Frankie and Slim

Frankie and Slim
Happy New Year

Thursday, May 17, 2012

THE CODE IS BROKEN

Rural auctions for equipment and supplies as well as entire farms have been around forever,

 Auctions have been his passion for years.  Attending auctions, bidding at auctions, buying things just to keep someone else from getting it, selling at auctions.  Because of his health problems, our attendance and participation in local auctions has been greatly reduced.  


My passion was eBay auctions.  I sold our junk commodities in online auctions and we did very well.  Since he is not buying as much these days, I am not selling anything anymore.  But that has not kept me from buying on eBay.


Ron occasionally will find something on eBay and ask me to buy it for him.  He did not know how to make a purchase on eBay so it is always up to me to complete the transaction which has kept his number of purchases relatively low.  Perhaps it is out of boredom or perhaps it is his sudden understanding that eBay is the way to attend an auction sitting down, he has suddenly broken the buying code and is now quite comfortable making his own purchases. Sellers will love him because he isn't one to let an item go for nothing.  He will either win the bid or at least force another buyer to pay a fair price.


Let the fun begin.  All I can say is "Yikes!"

9 comments:

  1. I've bought a number of things on ebay - most things have gone well. I bid on something recently that I won - a horizontal plate rack that holds two plates. Difficult to find. They messaged me that it was broken, but could be fixed by putting some wire behind the broken place that would be behind the plate. But they were only taking off $5 for that, so I said I didn't want it. Then they dropped it to half price and I went for that. :)

    There have been a couple of times I got in a bidding war and ended up paying too much for items. So not I decide the most I would pay for it, make my bid and wait to see if I won.

    I'm glad this is a good outlet for Ron. Do y'all ever watch Storage Wars? Love that show.

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  2. I'm a big Ebay buyer and seller. I always have things listed. I don't tend to bid on too many things nowadays but just go for buy it nows, but if I do, I always bid in the last 30 seconds. I put on a price that I'm prepared to go to and that's it. It's great fun! :D

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  3. I just went through my closet...after the trip to high fashion New York...and threw away a garbage bag of stuff. Actually it is going to a church outlet. Next is my drawers. Then I am going through all my junk and try to part with much of it. Not in a buying mood much these days.

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  4. I did not mean panties when I wrote drawers in the above comment...but you knew that!

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  5. Careful, Annie. Make sure you don't list anything for sale that Ron might buy back!

    At least you would save on shipping and handling....

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  6. Lynn -- My rule of thumb about an eBay seller is that they have been on eBay for at least 6 months and have a 99% rating. Also I only purchase from U.S. sellers unless I have a very long time to wait for an item and if it doesn't cost very much. I do not watch Storage Wars but Ron does. We have neighbors who buy auctioned storage units and they bring home some great deals but also some pretty pitiful ones.

    LL Cool Joe -- It has been six years since I sold on eBay and sometimes I miss it. Like you I try to only buy "buy-it-now" stuff but once in a while I'll try to bid on something. Usually, like you, I can determine the most I will pay and set that as my bid with resolve to let if go if it goes over.

    Tabor -- Good thing you cleared up the "drawers" comment because you know I was going to expand on that. LOL I am certainly not in a clothes buying mood these days because I've gained so much weight it isn't any fun to shop.

    Nancy -- You joke, but once I did list an item that caught his eye before he realized it was something we had listed and he already owned it. Thankfully it didn't sell and we were able to keep it.

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  7. fasten your belt and lock that helmet on tight. This could get bumpy.

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  8. Hi Annie
    Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment. I really enjoyed this post about auctions.
    Clinton and I dealt in Collectibles, and attended numerous rural auctions over many years. They yielded a lot items for resale. We sold on Ebay and at flea markets. Our specialty was paper ephemera: post cards, old calendars, train schedules, old menus, anything small enough to carry with two hands.

    We're in our 80's now, no longer buying or selling.
    Clinton watches Storage Wars, American pickers and such. Its great entertainment for him, and even with Alzheimer's he enjoys the shows and comprehends what's happening.

    You live an interesting life and I love the way you tell about it. I'll be back to read more of your adventures.

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  9. Cliff -- Oh yes, truer words were never spoken (or written or whatever). Anyway, I'm ready for the exciting purchases.

    Maryellen -- It was great to find your blog through Susan Adcox Grand-parenting blog. Yes we watch Storage Wars and American Pickers.

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