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Buying In Alt Auctions
Buying In Alt Auctions
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Participation Requirements

To participate in an auction, you must have an Alt account with a valid stored payment method. When placing your first bid, you’ll be prompted to enter your preferred payment details, which will be securely stored for future transactions.

If your total bids within an auction cycle remain below $10,000, you can store a credit card as your primary payment method. However, if your total bids reach or exceed $10,000, you’ll be required to add a bank account on file to enable ACH transfers before being able to submit your bid.

Timing

All Alt auctions run for a two-week cycle. A new auction begins every Friday morning, shortly following the close of the previous auction, and lasts for 14 days, with Extended Bidding beginning at 9PM ET on the 14th day.

Placing a Bid

  • Maximum bids: The starting price for a card is based on its Alt Value and is specified when the auction opens. All bids are placed using the "maximum bid" model; when you place a bid, you should enter the maximum amount you'd like to pay for the card. This bid amount is private and will only be visible to you.

  • Automatic bidding: We'll bid in increments on your behalf to keep you in the lead up to your maximum bid amount. These increments are based on the auction's current price. If you are outbid, you will be notified via email. If you are outbid immediately, another earlier bidder has a maximum limit equal to or higher than yours.

  • Watchlist: If you are interested in monitoring the progress of a card that is live within an auction, to potentially submit a bid at a later date, you can add it to your Watchlist. To do so, simply click on the heart icon that is located in the card's detail section. Once the heart icon turns purple, the card has been successfully added to your Watchlist, where you will receive automated updates regarding the card's progress.

    • To view/modify your Auction Watchlist, simply click into 'My Auction' on the Auctions landing page and toggle to the 'Watching' tab. From this page collectors can easily monitor a specific card's bidding progress and submit a new bid on the card without needing to toggle back into the primary auction page.

    • To remove a card from your Watchlist, simply de-select the heart icon that is located on the card's detail section.

Automated Bidding Increments:

  • Current Price: $0 - $499

    • Bid increment: $10

  • Current Price: $500 - $999

    • Bid increment: $25

  • Current Price: $1,000 - $2,499

    • Bid increment: $50

  • Current Price: $2,500 - $4,999

    • Bid increment: $100

  • Current Price: $5,000 - $9,999

    • Bid increment: $250

  • Current Price: $10,000 - $19,999

    • Bid increment: $500

  • Current Price: $20,000 - $29,999

    • Bid increment: $1,000

  • Current Price: $30,000 - $49,999

    • Bid increment: $2,500

  • Current Price: $50,000 - $99,999

    • Bid increment: $5,000

  • Current Price: $100,000 - $199,999

    • Bid increment: $10,000

  • Current Price: $200,000 - $299,999

    • Bid increment: $20,000

  • Current Price: $300,000 - $599,999

    • Bid increment: $25,000

  • Current Price: $600,000 - $999,999

    • Bid increment: $50,000

  • Current Price: $1,000,000 - $1,499,999

    • Bid increment: $50,000

  • Current Price: $1,500,000 and up

    • Bid increment: $100,000

  • Extended bidding: At 9PM ET on the night of an auction close, all cards within the auction catalog will enter into Extended Bidding. If any card receives a bid during the Extended Bidding window, the entire auction's end time will extend by a fixed amount. The duration of the extended bidding window will gradually decrease over time, in an effort to help prevent the auction from extending late into the night. Read more about our Extended Bidding session here.

Updating a Bid

Once a bid has been placed within any Alt auction, it is considered binding. Bid retractions are generally prohibited. We encourage bidders to exercise caution and review their decisions carefully prior to submitting bids. You can review our Bid Retraction Policy here, and reach out to our Collector Support team at support@alt.xyz for further assistance.

Winner Selection

The card will be sold to the highest bidder upon auction close. In the event of a tie, the first bidder who placed the winning bid amount will be selected as the winner of the card.

Payment

The winning bid (also known as the 'hammer price') will be one bid increment above the second-highest bid amount, or the bidder’s maximum bid, whichever is lower. In the event of a tie, the winning bid will be the effective price at which the auction closed.

  • Buyer's Premium: A 20% buyer’s premium is added to each auction sale, meaning all sales will have an additional 20% added to the winning bid amount (hammer price), for which the winning bidder will be responsible to pay. It's important for all participants within an auction to understand the concept of buyer's premium, which is a standard practice at all auction houses across the industry.

  • Buyer's premium is an additional fee charged by Alt to the winning bidder in an auction. It is calculated as a percentage of the final sale price, also known as the hammer price, and is added on top of the winning bid amount. The final sale price that reflects for a card sold within an auction is comprised of the winning bid amount plus the 20% buyer's premium.

    • Example: Let's say a bidder wins an auction with a winning bid of $100. With a 20% buyer's premium, the final sale price of the item would be calculated as follows: $100 x 20% = Final Sale Price of $120. The winning bidder in this example would be responsible for paying $120 in order to complete the purchase for the card that they won.

Collectors have 5 days to initiate a payment for all of their auction winnings. If you have the winning bid at the end of the auction, you are legally obligated to complete the purchase and initiate payment by the stated deadline. If payment is not initiated within this time frame, you expressly authorize Alt to charge any payment method on file, including but not limited to your credit/debit card, or any other stored payment method in order to satisfy the payment obligation. Please refer to our Terms of Service for additional information.

Additional Payment Options For Auction Winnings

We have expanded our standard payment options for auction winners to include more flexibility with payments, outside of the traditional methods. Below are the additional payment options available to auction winners on Alt:

1. Loan with Alt, Paying in Monthly Installments -

  • Eligibility: Only available for purchases of $20,000 or higher

  • Location Requirement: You must be located in a state where Alt can originate loans

  • Details: This allows you to pay for your purchase in smaller monthly installments. Read more about our Lending program here.

2. Pay with Consignment -

  • Eligibility: For winners of cards valued over $1,000

  • Cash Advance Requirement: Only graded cards valued above $250 are eligible for cash advances.

  • Process: Submit photos to Support of the graded cards you wish to sell via consignment. Our team will evaluate the cards to ensure that the cash advances cover the auction purchase price. Ship the consigned cards to your vault within 5 days of the auction close. Once the advances are applied to your Alt account, your pending auction purchases will automatically complete.

  • Additional Help: You can reach out to your assigned Account Manager for more details about this process and estimates of what your cards may be worth.

Transfer of Ownership

Once a buyer's payment for an auction winning has successfully settled, the asset won will automatically be transferred into their Alt Vault for storage and will appear digitally within their Alt Collection.

When you purchase a card on Alt, it is physically stored within our secure Vault facilities, which are located in the state of Delaware. Since all cards must be stored at our Vault in order to be eligible for sale on our platform, they will already be located there prior to an auction purchase. Our Vault team then simply moves the asset into the buyer's name upon completion of the transaction, where it will then automatically appear digitally within their Alt Collection.
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If desired, the new owner of the card can then request for the card to be physically shipped to the address of their choice:

  1. If using the Alt web platform: Select the Menu icon within the top right corner of the homepage

  2. If using the Alt mobile app: Select 'My Alt'

  3. Select 'Shipments'

  4. During this process, customers will be prompted to enter the mailing address that they would like the card(s) to be shipped to

When completing an outtake request, destination, carrier rates, and signature requirements are gathered. Subsequent shipping charges for the outtake can be paid using a credit or debit card. Customers will be asked to enter their card details on the final confirmation of all the shipping information. All cards shipped out of the Vault will be charged an insurance fee based on their Alt Value at the time of outtake. Review our help center article Vault Outtake Shipping Requests for more information.
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Compliance

Although alternative assets, such as collectible cards, are not a regulated security, our mission at Alt is to treat these assets as a true financial asset class which includes holding ourselves to a high standard of compliance. Alt's auctions are meant to provide an auction experience that is transparent and that collectors can trust. To achieve this, the product has been built with controls in place that disallow disingenuous bidders. We have also taken additional steps by laying out guidelines for employee engagement within our auctions.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I remove my bid for a card in auction?

A: Bid retractions are generally prohibited. We encourage bidders to exercise caution and review their decisions carefully prior to submitting bids. You can review our Bid Retraction Policy here, and reach out to our Collector Support for further assistance.

Do I need to have a payment method on file in order to bid in an auction?

A: Yes, all bidders must have a stored payment method on file to participate in an auction. When placing your first bid, you’ll be prompted to enter your preferred payment details, which will be securely stored for future transactions. When completing the checkout flow for a purchase, you will still be able to select an alternative payment method if desired.

Why do I need to store a bank account if my bids total $10,000 or more?

A: For higher-value transactions, we require a stored bank account to facilitate secure and efficient payment processing via ACH transfer. This ensures a smoother settlement process for high-value auction winnings.

Can I update my payment method after I’ve placed a bid?

A: Yes, you can update your stored payment method at any time. However, if your total bids reach or exceed $10,000, you will need to add a bank account before submitting additional bids if one is not already on file.

Can I pay for my auction winnings via wire transfer?

A: We are happy to accommodate incoming wire transfers in order to complete payment for purchases on Alt. Take a moment to review our article, Payment & Payout Methods, for more information surrounding this process, as well as the incoming wire instructions.

I paid for my winnings, why aren't the cards reflecting within My Collection?

A: ACH transfers typically take 4-5 business days to fully settle into Alt. If you completed payment for your winnings via ACH, then your transaction will likely settle on the 5th business day following initiation. Immediately after the funds clear into Alt, your auction purchases will process and the cards will automatically appear within your Alt Collection.

I don't want my cards to go to the Vault. How can I have them sent to me instead?

A: When you purchase a card on Alt, it is stored securely at our Vault facilities in Delaware. All cards must be stored at the Vault to be eligible for sale, so they are already there prior to an auction. After a purchase, our Vault team moves the card to the buyer's name, making it appear digitally in their Alt Collection.

If you wish to have the card shipped, you can follow these steps after your transaction has completed:

  1. If using the Alt web platform: Select the Menu icon within the top right corner of the homepage

  2. If using the Alt mobile app: Select 'My Alt'

  3. Select 'Shipments'

  4. During this process, customers will be prompted to enter the mailing address that they would like the card(s) to be shipped to

During this process, you will need to enter the mailing address for the shipment. Shipping charges, including destination, carrier rates, and insurance fees based on the card's Alt Value, can be paid with a credit or debit card during the final confirmation step. For more details, please review our help center article on Vault Outtake Shipping Requests.

Do you offer payment plans for cards won within an auction?

A: Alt Lending allows you to borrow cash against your cards without having to sell them, offering competitive rates. To apply for a loan in order to complete payment for a card won in auction, the card won must be valued at over $20,000. The loan process requires your US Social Security Number and home address, and all cards used as collateral must first be secured within the Alt Vault.

If you meet these minimum qualifications, you may be eligible to enroll in a payment plan in order to pay off an item won in auction. Please review our Lending article for additional details and to begin, reach out to our team at lending@alt.xyz with the necessary information.

After being outbid on a card, I was just notified that I am now the leading bidder again, what caused this?

A: If a bid is submitted by a user that is unconfirmed, our team may retract the bid in an effort to maintain fairness and transparency within our auctions.

  • Unconfirmed Bids: Alt reserves the right to retract bids for users who have not completed the process to confirm their bidding activity with our team.

We have a robust process in place to monitor all bidding activity during our auctions. In certain cases, we may require additional financial documentation to be provided in order to secure a bid; failure to submit the proper documents by the stated deadline will result in the bid being removed.

Rest assured that you will not end up paying more for an item if the previous leading bid is removed. Although alternative assets, such as collectible cards, are not regulated securities, our mission at Alt is to treat these assets as a true financial asset class, which includes holding ourselves to a high standard of compliance. To achieve this, the product has been built with controls, such as this, in place.

For questions, please contact us through the messenger located in the bottom left corner of your browser, text us at (833)483-5949, or reach out to support@alt.xyz

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