand...this NEVER happens. No one ever bids that high the DAY BEFORE the auction close. It is normally considered a time for strategy and deal-making. The effect of this guy’s bid was basically telling the Alice lot group to go F*** themselves (yes, my opinion…but also an opinion shared by many auction participants). As this behavior was not respectful, nor caring of other traders. True...he had the right...but just because it is legal doesn’t make it considerate.
THE STORY CONTINUES….
So this guy blows past the 4-5 Alice people wishing to make a deal (divide the lot) with him…if he would only stop to listen. But he walks away.
This is where I come in. I find out that several of my pin friends were planning on bidding on the Alice lot...but now were just blown of out the water by the newbie.
Then rumors start flying that this newbie is actually working for someone else…and that person was the source of bad pins (counterfeits). People stated that they believed the newbie was part of a scheme to counterfeit the unreleased Alice pins in the lot. Hearing this did affect my mindset.
Most importantly however; I wanted to stand up for my friends who planned on dividing the lot months before.
Making a long story short…I placed my $3500 bid with the note: Bring It On.
The newbie went back and crossed off my comment and then increased his bid to $4,000.
I let it be known; that if I won the lot; I planned to divide it with the Alice collectors who previously hoped to win.
What started as an insult by a newbie…became the top spectacles of the event. It was the talk of the town (aptly a circus)– where people in the trading areas even started taking up a collection to increase my bids. (Very funny!)
In the end, I guess the newbie guy was finally scared off; as he did his final bid about 30 minutes before auction close and didn’t even wait to see the final result. Someone said he was looking for hidden Mickeys on trade boards instead (strengthening the theory he was bidding for someone else).
In the end…good won over evil. I paid $6,000 for the Alice lot and the canceled project/unreleased pins are now nicely tucked away in an Alice collection. It has been an absolute joy to make people so happy with the new additions to their collections.
Just thought it was a fun story to tell...especially since it had a happy ending...and my favorite part…I got Tigger out of the deal as well! :hsd:
TTFN,
Diana