I made an earlier post about my interest in Aladdin lamps and my husband said if you want more let's look at ebay. He's created a monster! I found a beautiful lamp in amber with all the original parts that hadn't had much interest. I bid until I got to my price range and stopped because I still hadn't met the reserve. There was another I liked too without much interest but was missing the chimney in black and clear. I bid on that one also without meeting the reserve. It finally came down to wire and noone else had bid! I kept thinking what if the reserve is just 10.00 away? So I bid. Didn't meet it.I bid again! Still didn't meet it! Well 2-3 bids later I finally met the reserve and am really happy w/ my purchase.

Then the other lamp came down to the wire! The next bid was 5.00 higher than my highest bid and met the reserve. It's all I could do not to outbid her with just a few minutes remaining. It took all my willpower! But two lamps in one day? I didn't do it, but now my curiosity is killing me about what auctions are ending today.

I have to stay away from there! I also found a country living grain mill brand new and it's killing me. Help! Help! I've gone crazy!

-- Denise (jphammock@msn.com), December 21, 2000

Answers

Denise, I got a computer last January, and between eBay and the used book sites, I've had the mailman coming steadily to my door bringing packages. WHat makes eBay great (worse) is if you have a credit card and they take Paypal or Billpoint, it's so easy to pay on line. But I sense my interest is drying up....of course I recently discovered that there are tons of beanie babies (which my kids adore, but I don't buy new because of the collector ethos around them) which you can get for $1.00-$2.00 apiece. But really, how much stuff can you buy? Eventually, you will get bored....by the way, what's really fun is putting stuff on "watching" (under "My Ebay") if you want to bid on it at a later date... Have fun! (has this helped at all?)

-- Christina (introibo2000@yahoo.com), December 21, 2000.

O.k. - please tell me how to get to e-bay and what to do when I get there???? I have been hearing about this and am new to the computer world. It took me months just to figure out how to get to the forum. thanks - diane in michigan

-- Diane Green (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), December 21, 2000.

Promise you won't hold this against me in the future:
eBay

There is a 'welcome new users' section on that main page -- near the top to the right, a blue oval. That will answer your questions. You can always post again if you have questions after that. I confess, I am a (somewhat) recovering eBay addict. I have be purchasing Fire King glassware, and other kitchen items from my childhood era. I even got a vintage Sunbeam Mixmaster -- works just fine. If anyone is interested in them, I found a neat website giving their history and all sorts of information about them. The tendency, at first, is to overbid, to get caught up in "bidding fever". Try your best to resist it. But often, only time and experience with what things are going for is the only remedy. Actually, it sounds like Denise is doing better than most people do -- setting an absolute top limit is wise. Although it is hard to watch someone else walk off with "your" item for just $0.25-$1.00 more than what you set as the top limit. But it can get crazy. Recently I was trying to get a copy of a cookbook (mom has one) from the 40's. The person who outbid me had already acquired several of the exact same edition, in worse shape, for about 3 times my top bid, and still wanted another one? I still can't figure that one out. I'm just going to lie low in the grass and wait for him/her to lose interest in them. Sniping is the term for coming in at the very end and entering a bid to try to get the item without getting into a bidding war. This is mentioned as something you shouldn't do. Well, no one enforces that, and it happens ALL THE TIME. So, decide on the max you will pay, enter that, and hope you get it for less. Then if you get sniped at the end, you won't be sorry you didn't put in a higher bid. I think I am fairly experienced at eBay, but probably there are things I don't know. Any tips anyone wants to share? Any questions maybe one of us could answer? I put an auction on "watch", then didn't get back in time to bid on it. It was an assortment of cooking booklets and a manual for an old stove (this is what I really wanted). So, I emailed the winner of the election and offered to buy the manual from her or pay her to photocopy it for me. She isn't interested in it, and says she will send it to me for the cost of postage. Isn't that nice? Some people are really great, but there are some stinkers out there. I haven't been badly burned yet though!

-- Joy Froelich (dragnfly@chorus.net), December 21, 2000.

My business partner is horribly addicted to ebay. Just go look when you need something and avoid it like the plague when you are just "shopping". There is so much junk/treasure all over our offices now I can't move for fear of knocking over a collectible toy that's worth way too much money. I loathe ebay asd I deal with it's fallout constantly. Tears over missing a bid on something that you DON'T need....ick. Limits, my friend. Set them and maintain them or you'll be buying suff just because it's a "good" price.

-- Doreen (animalwaitress@excite.com), December 21, 2000.

Joy-- By any chance are you trying to find a Woman's Home Companion Cook Book? It's the one my Mom had and I learned to cook from that book. Mom won't part with hers, so I had to get my own. But I promise, I only bought 2! One for myself, one for daughter-in-law. I always put my maximum bid in at the beginning, so I don't think I'm your sniper. Email me your address if this is the book you want and if I run across one, I'll get it to you. Heck, if you want one half as much as I did, daughter-in-law might have to wait!!

-- Debbie M in ne NC (demeads@inteliport.com), December 21, 2000.

Ok, it's probably not as bad as I thought! I managed to get alot Of extra stuff finished this morning in preparation for Christmas. I must admit that I did go and look today. There was nothing I just had to have. Makes me wonder if I should have just gone in there and "sniped" that lamp right out from under that lady after all! Just kidding. Or am I?

I thought it was really fun! I could probably get caught up in bidding fever. I hate to lose! I think Doreen is probably right about only going there for specific things or it could get out of hand.

Now I think I'll go see what's happening with that country living grain mill!

-- Denise (jphammock@msn.com), December 21, 2000.

Thanks for the offer, Debbie, but the one I want is from Good Housekeeping, 7th edition, has a plaid cover (green and gold, on the diagonal). It did occur to me to wonder if someone was trying to supply all their daughters and daughters-in-law. That was the only explanation I could think of that made any sense! This person didn't snipe me, she (I guess its a she) just bid more than I was willing to pay, so I gave up. The user name is bheys -- that's not you, is it?

It is fun looking at all the cookbooks and "housekeeping" books there. I lost out on one from 1900 -- something like Mrs. Joe's Guide to Housekeeping. Wouldn't you like to read that? ;-)

Yes, Denise, I hate to "lose" too -- that's another danger in the bidding fever . . . .

So, should we keep an eBay thread going, maybe list stuff we're interested in, or found, or whatever? Exchange user names so we don't bid against anyone else? Does that sound like fun? Unfortunately, in about a week, I am going off to visit relatives and won't be able to check in here very often, if at all, for a couple of weeks.

I liken eBay to a huge, online antique store . . . .

-- Joy Froelich (dragnfly@chorus.net), December 21, 2000.

Oh Joy, I went there, your directions were good. How fun. I like this computer world, must just remember not to spend my whole life on line. In this winter weather it would be easy to do. thanks for the tips and have a great trip!!! diane in michigan

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), December 21, 2000.

I can certainly sympathize with you! I don't usually spend much because I rarely go to town. Then I found e-bay! Suddenly all that stuff I'd always wanted was available at some very good prices! I soon realized that I would have to set goals, priorities and really sit down and decide what i wanted to do and what I REALLY wanted and needed. With me it was daylilies and books! I was bidding on things when I didn't even have the money to pay for them in hopes that I would get some money somehow. Finally I determined not to go to e-bay anymore( it had become a daily or more activity). Now I go and take a look sometimes, if I see something that I really want I go look at something else!

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), December 21, 2000.

I don't have an 'answer' for you ebay addiction, but here's how I tame mine-SELL! Selling on ebay is a breeze, just limit your spending as not to exceed your profit!

-- Kathy (catfish@bestweb.net), December 21, 2000.

Girls-------my hubby & I have an 11,000 sq ft ware house full of goodies-----we have bought out households & collections for years----- sure wish you all were closier & could come over & shop----I'd make ya hot herb tea & muffins to eat while your shopped!!!!! ha---Sonda in Ks.

-- Sonda (sgbruce@birch.net), December 21, 2000.

Sonda, that sounds quite impressive! I would maybe make a road trip just for the muffins and tea alone! You must have a little or alot of everything. What are some of your more interesting finds and buy outs? What do you personally collect? I'll bet it's interesting.

-- Denise (jphammock@msn.com), December 22, 2000.

Denise,--Hubby & I have bought out households for several years--- when you buy out households --you go in & make a bid on everything in the house----from furniture--to dishes-clothes-tools --you name it & we have probably bought it--packed it up & moved it, to our ware house where we cleaned it & put it in our inventory-priced it & arranged it & called a someone to come look at it--etc.--

I have hundreds of contacts that collect things--these contacts I have made over the last 35 years---usually when we buy out a household /I already have most of it priced & sold in my mind to the contacts I have!!!

You get the cleaners from under the sink to the underware in the dresser drawers--and all the rest---!!!

I have a real soft spot for glassware-lots of different kinds!!

Hubby & I both collect records & record players, & old radios----but of coarse/ you can only have sooo many thousand before you start selling some of those! ha

We have found soooooo many interesting things over the years--it would be hard to say what is the most unusual--or interesting-etc.

I have many, many friends who are antique dealers & appraisers who help me with priceing---etc.

Hubby & I have not bought out any households in this last year & are still sorting & cleaning & priceing things from the last two households we bought out! Plus what else we had!

I use to have a business--but after working for the public for 35 years & about each person who walked through the door/ had an attitude like our blessed, Joel----

Now/I am only open by appointment--& by referrals!! Then I only have to deal with who I want to!! I guess that is my own form of freedom of speech! ha

When I unpack boxes that have been packed up for awhile it is just like Christmas going through them to see what all is in the box! ha

I was going through some boxes of books this morning---found a wonderful old cookbook that came home to my own collection! ha

It has been great fun---but hubby & I are slowing down & buying less & selling more---that we had put away for us to keep! Sonda in Ks.

-- Sonda (sgbruce@birch.net), December 23, 2000.

I have been buying and selling on eBay for about a year and a half. If I can help answer questions I would be happy to.

As recommended above, set in your mind the absolutely highest you are willing to pay for something and then bid that amount as your opening bid. If you get outbid, so what, you wouldn't have gone that high anyway.

I wouldn't keep jacking up a price until the reserve is met. What some sellers do is when a sale ends without reaching the minimum, they will contact the high bidder and negotiate a price somewhere between their reserve bid and your high bid. Or they may relist with a lower reserve.

How to avoid bad sellers? It isn't easy. The best way is to look at their feedback rating and individual responses. If they have made their feedback comments private, beware. If they have more than one negative comment, beware. Also watch out for those too good to be true deals, particularly on digital cameras and electronic equipment, including PCs. What some shysters do here is to start a Dutch auction going when they only have one item. They will eventually get kicked off eBay, but by that time they have your money and are gone.

Watch out for excessive shipping. You can go to either www.usps.com or www.ups.com to get a shipping estimate based on weight from their zip code to yours. This gives you a guide. One example, someone had a paperback book I wanted, but they wanted $3.00 in shipping. It would have cost $1.18 to mail at book rate and say another $.10 for a envelope. The rest was a 'handling charge.'

On some Dutch auctions I have seen where they say you have to be the successful bidder for the entire lot for a certain shipping rate. If someone outbids you for even one item, a high, per unit, shipping rate will be applied.

Putting images with your sales helps greatly. However, you don't necessarily have to have your own digital camera. On some I take the item into town and have a guy at a flea market there take excellent images for me for $2.50 per item to a diskette. On other things, I just use a regular camera and have the photos returned on a diskette. I can upload to eBay by using a free image hosting service (I use www.auctionwatch.com).

When you submit a listing, it is very, very important you put as many buzz words in as possible since most people find items using a search routine.

Again, if I can help, please e-mail me.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), December 23, 2000.

Ken I think I bought that book. :-)

I often gripe about the shipping at ebay but one instance kind of broke me from that habit. I bid and one a handmade quilt. I won it for $3.98 shipping was $35.00. Boy did I get riled and sent a blistering letter. Well turns out the Quilt was 86 years old and the lady that sold it neede $28 to pay a bill. She lived 39 miles from the post office she had a neighbor box it and mail it (actual ship charges $14.85) In reality she fell $3.87 short of what she needed. She had forgotten that ebay charges a final valuation fee also.

After I received the quilt I realized she had parted with something special. So I sent her a M/O for $20 overnight mail. I received a heartfelt thanks e-mail.

My point when looking through ebay take a minute to talk to the seller they may be a very good reason for the S&H charge.

MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL and to ALL a GOOD NIGHT!

-- Kenneth in N.C. (wizardsplace13@hotmail.com), December 24, 2000.

Kenneth:

I know a seller cannot always tell in the auction what shipping will be since it will vary by zip code. I just don't like them including an extra handling fee. I think this should be part of the sales price, but then others will disagree.

You can always contact a seller and ask what shipping will be to your zip code.

For sellers, if you ship UPS, be aware some drop-off points add a handling fee over the rates at www.ups.com. One reason I would rather ship USPS, when you get their Internet rate, that is what it will be. I haven't seen the new rate structure, but on packages under about ten pounds, I have found USPS to offer the better rates.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), December 25, 2000.

Hi! I just put in my first bid yesterday...on a very expensive (retail) piece of software for my homebased-hobby-soon-to-be- business. I went and priced it at the manufacturer's home page and from there went looking at all the discount sites -- no real bargains. Then I checked EBay. All other copies of this software have been going for around 50% at auction. So I stuck in a high bid (at 50%)and that's it. If I get it, great! If not, I am only going to look for that one single thing next time...WAY TOO MANY TEMPTATIONS! I am holding my breath, only 1 day and 17 hours to go ;)

-- Lynne David (lynnedavid@msn.com), December 27, 2000.

Lynne, let us know if you won or not!

-- Denise (jphammock@msn.com), December 27, 2000.