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When did you join eBay...?

Started by RockMyAmadeus,

79 posts in this topic

Topnotchman

Topnotchman

Posted
Posted

The first few years of Ebay, before Ebay stores, was a heaven flipping Modern Independents. I would go to cons and buy several long boxes of semi tough to find Indies out of 25 cent to 50 cent bins. Throw um all on Ebay at $5.00-$10.00 and they just flew. When the Ebay stores started, than Mile High joined, than Mycomicshop joined. The indie prices went down and down to a buck or so.

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Topnotchman

Topnotchman

Posted
Posted

Miraclemans were hot over issue 8, all the Horror movie comics from Innovation were an easy $5.00 or more. The Anne Rice by Innovations drew many non comic fans, the Rock N Roll titles were and easy $5.00-$10.00 each, some even $20.00. I remember getting $50.00 for a Jason vs Leatherface, I may of even started that craze as Wizard mag picked up on it. Tank Girl comics by Dark Horse were $20.00 or more each, Vertigo $8.00-$10.00 a pop. Oh those Nintendo books by Valiant always sold and still do. The list went on and on.

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the blob

the blob

Posted
Posted

Sometime in 1998.

 

Everything (almost) sold in those first few years. It's like people bid just for the novelty of it. Books, records, comics...

 

What I sold didn't necessarily results in great prices (and I went without scans/photos my first couple of years) though.

 

But so many comics could sell for $3-$5. Total junk too. And then I'd put up a Hulk 200 advertised in NM shape and still get the same $5! (Remember, no scans...) I sold the frigging most gorgeous Hulk 200....

 

At the time my LCS was going under, he just couldn't understand why stuff that would languish in his 25 cent box sold just fine at $1-$3 a pop on ebay. He decided it simply wasn't worth keeping the store open when he could sell junk on ebay all day long. For a while he was one of the guys listing tons of 99 cent junk items with $1 additional per item shipping, but he shot himself in the foot being really bad about actually shipping stuff. I remmeber him telling me how amazing it was, even stuff like Ravage 2099 could sell on ebay! Not that the business model would still work now.

 

And despite bids on everything out there I still managed to pick up some good deals on ebay back then. It was like demand for junk, luke warm demand for good stuff. Perhaps people were afraid of mailing a big check to a total stranger and being ripped off but didn't care about smaller amounts?

 

I kind of regret not hustling harder and selling a lot of stuff, but at the time I was an eager beaver associate at a big law firm and I typically worked 6-7 days a week and put in 13-18 hour days. I really didn't have the time or the energy. I was also making what seemed like a ridiculous amount of money for a 20something single guy (even in Manhattan, because I paid $113K for my first apartment so my housing wasn't even expensive), I didn't feel any need for the loot. Oh my, those days are no longer with me......

 

By the time I got around to selling more regularly, 2001 or so, the easy money "why on earth would anyone bid on this?" days were over. Dealers were putting their inventories online, anything recent has 20 copies up, etc.

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Stronguy

Stronguy

Posted
Posted
May 18 1997

 

The worst thing was trying to get a bid in during the last 2 minutes with a 14.4 dial up modem!

 

I was on 28.8 and knew exactly how long it took for my bid to hit the server and my screen to refresh. I would put in my bid 12 seconds before the end of the auction and it would post with 2-3 seconds remaining. By the time everything refreshed the auction was over.

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Luis Cerdas

Luis Cerdas

Posted
Posted

Sometime after September 1997 (when eBay named itself ebay instead of AuctionWeb), while at FIU...

 

I started buying computer stuff... When I returned to Costa Rica, I lost my school email and account info, so I had to open a new account on Feb. 19, 2000.

 

I then kept buying cheap servers, diversified (?) into milk bottles and milk bottle caps (pogs). I bought my wife's engagement ring and our wedding ring set on eBay in 2002 !! :-)

 

I lost access to my account in 2005 when I tried to sell a server we'd got stuck with for $60K (the server was worth $120K), and eBay security felt my account had been hacked. So when I contacted them, they kept asking about sales from 2001-2002 and specifics; since I didn't have a clue, they would not reinstate the account (even after ID scans, passport scans, etc., etc.).

 

A few months back, I found an old email from a backup that had one of my previous Florida phone #s (for the shipping address), so I tried to reactivate my account again, and lo and behold, it was the registered number ! So my account was reactivated, and I began looking for comics to complete my Witchblade collection...

 

Then ended up here, and have sort of expanded my tastes since then ... :)

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fastballspecial

fastballspecial

Posted
Posted
May, 1998, here are some memories:

 

- hosting your own pictures (on dial up), finding webspace and using ftp, this was a major barrier to entry for many sellers.

 

- sending cash wrapped in tinfoil

 

- buyers and sellers emails were displayed

 

- most people had never heard of ebay

 

- 5$ to get people signed up for paypal, made like $200 on that one

 

- going to local auctions and sales, and not being surrounded by 50 other ebayers.

 

Anyone else have any?

 

Man I loved that $5 cash sign up

 

FTP Ah its still unknown by quite a few cable/dsl users.

 

How about getting and sending money orders was the majority of business.

 

Personal checks anyone?

 

Getting packages that were Priority boxes turned inside out??

 

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VintageComics

VintageComics

Posted
Posted

Apparently I joined in July of 2003. I seem to remember just recently being moved into a new house, summer time and a weekend. I had this whole new world opened up to me and quickly blew every penny I had on Silver and Bronze age books.

 

:eek:

 

I've never been the same since.

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