Left Coast Observatory

I've recently done a spate of online bidding on Ebay. It has been fun to even browse through the stuff people are selling. I have a music collection and some videos, and have used it to add to them. Obviously, sometimes I win and sometimes I lose. GRRRR.

A few times I've been online watching the auction as the time for bidding draws to a close, and that is exciting. I've even nudged my bids up to snatch things away from others at the last minute. Cool!

I find that I do tend to be willing to spend more on an item on Ebay than I would if I were standing in a store. $20.00 for this record? Unlikely I'd reach into my pocket and pull out real money like that. There's something about using PayPal that makes it a little unreal.

Actually I probably would spend the money on the dic pictured here: Revolver Reloaded: MOJO Magazine Tribute to the Beatles Revolver Album. Not the usual cover artists and not the usual arrangements. Also, since it's covering the whole album there are songs on it which are rarely covered (like Love You To and Dr Robert).

Then there's the shipping. Sometimes that's more than I spend on the item itself! It feels like a 'hidden' cost because the bidding is for the item itself, so the focus is on that number. You have to remember to add it to your calculations as you go.

And the waiting. I'm impatient. Sometimes it can take weeks for the item to get here. I've even had a couple of occasions when the seller seems to have forgotten I've already paid for something. But I've never yet been completely ripped off.

But I have gotten a few things that weren't completely as advertised. Some albums have different track lists depending on where they're released, so I'm expecting one set of songs and get an album missing something I was specifically seeking. So it can be disappointing.

But I'm getting better at it. I've learned (a little) from my mistakes and finding myself more satisfied with my Ebay adventures.