Power seller Rick Probstein returned his trading card and memorabilia consignment business to eBay Monday following the indefinite shutdown of snype, a competing marketplace he tried to launch three weeks ago.
The platform’s closure arrives one week after the platform was disabled following a series of technical issues encountered as the first auctions on the site were ending last Monday.
“Probstein Auctions confirms our return to eBay. As part of this transition, we will be winding down operations of snype indefinitely, with every transaction on the platform cancelled, and all associated funds to be returned to buyers,” Probstein told cllct in a statement.
“The shutdown of snype is being executed through a careful process that places user safety and digital security at the forefront. We are following a methodical wind-down plan designed to ensure stability and clarity at every step.”
According to Probstein, the platform’s main “snype” feature inadvertently caused the first series of auctions to end regardless of how much time was remaining. Probstein told cllct he was looking into the possibility the platform was the target of a cyber-attack.
Probstein declined to answer further questions from cllct Monday.
Probstein left eBay to launch snype in early November. He sold almost 6 million items and generated more than $925 million across more than 21 years on eBay.
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