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How early were you to eBay, and do you remember your first purchase?
bennybravo
Posts: 1,868 ✭✭✭
I started in 1998. I can't remember the fee structure then, seems like it was 3 or 4 %, and money orders were the big form of payment with no digital payment formats yet established. I remember printing out lists for my dad for old case brand pocketknives he might be interested in as he was a collector, marveling at all of the things I now had access to that local coin shows and shops just didn't provide. Do you remember your first eBay purchase? Mine was an MS-65 common date Morgan dollar that I still have.
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May of 1999, according to my eBay profile. I was a minor so might have used my parents credit card to get started. As far as my first purchase, I do not recall. It may have been a numismatic item, or possibly a music CD. I do remember physically mailing money orders from the post office as payment. Those were the days.
Nothing is as expensive as free money.
March 1999
I got to Ebay pretty late (2016 I think) my first coin purchase was a roll of wheat cents
."It's a dangerous business... going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to" -JRR Tolkien_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Outstanding BST transactions as a seller, buyer and trader with: ----- mustanggt, Kliao, claudewill87, MWallace, paesan, mpbuck82, moursund, basetsb, lordmarcovan, JWP, Coin hunter 4, COINS MAKE CENTS, PerryHall, Aspie_Rocco, Braddick, DBSTrader2, SanctionII, Histman, The_Dinosaur_Man, jesbroken, CentSearcher ------ANA Member #3214817
I first joined eBay in 2000. I don’t remember my first purchase, but it wasn’t coin related.
I remember my first coin purchase was a 1865 PCGS MS63 nickel 3 cent piece, I still have it.
Mr_Spud
RIP Mom- 1932-2012
1999 and yes I remember. It was a vintage Apple device.
TurtleCat Gold Dollars
Not that early, 2001. I was 14, had to use my moms information. First purchase was a Revised Edition play set of scrublands for MTG.
Professional Numismatist. "It's like God, Family, Country, except Sticker, Plastic, Coin."
November of 1999, a fairly rare golden age comic book that I still own.
Sure miss those ebay days.
December 1999 here - I don't recall what I bought back then but it wasn't coins. I do wish I had bought a ton of Ebay stock though.
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
My digital cameo album 1950-64 Cameos - take a look!
I believe it was October 1998. I was late to the party because I was selling on the Beckett trading boards
February, 2000.
April 2001. I was still in high school, my first purchase was probably something stupid.
Collector, occasional seller
I had stuff to sell in 2000 so that’s when I setup my account. I didn’t make my first coin purchase until a few years later if I recall. It was a raw 1942/1-D Mercury Dime Cherrypick. I had it slabbed and it graded F15 at which time I sold it.
Looking for Top Pop Mercury Dime Varieties & High Grade Mercury Dime Toners.
Joined on my birthday, Sept 8, 1996. I remember when they charged to add photos, so many sellers didn't. So you bought things sight unseen. I remember buying an early Thor comic listed as VF that arrived as a VG at best. Ah, the good ol days.
Late 1996. A bunch of baseball cards, trying to finish a bunch of sets. Last purchase August, 2001.
April '99. From feedback it looks like comic books and if it's comic books it is probably early EC mads.
December 1998. And no, I don't recall my first purchase or sale.
mbogoman
https://pcgs.com/setregistry/collectors-showcase/classic-issues-colonials-through-1964/zambezi-collection-trade-dollars/7345Asesabi Lutho
1998, I can't remember that far back!
October 1998. First purchase, no idea.
I bought a copy of No One Lives Forever for PC around 2003-2004. That was my first purchase on my own account rather than my parents. I also bought an unopened copy of Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall around that same time. I wish I had never lost that one.
IG: DeCourcyCoinsEbay: neilrobertson
"Numismatic categorizations, if left unconstrained, will increase spontaneously over time." -me
Early 2000. I think I bought something from Barry Stuppler.
“I may not believe in myself but I believe in what I’m doing” ~Jimmy Page~
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947)
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
Mine was in 2002. My first was s sale of a piece of electronics. "Knock on wood" never had a neg selling or buying.
My Original Song Written to my late wife-"Plus other original music by me"
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8A11CC8CC6093D80
https://n1m.com/bobbysmith1
I created my account on Apr 28th, 1998.
Can't quite remember what I bought first, but I think it may have been a raw Barber half dollar. Back in 1998, I think eBay was the most amazing site I'd seen on the Internet. I was blown away.
Dave
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
Was hanging around websites like Amazon and eBay etc. earlier but never really took the plunge till 2001 when I bought a used Sony Hi8 handycam from eBay.
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/u-s-coins/quarters/PCGS-2020-quarter-quest/album/247091
I signed up in Sept of 2000. My first purchase was a newspaper from the 1860’s during the civil war.
Chance favors the prepared mind.
Very late but remember my best purchases
1917-S Obverse Walker Anacs 58 crossed and CAC at 58
1921 PCGS Walker Au 58 CAC
One of only 2 known Lazy Deuces for home boyhood home town.
When it was still AuctionWeb, so early 1996. A pristine c 1805 9 1/2" coffin end serving spoon by Robert Brookhouse for $17.55 including postage (I don't collect coins, preferring hand craft over machine production).
Joined eBay back in November 2006. My first eBay purchase was some stamps for my stamp collector brother.
I've only used eBay to buy coins I couldn't source locally here in Australia. I seem to recall my first was a 1926 1 krone from Greenland.
This was back when fewer US-based sellers on eBay had qualms about shipping coins to Australia.
Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations"
Apparently I have been awarded one DPOTD.
I believe it was 2003. Bought my first slabbed coin. A 1937 NGC MS65 Buffalo Nickel. Still have it!
November 1997. I can't remember what I had for breakfast this morning let alone my first eBay purchase.
it's crackers to slip a rozzer the dropsy in snide
eBay was the only place I could find the Dansco ASE album. That was my first eBay purchase, still have the Album.
My current registry sets:
20th Century Type Set
Virtual DANSCO 7070
Slabbed IHC set - Missing the Anacs Slabbed coins
November 1999.
I don't remember what I bought though.
Aug. 2003
I don't remember my first purchase or sale.
Looks like 1999 though I can’t seem to nail down the month. No idea what that first purchase was either.
Happy, humble, honored and proud recipient of the “You Suck” award 10/22/2014
I was selling on eBay in 1998, you had to be 18 to have an account. I was a rebel selling on eBay at 16. (Not coins). My first purchase was a remote control car battery pack.
Dec 1998 ... probably a Cal Fractional.
Top 10 Cal Fractional Type Set
successful BST with Ankurj, BigAl, Bullsitter, CommemKing, DCW(7), Elmerfusterpuck, Joelewis, Mach1ne, Minuteman810430, Modcrewman, Nankraut, Nederveit2, Philographer(5), Realgator, Silverpop, SurfinxHI, TomB and Yorkshireman(3)
May 2001. A toy for my toddler.
I still ship to Australia. I don't know why the US sellers would care. It's a bigger problem for b the Australian recipient with the duties and all.
It was 1996.... and my first purchase was a marble.... Then lots of them.....
Cheers, RickO
2012, I avoided it like the plague due to all the over-promotion "noise" which totally turned me off. I heard the early years were truly golden years for sellers.
I have been buying/selling there since.
You joined eBay on the day I got married. I joined in October 1998, I remember it was @MWallace who told me about it, up until then I was buying and selling through the classified ads in Numismatic News. I am sure my first purchase was a clipped Lincoln cent of some sort, I couldn't tell you exactly which one. I do recall my first sale was a group of BIE 1995 cents that I'd set aside while looking for the DDO.
Sean Reynolds
"Keep in mind that most of what passes as numismatic information is no more than tested opinion at best, and marketing blather at worst. However, I try to choose my words carefully, since I know that you guys are always watching." - Joe O'Connor
Australia caused me quite a few headaches due to covid for awhile. They completely stopped inbound packages and I had 4 or 5 returned. Usually took 3-4 months to get them back. Shipping to Australia has also gone up quite a bit but I still ship to Australia.
November 1999. Don't remember the first purchase, but it was probably an NGC Lincoln cent.
If we were all the same, the world would be an incredibly boring place.
Tommy
May 10, 2002 I joined. First coin was this 1922 D for my Capitol Plastics Board set - still have it.
WS
I'm a December 1998 eBayer. First thing I bought was a small rock collection. Still have it!
Ahh the old days of eBay. It was more like a garage sale where you got checks etc. in the mail, waited until they cleared to mail, to affix postage to the package etc.. A lot less businesses selling so there were bargains to be found, especially if you had a fast internet connection and could snipe the auctions at the last minute, not that I ever did that!
A lot has changed, much for the better such as producing shipping labels but I do miss the comradery of the old days where you actually communicated a lot more than today it seems.
K
Feb 1998, my first purchase was a boxing glove signed by Cassius clay aka Mohmmad Ali.... It was a fake! Lesson learned..
April 12, 1998. I am still techno-inefficient now but was much more so back then so putting together my first auction listing is more memorable than my first purchase. The rise of eBay was a significant factor in my decision to change my business model and halt my hard copy EX series & other auction catalogs after 150+ sales.