[Milsurplus] e-bay "rip off"

[brewerj@squared.com]

These Ebay debates are fascinating.

People complain that "item XXX is not worth that much!!" with great emotion,
even though if the item sells, by definition, it *is* worth that much! ANY
collectable (or anything else, for that matter) is worth exactly what
people are willing to pay for it. If widget "A" sells for 100$ on Ebay,
then that's exactly what it's worth at that moment in time.

A huge benefit of Ebay to the collector world, it that it saves so much stuff,
that would normally be landfill fodder, and places it in a visible location
where collectors can find it.

As to it being driven " by pure greed " ... if that's true, then so is every retail
outlet in the world.

I'd suspect most of the gripes about Ebay stem from the fact that the "griper"
can't afford the Ebay prices. The statement "So yes, rip off site. I'd rather buy off someone
who's honest enough to
say how much he wants for something" likely more accurately
translates into "I'd rather buy from someone whose prices
are cheaper".  I'd like to buy steak for $1.00 a pound too, but
that's not the way of the world these days.

Ebay isn't going away and I've made some fantastic buys on
there.  It's the 24 hour a day 7 day a week hamfest! Embrace
it and learn the tricks of the trade!

John