Every time I cruise around Ebay I am always mystified. When Ebay was first introduced, it was a pretty good place to snag a deal on used or new items. But it has progressed into an auction site for the shopping obsessed and, apparently, the ridiculously naive. I periodically log on to dig up deals on toys and such from Owen's Amazon wishlist. Since it's not garage sale season around here yet, this satisfies my yen for bargain shopping. But these days, the bargains to be had on Ebay are few and far between. When researching toys, I came across people paying just as much or more for used items on Ebay as they would pay for new on Amazon. This was not just in a few instances but across the board in about 80% of the items I looked into. Often, it's the shipping that really drives the price up and I wonder if the buyers just fail to take this factor into account or if they simply don't do the research. In some cases when we're talking about used toys though, they can be classified as vintage and become collector's items and I can see the attraction for that type of item. But I'm talking recent, new toys in the box or barely a year old. I can go to yard sales and get this stuff for five bucks or less. Hell, I can buy it off Amazon when there's a sale and spread it out on Ebay and make a killing. Who are these Ebay junkies? Because they sure as hell aren't bargain hunters or any consumer with half a brain. It makes me want to email the sellers and say-"I can get this new off Amazon for five dollars less with free shipping. Why would I buy it from you with your shitty 98.5% rating and torn box?"
I've even noticed this trend in Craig's List. Last year when I logged in and perused their ads, there were some great deals to be had. Lately it's full of overpriced, crappy stuff that you couldn't pay someone to take at a garage sale. Who in their right mind thinks that because their crappy metal folding table is listed as "vintage" 70's they'll get 50 bucks for it? Seriously. You guys are wasting my time. I guess the online world of auction sales is becoming another saturated consumer marketplace. The moral of the story is there are no shortcuts- you have to do the real footwork to find bargains.
I share your angst for these websites and their recent 'popular' appeal. What sucks for the likes of you and I is that there is always some stupidhead willing to pay too much for the crappy rusting aluminum folding chair from the 70's. Heck, that's how half the artists in Eugene stay in business!
Rory