Kobe Bryant memorabilia is selling for up to $3 million on eBay

Artline1986 · #1 01-30-2020

Kobe Bryant memorabilia is selling for up to $3 million on eBay

New York (CNN Business)Demand for Kobe Bryant merchandise reached a fever pitch almost immediately after the legendary Laker perished in a helicopter crash Sunday along with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven other victims.

Bryant apparel on Nike's website was completely sold out less than a day after the incident, the company confirmed on Wednesday. Many fans have since turned to eBay and other auction sites to purchase any Kobe-related memorabilia they can find. But sellers on auction sites are demanding hefty sums for Bryant trading cards, autographed basketballs, jerseys and shoes.
One eBay user wanted $3 million for a basketball signed by Bryant and the rest of the Lakers' 2002 "3-peat" championship team on Wednesday. Another asked Bryant fans for $2.88 million for a "one-of-a-kind" ball Bryant signed after winning his first NBA title. The latter seller said the ball will be "worth $10 million in 10 years."
Bids for the "MambaForever.com" URL started at $1 million on the site, the same price as a pre-owned set of Kobe trading cards said to be in "very good" condition. The asking price for a pair of Nike shoes signed by the Black Mamba after his final NBA game in 2016 is $240,000.
The sky-high pricing follows a familiar pattern that tends to emerge after famous people die suddenly, according to Howard University marketing professor Denver D'Rozario, who specializes in research about the use of dead celebrities in marketing.
"Fans suddenly realize the person they love is not there anymore and they want to buy up things to be close to that person," D'Rozario, told CNN Business. "Some people buy it for commemoration purposes because they assume it will increase in value as a collector's item. It gives them a connection to the person they love."
A detail of Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers' jersey during the second quarter against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on December 30, 2015 in Boston, Massachusetts.
A detail of Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers' jersey during the second quarter against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on December 30, 2015 in Boston, Massachusetts.
Michael Jackson's famous glittery white glove sold for $420,000 in November 2009, five months after the late King of Pop's untimely death at age 50. The "Happy birthday, Mr. President" dress Marilyn Monroe wore when she serenaded John F. Kennedy in 1962 sold for a record $4.8 million 2016.
Last year, the gown Princess Diana donned when she danced with John Travolta at a 1985 White House event sold for $347,000.
All three items were auctioned off by Darren Julien, CEO of Julien's Auctions, which authenticates celebrity memorabilia before selling it.
Julien says he's received a major influx of calls and emails from folks looking to sell him Kobe merchandise to auction off over the last few days. He is planning to sell a collection of verified Kobe items during his company's annual Sports Legends auction in Beverly Hills, California, on May 1.
Julien also criticized the prices for Kobe merchandise currently being auctioned on eBay.
"It's a little bit morbid to be marketing Kobe at this point and time," Julien told CNN Business. "If you're a business with a reputation, you have to be sensitive to the families. You're always going to have those kinds of opportunistic people who go on eBay and put crazy prices on items that no one will ever pay."
EBay did not immediately respond to requests for comment on how it verifies the authenticity of celebrity memorabilia sold on its site. The company confirmed via email on Wednesday that it monitors and conducts sweeps to remove items specifically referencing celebrities' deaths or offering charity donations outside of verified eBay charity partners.
EBay also prohibits listings that "portray, glorify, or attempt to profit from human tragedy or suffering, or that are insensitive to victims of such events."
Martin Nolan, executive director of Julien's Auctions, said it's normal for mourning fans to obsess over mementos after a star they love has passed away.
"We're all nostalgic," he said. "Kobe died so tragically and he's such a hero, such an icon, especially here in Los Angeles. There's that raw feeling, that emotion because he's gone. What do we have left? We have the basketballs, the shoes. That's what we have left to cling to, to remember his legacy."

agent006140 · #2 01-31-2020

Kobe mother once sold his stuff for 1/2 millions,and Kobe took her to court !
The woman who claimed Kobe raped her can now sell her underwear for a billion $

ebaystealth1974 · #3 01-31-2020

Quote:

Originally Posted by tinsoldier

A fool and their money are easily parted.

Have we met?!

ebaystealth1974 · #4 01-31-2020

Quote:

Originally Posted by phaz0rz

How are they accepted these payments if Paypal's max per transaction is $10k?

To the best of my knowledge, it's not.

ebaystealth1974 · #5 01-31-2020

The only limits my account has is withdrawal limits. $50,000 per transaction.

Zero limits for balance, receiving, or sending.

ebaystealth1974 · #6 01-31-2020

And then there's this...

ebaystealth1974 · #7 01-31-2020

Quote:

Originally Posted by phaz0rz

Relevant eBay link : https://community.ebay.com/t5/Sellin...93630?nobounce

Yeah, but have you tried to accept over $10k in a single transaction? They say pretty plainly that $10k is the max per transaction by law.

Maybe you got that from the archive, which is probably outdated.

phaz0rz · #8 01-31-2020

Ok.

ebaystealth1974 · #9 01-31-2020

And I also know for a fact that their printed policies only apply to MOST people.

Example: My PP Debit Card exceeds the posted daily spend/cash withdraw limits by 3x.

ebaystealth1974 · #10 01-31-2020

And who knows why? I sure don't lol

phaz0rz · #11 01-31-2020

All those Kobe gear guys appear to be accepting Paypal so I guess there's some kind of exception.

Really though, I wonder how they do it. Visa sure as hell isn't going to let you run a $250,000 transaction on your card.

ebaystealth1974 · #12 01-31-2020

Quote:

Originally Posted by phaz0rz

Visa sure as hell isn't going to let you run a $250,000 transaction on your card.

If you ball, they will.

EDIT: haha... kind of a pun there

phaz0rz · #13 01-31-2020

That's Paypal, but yes I've seen it.

Screenshots like that get posted pretty frequently here by UK members trying to lift their receiving limits.

ebaystealth1974 · #14 01-31-2020

So, that's just a generic screen? I'm going to change my other account (that I still havent used for stealth lol) over to business and see if it says the same thing. Which I guess I need to change it over, anyway. lol

agent006140 · #15 02-01-2020

Quote:

Originally Posted by phaz0rz

All those Kobe gear guys appear to be accepting Paypal so I guess there's some kind of exception.

Really though, I wonder how they do it. Visa sure as hell isn't going to let you run a $250,000 transaction on your card.

and Paypal as well.
I wonder how serious are the buyers,do they really have $250,000 line of credit with their credit card?
You know Ebay,it is not Christie or Soetheby.
And what are they going to do with the item,flip it?

agent006140 · #16 02-01-2020

with prestigeous auction sites,you have to register and prove your financial to bid and they do check.
But Ebay,some will bid for the sake of bidding,and then abandon their account.most Ebay bidders are bottom feeders,anything collectible over $100 is too much for them

agent006140 · #17 02-01-2020

with prestigeous auction sites,you have to register and prove your financial to bid and they do check.
But Ebay,some will bid for the sake of bidding,and then abandon their account.most Ebay bidders are bottom feeders,anything collectible over $100 is too much for them