Ebay is 15 in the UK and Europe. They'll be celebrating down at their HQ. But are we?
Ebay changed collecting habits overnight and for me personally the increase in items from around the globe suddenly being available was the single biggest change.
Some of the social side went out of collecting though, but this could have been the internet overall and not just Ebay. I used to go to far more swapmeets especially small evening ones. But big swapmeets and toyfairs have survived so there must still be a demand.
One of the things I miss most are the small ads in magazines like Model Mart. Its through these Ads I got to know Bill and Paul V. These ads also allowed sellers to circulate their lists of wants and items for sale or trade. Those lists were just great. I sent loads out and loved getting other collectors' through the post.
All this being said, Ebay, for all its ills and commercialism, has shown us more toys from around the world than ever before. I'm not sure that the net itself, without Ebay, would have done that. Certainly not as quickly. So more than anything for me that is Ebay's legacy.
What do you think readers? Has Ebay changed things?
I was thinking about this the other day, though for me it was collecting Mad magazine as a kid. There was a lot of legwork and networking to it back then... just to find the thing... then haggling to get it. That process was a big part of the joy when you finally found a long sought after item. Now it's so much easier and usually just comes down to whether or not I have cash in hand or have to wait. Less interesting overall and missing the romance of digging through the back rooms of decrepit bookstores and junk shops... BUT I have been able to obtain things I might never have found in the old days.
ReplyDeleteI'm still not sure the owning is ever as pleasurable as the searching and finding
I largely agree with you, Woodsy, and with knobgobbler too.
ReplyDeleteBeen a member of epay for 17.5 years or so now. Became a member of epay Germany when it was till a separate site (and still brandishing the Alando logo (the site they took over) while rebranding). And I was a member of iBazar, the french site that covered most of the Continent before they took that over as well.
The great advantage is indeed having access to interesting stuff from all over the world, stuff we'd otherwise would never even have heard about let alone get a shot at.
And in the old days, one could contact other bidders and find fellow-collectors that way.
The disadvantage is that there's a world full of people that could be after the same things. So even though ebay has brought some prices down (I remember the fortunes asked for Matt Mason stuff advertised in Toy Shop magazine), it also means a couple of hotheads on separate sides of the globe can make prices go higher than they would be on a swapmeet. But, as said, at least we get a shot at them.
Final point is that ebay has taken a lot of stuff off swapmeets. Even the last time I visited Gray's Market in London (where I used to get a lot of toys from), the sole remaining toy dealer was listing toys on ebay. On the other hand, there are countries where ebay isn't popular (Holland and Belgium f ex) so the search for other sources of stuff still remains!
Best -- Paul