A Decade With
By Don Hobbs

It seems like only yesterday when I first heard about a new internet auction site called eBay. I was at an antique shop in downtown Carrollton, Texas, admiring the shop's interesting array of stuff. After some comments to the owner about his items he asked if I had a computer. In those days, home computers were still a luxury in which few people indulged. When I told him I did own a computer, he told me he bought many of his items from E*B*A*Y. He actually spelled it out and didn't call it eBay. This was the first time I had ever heard of the site. I promptly went home, registered, and became an eBay user. That was March 1998!

Naturally, the first eBay search I preformed was for "Sherlock" and it brought up a whopping 35 items. Most of these were books and most I  already had on my shelves. I started searching "Sherlock" and "Doyle" as part of my daily routine. It was about a month before there was a book that popped-up that I wanted. I placed my first bid and must have watched the auction's progress 24/7. With about a minute left, I was outbid and I was crestfallen. It was nearly as painful as loosing a loved one. I soon recovered and learned a valuable eBay lesson. I learned never to bid too quickly. Bidding on eBay is not unlike playing poker. Do not tip your hand too soon.

Eventually I won my first item. It was so long ago that I do not even remember what it was. In the early days, the items that came up for auction were mainly common items found at most used book shops, but still there was that excitement of doing business in a new fashion. I was carrying a laptop back then but it was long before the wireless age. I remember being out on the road and checking into my hotel, plugging in my computer and having that painful wait while the dial-up connection was made. It was a great time to brush your teeth, unpack the suitcase, and make a cup of coffee while the connection was being made. Luckily there weren't that many items listed because it took so long for each page to come up.

It seems that in those early days, they were continually changing the appearance of their site. I would get everything laid out the way I liked it to display and then it would change. I finally progressed to the point where I started selling things on eBay. I have had nearly 1,000 transactions over the years as a combined buyer and seller. Amazingly, I have only been stiffed twice, both times as a buyer. Since PayPal came along as a wholly -owned subsidiary of eBay, the entire process of sending and receiving money has become fairly seamless. I could go on and on about my past ten years as a registered eBay user but I have to go check on an auction.

Happy Collecting!!