GUU Auctions

About GUU Auctions

Trust – The Reason for GUU Auctions Growth

GUU Auctions is a division of Game Used Universe, Inc. which was created in 2005 with a mission of helping game used collectors make more informed decisions about items they may be interested in purchasing. The goal of GUU Auctions is to create an environment that is fully transparent in terms of its protocols while also providing collectors with all the information they need to make educated decisions about the legitimacy of the items in this auction. Collectors know they can trust GUU Auctions and that trust is translating to GUU Auctions becoming one of the fastest growing auction houses in the sports memorabilia industry.

Integrity Before Profits

Those familiar with GUU know one of its key operating tenets has always been "integrity before profits" and this tenet drives everything done by GUU Auctions. Among other things, in GUU Auctions there is:

No shill bidding
No hidden or "secret" reserves – if there is a reserve on an item the bidder will know there is a reserve until the reserve is met.
No bidding by consignors, or those bidding on their behalf, on their own items.
No auction house access or knowledge of "max" or "ceiling" bid amounts – this information is available only to the bidder.
No "house accounts" which would unfairly compete with bidders.

Revolutionary Safeguards to Protect Buyers from Suspect Merchandise

In an effort to help the collecting community, GUU has invested a great deal of resources providing valuable content and creating a social network where information is freely shared through GUU. This information and social network, unparalleled in the industry, has been incorporated into the GUU auction system. In the GUU Auctions model, there is not an exclusive reliance on the opinions of a limited number of people. In fact, GUU Auctions uses multiple layers of evaluation that serves as a check and balance against the inappropriate representation of an item. It is a system that enables collectors to get information on unprecedented levels and one that protects collectors from the inaccurate representation of items being sold.

Specifically, items being sold in GUU Auctions will first be evaluated by people like Rob Steinmetz, Mike Specht, Robert Harvell and other highly recognized industry experts who contribute to the GUU site. Not only are these individuals extremely knowledgeable in their areas of expertise, they are, equally important, people who operate with the highest level of integrity. Further, the GUU model doesn’t stop there. GUU has also developed a system where each and every item in its auction will have a "thread" created for it that will allow collectors to ask questions and for those questions to be answered by, not only GUU evaluators, but anyone in the massive GUU community who has substantiated knowledge about a specific item.

Basically, GUU Auctions believes there are people in its community with more knowledge in specific areas than anyone else. For example, there are individuals in the GUU community who are true experts regarding memorabilia relating to specific teams (say the St. Louis Cardinals or Denver Broncos) or types of memorabilia (such as baseball bats or football helmets). While GUU Auctions’ evaluators will provide extensive evaluations to help protect collectors, the GUU auction software will also allow collectors to ask questions publicly and allow anyone in the GUU community with useful information to provide answers. This system of fully disclosing all information for collectors to use in their purchasing decisions has never existed before.

In the end, there should never be a situation with GUU Auctions where someone buys an item without fully being aware of what they are buying. The GUU Auctions system itself will make sure of it. If a collector is unsure of something, all they need to do is ask. And, if an item is not legitimate, questionable or misrepresented, there is little to no chance of making it through the GUU Auctions system without being identified. As people who are using its site already know, GUU has been instrumental in helping protect collectors from many of the problems in the market. The GUU Auctions model simply takes things a step further in ways never done before.

Lastly, the GUU Auctions system is also intended to eliminate the potential "conflicts of interest that exist with the exclusive reliance on a select few to tell others whether or not an item is legitimate. GUU has invested deeply in creating its transaction system to help improve the process of item verification and authentication and we trust collectors will find value in the GUU system. Those who have bought through GUU before know they can use the GUU Auctions system to make sure they do not find themselves in the unenviable position of owning items that turn out to be something other than what they thought they were.

Along with trying to help the collecting community in every way possible, GUU Auctions is also committed to trying to help others in need. For example, a portion of the proceeds from the GUU Auctions Fall 2009 Auction will be given to the Bridge Teen Center in Chicago to help troubled teenagers. Specifically, The Bridge Teen Center is a nonprofit community center for teenagers in the south suburbs of Chicago. The Bridge exists to help in times of pressure, positively impact the choices teens are making, and give young people a safe place where they can interact with positive adult mentors. Programs are designed around the interests and needs of the average suburban teenager, and help students develop mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually in a safe environment.

Our On-Going Commitment

We are proud of the trust collectors have placed in GUU Auctions and we will constantly do our very best to continue to earn that trust. If you have any questions regarding GUU Auctions, please feel free to Contact Us and we will be happy to answer them for you.