The winner is just buying a call, exercisable by 9/14, to buy the card for $425. The strike could have been anywhere, where the higher the strike, the lower the value of the call. Option values are dependent on the strike (how it relates to current value, the time till expiration(more time—more valuable) and the price volatility of the underlying asset. The only issue I see is one of performance. If I ran Ebay I would say that these deals are fine, but the premium is held by eBay until either the option is exercised and the card is delivered or the option expires worthless. That way there is no risk of a seller taking the premium and disappearing.
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