I Got the Fever!

I have discovered eBay. Well . . . not exactly discovered it. I mean, other people actually cut their way through the jungle with machetes and braved the harsh desert sun of the internet. I just kind of sat on my ass and poked at my keyboard. Others before me did all of the heavy lifting.

Having said that, I still feel like shouting, "Hey everybody, I discovered eBay!"

It all started out innocently enough. I was looking for a book. It was an out of print book that I have had in paperback and I wanted a hardback copy. eBay had it. Up until now I always kind of avoided eBay. I had noodled around it once or twice and I didn't like the idea of bidding against other people for stuff. I am more of a "buy it now" kind of guy.

So I bid on the book and, after 4 days 17 hour and 38 minutes, I got the book. My joy at getting a book that I have wanted for so long immediately outweighed the nervous frustration of having to wait until the auction expired. I was hooked.

Suddenly, I started thinking about other things I haven't been able to find through conventional shopping methods. Tools and statuary, comic books and lamps, hubcaps and electronics were all within my grasp. And I kept asking myself about each new treasure, "How can I pass that up?"

Then, it occurred to me that I could sell stuff on eBay to help finance my purchases. After all, we weren't actually using all eight place settings, were we? So, I started looking around the house to see what else I could sell. Who knew she would get so emotional over a wedding dress?

So the boxes began arriving. The house was awash in packing materials. Brass bull rings now sat where family pictures once were. Turn of the century tin cars replaced the sewing machine. General Grant's harmonica replaced our set of encyclopedias.

I am also having some very interesting conversations with my wife, nowadays. Things like, "Why do we need another canoe?" and, "What happened to the end tables?"

I admit that sometimes I have a tendency to go overboard on stuff but I believe my participation on eBay is vital to our National economy. And I am currently working on a sweet deal. If I can only figure out how to get hold of my wife's wedding ring, I have my eye on an anchor from a 1938 yacht that Rudy Vallee once rode on.

How can I pass that up?

.