Question 1

How does bidding actually work?

Accepted Answer

Every auction has a start price, a live current bid, and a countdown to a fixed end time. When you place a bid, credits equal to the bid amount are held in reserve on your account. If you're outbid, the hold is released instantly and you can bid again. When the clock hits zero and you're the high bidder, the card is yours and the credits transfer to the seller.

Question 2

What are Rookie credits and how do I get them?

Accepted Answer

Credits are Rookie's in-app currency (1 credit = $0.01) used for all auction bids, boosts, and premium features. Load credits from Settings → Billing with a card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or PayPal — funds land instantly and never expire.

Question 3

What's the difference between Buy Now and Auctions?

Accepted Answer

Buy Now (Shop) is fixed-price, one-tap checkout — best when you want a specific card at a known price. Auctions is timed and competitive — best when a card has broad appeal, is scarce, or when a seller wants the market to set the price. Vault-bundle auctions (a whole collection sold as one lot) only exist on the Auctions side.

Question 4

What is anti-snipe / soft-close?

Accepted Answer

If a new bid lands inside the final 2 minutes, the auction clock automatically extends by 5 minutes. This is how real auction houses work — it kills last-second sniping and produces prices closer to true market value.

Question 5

Can I cancel a bid?

Accepted Answer

No. Bids on Rookie are binding, just like on eBay or Heritage. If you're the seller, you can only cancel the auction before any bid has been placed. This protects everyone from bad-faith bidding.

Question 6

What happens when I win?

Accepted Answer

Credits transfer to the seller (minus the platform fee), the card is transferred to your Vault automatically, and the seller gets a ship-by deadline for physical delivery. For vault-bundle wins, every card in the bundle moves at once.

Question 7

What are the fees?

Accepted Answer

Standard sellers pay 10% of the winning bid as a platform fee. Pro Sellers pay 7%. There are no bidding fees for buyers — the number you bid is the number you pay if you win. Payment processing on credit loads is handled by our payment provider and shown at checkout.

Question 8

Can I auction my whole vault as one lot?

Accepted Answer

Yes. From the Auctions page, click 'Auction whole vault' — every listable card in your vault becomes a single bundled lot. Useful for downsizing, estates, or moving a themed collection in one shot.

Question 9

Do PSA-verified cards get special treatment in auctions?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Slabs with a verified PSA cert carry the green PSA-verified badge, and re-verification runs nightly to catch reused certs before an auction closes. Bidders see the cert-verified status directly on the auction lot.

Question 10

What if the seller doesn't ship?

Accepted Answer

Every auction has a ship-by deadline. If a seller misses it without evidence (a shipping label / tracking upload), buyers can open a dispute from the transaction row. Funds are held in escrow until the buyer confirms delivery, and unfulfilled auctions are refunded in credits.

Question 11

Are kid accounts allowed to bid?

Accepted Answer

Under-18 accounts can browse and get parent approval to bid on Rookie-managed vault lots, but seller-run auctions and physical shipping require an adult account. Bidding limits and parent approval gates are handled automatically at sign-in.

Question 12

Can Pro Sellers see analysis on auction lots?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Every auction lot shows the AI market range, sold-comp count and confidence, quality sub-scores (centering, corners, edges, surface), and net-of-fees ROI vs. the current bid — the same rigor as the Shop tiles. Standard accounts see a locked preview.

How biddingworks.

01How does bidding actually work?

02What are Rookie credits and how do I get them?

03What's the difference between Buy Now and Auctions?

04What is anti-snipe / soft-close?

05Can I cancel a bid?

06What happens when I win?

07What are the fees?

08Can I auction my whole vault as one lot?

09Do PSA-verified cards get special treatment in auctions?

10What if the seller doesn't ship?

11Are kid accounts allowed to bid?

12Can Pro Sellers see analysis on auction lots?

How bidding
works.