Chapter5-Customs Tricks

The items inside the next containers up for auction were pretty straightforward:

Furniture, clothes, children's toys...

They were all picked up by the crowd for a few thousand, or tens of thousands stellarCoins, and everyone made a profit, more or less.

Of course, compared to Daniel's nearly hundred-thousand-times profit, it was hardly worth mentioning.

Daniel thought there wouldn't be any more windfalls for him that day.

That was, until the current container appeared.

Robert, with a folder in hand, announced, "This container was offloaded from a ship held up at the port. It couldn't be transported due to paperwork issues, so we're auctioning it now."

No sooner had he spoken than the workers swung the container doors open.

What they revealed was a neat, chock-full pile of cardboard boxes.

This sight had many in the crowd furrowing their brows.

"What the heck's in there?"

"The boxes are all intact, we can't tell what's inside."

"It's like a blind box."

Everyone was puzzled, and no one bid.

After all, nobody could guarantee whether the contents were high-end merchandise or electronic trash.

Seeing the crowd's enthusiasm dwindle, Robert glanced at his folder, saying, "From what the paperwork says, it seems like this container is full of second-hand toys."

At this, a lot of eyes lit up.

So, what if it's second-hand goods?

That was precisely what they loved, especially second-hand toys that someone was willing to ship overseas at a high cost.

There must be value in them.

It could very well be a high-end player's collection.

Toys could also be seen as works of art, with a collectible edition toy possibly fetching tens of thousands of StellarCoins.

Everyone was now interested, craning their necks to get a better look into the cardboard boxes, hoping to spot any signs of value.

Among the crowd, the twin brothers were the first to spot a clue.

The younger one, Allen, pointed at a cardboard box with a two-finger-wide gap at the bottom.

He whispered, "Bro, there are some words showing through there."

His older brother, Abel, squinted to read, "Charlie Brown."

Allen exclaimed, "The most popular toy model from the 50s?!"

His voice was so loud that he startled himself and quickly covered his mouth.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

Everyone had heard his shout and all eyes turned to him.

Daniel wasn't idle either.

He peered through the crowd to inspect the gap.

[Item]: Charlie Brown's toy.

[Age]: 1950s.

[Condition]: Well-preserved.

[Details]: An unopened toy, undamaged.

[Rating]: A collectible model worth collecting for toy lovers.

[Market Price]: 5000

[Buyback Price]: 4000

Worth five thousand StellarCoins?

For a toy?

Daniel thought it was a bit absurd.

If it weren't for the system, he'd never have imagined that a toy from decades ago could be so valuable.

And that was just one item.

If all the intact boxes in the container held similar collectible toys, the value could exceed one hundred thousand.

Nearly everyone at the scene had the same thought, and the bidding quickly began.

A tall, thin man shouted, "1000!"

Someone beside him scoffed, "Just the Charlie Brown is worth over three thousand. You expect to snag this container for one thousand?"

"I bid 5000!"

"5500!"

"6000!"

"7500!"

"10,000!"

The bidding frenzy was heating up.

Everyone wanted to get their hands on this private collection of toys.

Only Daniel stood silently to the side, not saying a word.

Inside the livestream, many viewers were puzzled.

"Streamer, aren't you going to bid?"

"I just checked, this Charlie Brown's toy was a massive hit back in the 50s. It was sought after by audiences in dozens of countries, including A, B, and D... You could say it carries countless people's childhood memories."

"Holy cow, it was that popular?"

"That is to say, just one of these toys could be worth over ten thousand. And there are so many boxes in there, if they're all filled with these toys..."

"Oh my God, this is a gold mine!"

"Streamer, make a bid already!"

"There's a huge chance to make money with this container!"

Seeing the viewers' excitement rising, Daniel simply said, "This is too good to be true."

The livestream was filled with confusion.

"Fake?"

"What does the streamer mean?"

"Are the toys fake?"

"Isn't there a room full of experts who could tell?"

Daniel patiently explained, "I'm saying this container, it's too good to be true."

"Did you all hear what the auction host, Robert, just said? It's their usual trick."

The viewers were slightly baffled.

"A trick?"

"I don't understand."

"Streamer, stop playing coy, spill it already."

Daniel gave a helpless smile, "As soon as the container was opened, and no one had figured out what was going on, Robert pointed out that the boxes inside were toys, even specifying that they were second-hand toys."

"All the boxes are intact, not even a speck of dust on them. Yet, only one box is severely damaged with a gap. And through this gap, we could see a highly valued Charlie Brown toy inside."

"In this situation, what would be the normal reaction? Wouldn't you think all the boxes in the container are filled with toys of this value? After all, it's a private collection, and no one would collect something of no value, right?"

"Those who think this way have fallen for the trick."

As soon as he finished speaking, the livestream chat went silent.

But soon, the comments came flying.

"Holy crap, so what seems like an accidentally revealed toy is actually a deliberate smokescreen?"

"This Robert guy is really sneaky!"

"Streamer, are you sure? After all, your theory is just a speculation. What if everything in there is real?"

Daniel couldn't help but snort, "Real?"

"Let me ask you, didn't Robert directly point out what was in the box? How did he know?"

The viewers paused.

"Holy cow! He's seen it!"

"Right, guys, the customs will do random checks on the containers!"

"They might fake it for the show, but this is a real auction. Isn't that fraud?"

"Oh man, the bid is already at 150,000 by the sound of it."

"Streamer, aren't you going to expose them?"

Daniel shook his head, "Why should I?"

"Container Hunt Auctions are inherently opaque transactions, they're essentially a form of gambling. You need to use your observational skills, your brain, and all means to profit in this gamble."

"So, this behavior at the port is not against the rules. If you lack the ability to see through it, who can you blame if you lose?"

The viewers in the livestream were instantly convinced.

"Streamer's got a point."

"I was regretting not participating in the container blind box auction when I visited Libertopia a while ago. Now it seems like it might have been the best decision I made!"

"Could end up going broke."

The auction was still ongoing.

Wilson, once again leading the charge, shouted the highest bid, "Two hundred thousand!"

He had missed out on the chance to make a fortune over a few hundred bucks before.

This time, he couldn't let it slip away again.

The price of two hundred thousand had everyone acting with caution.

Doubts lingered and no one dared to bid any higher.

Seeing this, Robert announced, "Congratulations Wilson, you've won the lot for two hundred thousand! Come up and check your spoils!"

Wilson ran up joyfully, babbling nonstop, "Thanks everyone for backing off. If I make a profit, I'll throw a party at my private villa tonight!"

The same unlucky guy again.

Daniel shook his head, sighing helplessly.

The viewers in the livestream were glued to the screen, curious if the outcome would be as the streamer predicted.

Soon, the dockworkers hauled out all the items from the container.

Impatient, Wilson hurried forward to open them one by one.

With each box he opened, his face darkened a little more.

Once all the boxes were opened, Wilson closed his eyes and fainted once again.

The camera showed the opened boxes, leaving the viewers in awe.

"No need for an appraiser to value these."

"All plush toys."

"Two hundred thousand StellarCoins for plush toys, he's made a massive loss!"