On the evolution of eBay and my bidding habits...

renomedphys

Back in the day, building my first set of Lincolns, I would say that about 60-70 percent of my buys came from that venue.

Closing in on the end of that set, I was forced to move elsewhere, and ended up actually buying some phenomenal material from other collectors, and auction houses like Heritage and Stacks.

But even so, eBay remained a go-to spot to find good deals on nice coins.

As the years have passed, and eBay's FVF's have skyrocketed, it would seem that what ends up on the 'Bay just isn't what it used to be.

Don't get me wrong, there are still good coins on eBay, but for the most part, they are wildly overpriced, and may as well serve as private "showcases" for owners and dealers that need an outlet.

Nowadays, about the only thing that gets me over to the 'Bay is a link, be it in an email or here.

Even when I see a coin on eBay that I need for my collection, I only see it through jaded "eBay goggles" that tell me that what I'm looking at is either overpriced, overhyped, or photos that are over-juiced.

Anyone else have this problem?

AUandAG

Yes, Ebay has changed a lot over the years. What used to be, is certainly different now. For instance,
if you do a search on CC in coins you will find that only 19% of the inventory is auction. 81% is BIN.
It used to be the exact opposite but has morphed over the last 5 years or so.

bob

Broadstruck

I still like the Bay as it fills the void between dealer new inventory listings, major auctions, and shows. There's still a lot of good deals especially via buy-it-now if your more informed on the item then the seller is. Many times stuff comes up that is scare which not long ago hammered for far more at other venues. So with a lil knowledge some great opportunity are still present. Earlier this year I meet a seller who allowed local pick-up on some books. He invited me into his house, but I had to step back outside as it smelled like major royal arse. He was retired and mentioned on the front porch that he made over 6 figures a year just ripping on Ebay and reselling. Totally addicted and fully dedicated to the cause which compromised the need for sleep and routine hygiene habits.

Edited to add: Now thinking about it the books are still in my garage in a sealed Rubbermaid container with a scented fabric softener sheet!

kimber45ACP

One of latest changes baffles me.
If you do a search by category, you now have click a second time on the microscopic "Prefer search results?" link
to actually see listings in some other format than a hodge-podge, collage nightmare.