eBay: Blessing or Curse to the Hobby????

[Technosis]

I recently overheard a discussion between two ladies who collected Royal Doulton sp? figurines. The ladies were passing some time discusssing the pros and cons of eBay (or the "Innanet" as one said) as it related to collecting stuff like figurines and collectible spoons.

 

The one lady remarked on how great a service eBay was since she could sit in the comfort of her home, not wasting gas and time travelling to auctions and shows, and getting most of what she wanted by simply paying the cash and waiting for the stuff to arrive. She also mentioned how the "bidding"part was exciting.

 

The other woman commented that because of the hoardes of eBay resellers, it made it next to impossible for her to find anything close to a bargain out in the public. She also felt that buying on-line took half of the fun of "the hunt" away, and the resulting fun of meeting new people.

She also made a somewhat negative comment that while she had an important job as a Registered Nurse during the day, "slackers" (as she called them) could spend all day searching out the bargains while she provided a "critical" service to the community. (maybe a bit of sour grapes here???)

 

I thought about how this conversation could have just as easily been about Atari games, and how both ladies had interesting points. I guess I have had the priviledge of collecting when the Internet was still in its infancy. I remember the newsgroup auctions very well. I also remember

how stuff like rare Atari 2600 games could sit for weeks at flea markets untouched........the concept of rarity wasn't common knowledge. The number of handhelds was obscene, I was able to complete all of the Coleco Mini-Arcades several times over (except for Frogger..only one of those?). I remember passing up a nice Super Cobra HandHeld for $5 because I thought it was too much miney at the time (and I was into mostly SNES at the time.) Still, it sure is nice to be able to round out your collection using eBay or another on-line service rather than waiting for years...and for many of us in remote locales it represents almost the only way to get stuff that you need.

 

Question: Do the benefits of eBay outweight the collecting pressures placed on the gaming hobby from speculators / resellers? Constructive opinions anyone?

[sku_u]

Question: Do the benefits of eBay outweight the collecting pressures placed on the gaming hobby from speculators / resellers? Constructive opinions anyone?

 

I see Ebay as a necessary evil and nothing more. Up until recently, I was able to find plenty of pre-NES games for a buck or two because none of the Funcolands would take them and they were perceived as uncollectable garbage. In recent months, the classic game market has all but dried up in my general area in part due to the number of people out there who watch shows like Antiques Roadshow and think that their text label Combat cart with the ripped label is worth a fortune because it is an Atari cart and in part because a lot of people are now selling their stuff on Ebay who probably wouldn't have done so before.

 

Time to branch out

 

I'd say 99% of my purchases going back to May have been from Ebay or some other Internet source. Ebay has made it possible for me to find rare games that I probably wouldn't have found if Ebay did not exist and has made it possible for people to make a living that may not have been able to before.

 

Still, I'd prefer a world without online auctions again.

[krisjohn]

Many non-collectors who sell on eBay don't have a clue what's really interesting. Collectors who sell on eBay would have bought the interesting stuff anyway.

 

The most annoying thing is when a clueless bastard tries to tell you that something you're interested in at a swapmeet is amazingly overpriced because that's what it would sell for on eBay. That's never true and unless you *really* want the item you might as well just walk away. (The next person that says this to me is going to get a rather cutting reply.)

 

eBay was cool, now it's not. It was a blip on every collector's radar, now it's a bit of a joke.

 

Anyway, who has time?

[Mindfield]

I don't really think it's a bad thing, necessarily. Sure, it's full of scammers and clueless folk who seem to think every damn thing is rare and thus worth fifty times what any sane collector will tell you it's worth. In fact, it's become such a cliche that the word "rare" (and any superlatives associated with it) no longer has any meaning on eBay.

 

On the other hand it is almost like the collective amalgamation of a thousand thrift stores and pawn shops stuffed behind an auctioneer's gavel. Sometimes you find good deals, sometimes all you can do is shake your head and wonder who pissed in the seller's genepool. That's not much different than thrifting in the wild, really; I've gone into some shops where the proprietors seem to think that 2600 cartridges are collectibles and therefore should fetch $10 apiece. By the same token I've nabbed a few gooduns for a buck at others. Just like eBay. I've seen idiots try and sell a 2600 with 10 games for $150. Next day I score a Xonox cart with a rarity of 8 for $10.

 

eBay has not by any means diminished my thrifting. I still wander into thrift shops to see if there are any scores to be had. eBay is just an adjunct to that, one where I stand a better chance of scoring larger lots to boost my collection. Sometimes I pay more than I'd hoped, but that's the same chance I take thrifting.

[Room 34]

I think both of the women in Technosis's story made good points. It is true that eBay brings greater convenience, but it also brings higher overall prices and less chance of a great, cheap "find."

 

As for Mindfield's last comment about thrifting... maybe where you are thrifting is still a worthwhile effort, but I have NEVER found anything REMOTELY good thrifting in Atlanta in the 2 1/2 years I've lived here. Let me clarify that: The only video game-related things I have ever found WHATSOEVER in thrift stores in Atlanta are 3 lame NES games, a few SMS games, two busted-up Sega Genesis consoles, and several copies of recently-discontinued crap computer software titles.

[Breakpack]

I think both of the women in Technosis's story made good points. It is true that eBay brings greater convenience, but it also brings higher overall prices and less chance of a great, cheap "find."

 

So it's a blurse?

[Bushie2600]

What is ebay ?

[Breakpack]

What is ebay ?

 

Its the word 'bee' in Pig Latin

 

or is that eebay?

[BeerGnome]

Ebay.. i have all but given up on Ebay.. unless its using someone elses money when they dont have a computer.. other wise.. any thing I really want is snipped up from underneath me.. and quite frankly.. if I'm only willing to pay $10 for something..thats all IM GOING TO FREAKIN PAY!

I'll put my reserve id in.. and if someone wants to go bat shit at the last second at least just to see what I'm willing to pay for it.. more power to them..

sniping bastards..

 

in any case.. most of my collection of various games and consoles have usually come from.. trading with folks here.. in fact. If I have anything to sell or buy. I'll ask the folks here first if they have it to sell or they want it.. the last thing I unloaded was a snooker game for an atari 8bit that I had no use for.. no way of testing.. all I know is that.. maybe it'll work.. so I put it up on the contest forum and said.. if you want it.. be the first to respond and you got it..and Atarileaf did

 

my PRIMARY meens of colelcting comes from good ols fashioned dumpster diving.. wild finds that cost me know money or virtually none.. I have freinds in the apartment turnover buisness that basicly.. loot the leftovers when people skip out on rent.. or just leave a bunch of crap behind when they move out.. folks just give me video game shit when they find it.. I get them a barley pop from the brewery

I also have the local garbage men on the payroll scouring the cans for stuff.. Garbage men come accross a lot of cool shit in thier travels down the allys..

 

and finnaly.. my town is not complety dried up.. My visits to the thrifts around here usually net something interesting that I can use.. be it atari or not.. but that last time I hit Fantastic thrift.. I walked out with over twenty games. not to mention I'm in with all the vintage store folk around town.. and several of them activly look for vintage game stuff and give me the first call before it hits thier floors.

 

Networking.. it works..

[jetset]

Definetly BOTH a blessing AND a curse. About three quarters of my games came from ebay. In South Florida, there arent too many finds at any of the thrifts, so I would never have gotten near the collection I now have. At the same time, the professional brokers are killing the hobby by sitting in front of ebay as a full time job and snatching up any decent buys and reselling for profit. Perfectly legal of course, but that kind of vulture-ism is what is making it tough for the little guy to collect.

I still like ebay overall though.

[Gregory DG]

Overall I'd call it a blessing. The only problem is that people think their junk is actually worth anything simply because it's 20 years old.

 

As jetset516 said, there isn't much in the way of Thrifts in Florida, so I'd have nothing of a collection if it weren't for eBay. Plus, I hate milling around Flea Markets and the like. They used to be giant garage sales, but now they're mostly professional sellers with no colletibles to speak of.

[Evilbay]

What is ebay ?  

 

He is my son and he will give into the dark side and serve his master as I do.

[moycon]

I like ebay. Just about anything you could possibly want,can eventually be found there. Granted you might pay out the ass for it. But at least it's available if you really want it. True... prices are inflated often times... But at the same time you can also score some amazing deals. I take it for what it is...A resource. There nothing evil about a central location where people sell stuff.

[donkeykong1]

ebay is cool a lot of my games come from there, and sometimes i buy large lots to get a few games i need. the rest i just trade away or sell. i still think thrift stores are great especially here in l.a. i always seem to find something wether it's games or toys. just today i found 25 nes games for a buck a piece. at another store i found a mint in box thundercats vehicle toy for 3 bucks. anyway you can't beat thrift store prices ie. $.25 or $.50 for atari games. also with ebay you can sell your extra games if you have no one to sell to.

[krisjohn]

ebay is cool a lot of my games come from there, and sometimes i buy large lots to get a few games i need. the rest i just trade away or sell. i still think thrift stores are great especially here in l.a. i always seem to find something wether it's games or toys. just today i found 25 nes games for a buck a piece. at another store i found a mint in box thundercats vehicle toy for 3 bucks. anyway you can't beat thrift store prices ie. $.25 or $.50 for atari games. also with ebay you can sell your extra games if you have no one to sell to.

Jeez. There are two keys on your keyboard labelled "Shift". They work together with the other keys on the keyboard. Give them a try.

[DeV0]

What is ebay ?  

 

Are u back with more protos Bushie2600?

 

 

I personally think ebay should be abolished. The system is just way too easy to scam and part of any hobby shouldnt be dealing with clueless numbnuts.

[AtariDude]

In my particular case, Ebay is a blessing because other wise I would not have any Atari items except for those few items that I managed to retain over the years. Around here in South Florida, I can still obtain Sega Genesis and Nintendo items but very little else. It seems that all Atari, Intellivision, and Coleco items have disappeared from thrift shops. I do not know if someone is hoarding them to sell on Ebay or if I am just looking at the wrong places.

[vanman]

I like Ebay, I use it as a pricing guide. I have seen people think their atari 2600 is worth $400, but I have seen the cheaper auctions, so i save up enough money to buy the auction, then go to a thrift store and get it there cheaper, and get alot of other stuff. I think it just helps me expand my atari saving.

[tailGator]

eBay is great. You can get more common games to complete your collection on eBay. For the more rare items, you still need to go hunting to look for bargains.

 

I find that smaller towns (off the beaten path) will have better classic gaming stuff. If you're in a big city like Atlanta, there's very little chance that that stuff is still around, and if it were, somebody's already beaten you to it.

[donkeykong1]

ebay is cool a lot of my games come from there, and sometimes i buy large lots to get a few games i need. the rest i just trade away or sell. i still think thrift stores are great especially here in l.a. i always seem to find something wether it's games or toys. just today i found 25 nes games for a buck a piece. at another store i found a mint in box thundercats vehicle toy for 3 bucks. anyway you can't beat thrift store prices ie. $.25 or $.50 for atari games. also with ebay you can sell your extra games if you have no one to sell to.

Jeez. There are two keys on your keyboard labelled "Shift". They work together with the other keys on the keyboard. Give them a try.

it's just faster for me to type this way sometimes.

[+Random Terrain]

it's just faster for me to type this way sometimes.

 

I find that it's easier to type this way, but I rarely do it:

 

"kjsad soii n weoi oop;kbsjl oi'js;n pos;k iso; vo 'p ;sodiy ;woeiy ;"

 

Chat rooms are quickly turning millions of people back into cavemen. In about 20 years, people will just be hitting the keyboard with their fists and communicate offline with grunts and whistles.

 

Back on topic, I'm afraid of eBay. I've heard too many horror stories about getting ripped off or sued over silly things.

Edited May 9, 2007 by Random Terrain

[MegaManFan]

Better considering some rare games don't end up in the trash now.

[Shannon]

What is ebay ?  

 

What is the internet?

[krisjohn]

What is the internet?

 

Ah, the game is afoot. I'll take the penis mightier for $500, Alex.

[Breakpack]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Bushie2600 wrote:  

What is ebay ?  

 

 

What is the internet?  

What is the penis?