A Big eBay Score Leaves Me Feeling Guilty

I've been gathering up Members Only parallels from 2014 Topps Stadium Club pretty much since the product released. I've mentioned more than once that I can usually only grab semi-stars and commons from this set, as the print run on these was rumored to be less than 10 copies of each card. Well, a while back the Bryce Harper card from the set popped up on eBay with a $0.01 starting price and free shipping (from Canada).

If I recall correctly, I put in a bid that was around the price of a blaster box, fully expecting to be outbid at some point before the auction ended. After 7 total bids, the auction closed with me winning for a whopping $0.72 (with free shipping). That was pretty exciting, but I wondered if the seller would even send the card. I also felt a little guilty about winning such a scarce card of a legitimate superstar.

To ease my guilty feelings, I checked out the seller's other auctions to see if there was anything I could pick up to at least cover the shipping cost. They had quite a few Buy It Now listings that I added to my cart, including this Expos sticker from Panini.

I just grabbed an assortment of random stuff that interested me. The seller didn't have much that I really 'need,' so I went after names I recognize and shiny/die-cut stuff. Apparently I hit the Bowman Platinum pretty hard, with that Segura up there and the die-cut Vogelbach and Goldschmidt inserts. I also snagged a Topps Chrome insert of Johnny Cueto, a Phillie Phanatic from Opening Day, and a base card of R.A. Dickey.

These extra cards probably covered at least the cost of shipping plus eBay fees with a couple of dollars left over, so I can sleep a little easier. I was honestly kind of surprised that the seller shipped the Bryce Harper card. I guess I've spent too much time on the Blowout forums lately, where there are new threads every day about deals gone wrong. I probably couldn't have found much fault with the seller if they had merely cancelled the sale, but I am glad to add the Harper as the centerpiece of my 2014 Topps Stadium Club Members Only collection.

Jean Segura Members Only

I guess this card has some relevance to my recent history, as this past weekend I saw Jean Segura hit a lead-off home run for the Diamondbacks at the game I attended this past weekend. I had to look  up how exactly he got to the Diamondbacks from the Brewers. It was a trade, and the names I recognized going the other way were Chase Anderson and Aaron Hill. Segura is having his first pretty good season after he broke out in 2013.

This card is another 2014 Stadium Club Members Only parallel. I have added quite a few of them to my collection since the release of the set, mostly only in the semi-star and just-a-guy categories. These parallels were pretty limited, falling at one per case and carrying a rumored print run of only 5-10 copies each. Most of the big names go for big money, but every so often one slips through the cracks. This one sat on my eBay Watch List for a few months, and I finally got around to making the purchase around a month ago. I keep thinking I'm done getting these Members Only parallels, but every so often I still pick up another.