Disclaimer: This post reflects my personal experiences and opinions on using Fanatics Collect Auctions. I am not affiliated with or sponsored by Fanatics Collect, and this is not financial advice. Always do your own research before bidding on sports cards.

I recently participated in a Fanatics Collect auction and won a 2013 Upper Deck Exquisite Giannis Antetokounmpo Auto graded as a PSA 8, Auto 9 for $625—which came out to $750 after the 20% buyer’s premium. While I’ve won eBay auctions before, Fanatics Collect auctions operate differently, so I wanted to test out their auction process firsthand.

Here’s what I learned.

How Fanatics Collect Auctions Work

Unlike eBay, where auctions end at a set time, Fanatics Collect uses a 30-minute extended bidding window after the official auction close. This means:

• All auctions technically “end” at 7 PM PST on Sundays
• However, after this all auctions are extended by 30 minutes to allow for any last minute bids
• If someone bids during the extended period, this extends the auction into another 5-minute extended period
• The auction ends once no new bids are placed in a 5-minute extended period

This format prevents last-second sniping and allows all bidders to place their best offer without time pressure.

My Strategy & Bidding Experience

Going into the auction, I had several cards on my radar that were within a price range I felt comfortable with as extended beginning began. However, some cards I was tracking jumped significantly in price during the extended bidding, and the Giannis one I ended up winning. The Giannis actually started at $600 in extended bidding, and my $625 offer (bidding went up in increments of $25) was the only one placed before the auction ended.

One thing I like about this system is its transparency—there’s no guessing whether someone is using automatic bidding or sniping in the last second, like on eBay. Everyone has the chance to keep bidding until they are comfortable stopping.

Paying for the Auction

Once I won, I wasn’t immediately notified—instead, Fanatics only sent a notification when my invoice was ready to pay. Buyers have five days to complete payment after winning.

While bank payments are free, Fanatics charges a 2.9% credit card fee, so keep this in mind when deciding how to pay. I’m working toward a new credit card sign-up bonus so I opted to use a credit card this time, but in the future, I’ll likely stick to ACH payments.

What Happens After Winning?

Once payment was completed, the Giannis auto was immediately sent to my Fanatics Collect Vault. This was a seamless process—there was no extra work required to receive the card. However, I’m not sure what the process is like if you win the auction and want to send the card back to yourself.

Final Thoughts: Is Fanatics Collect Auctions Worth Using?

Overall, I had a great experience with Fanatics Collect Auctions and would definitely participate again. The key takeaways:

✔ More unique cards than eBay – I saw cards I don’t often come across on other platforms
✔ Extended bidding creates a fairer process – No last-second sniping, everyone gets a fair shot to bid
✔ Buyer’s premium must be factored in – While this may seem like a bad thing because it raises the final price, it also prevents shill bidding, which is a huge issue on eBay
✔ Seamless post-auction process – The card was immediately vaulted after payment, no extra work required

The biggest takeaway? Only bid on cards where you are comfortable with the total price after the buyer’s premium. The added fees can make a good deal turn into a bad one if you aren’t careful.

Would I use Fanatics Collect Auctions again? Absolutely. I just need to be strategic about what I bid on.

Have you used Fanatics Collect Auctions? What do you think of their extended bidding format? Let me know in the comments!