Post #152485 by Swanky on Tue, Apr 12, 2005 1:30 PM

On 2005-04-12 11:47, joefla70 wrote:

On 2005-04-11 10:57, Tikiwahine wrote:
And wouldn't it suck if a day later you found one at a thrift store or garage sale for $.50!

That's why I just can't spend $60 - $100 US on a tiki bob. I have this feeling that some day one will come to me some other way. Or maybe he'll just haunt my dreams forever :)

For me, the thrill is in the hunt. It is FAR more satisfying finding something in the "wild", so to speak, than spending a fortune to buy it on Ebay... and not just because you're getting a good deal finding at a flea market or thift store. Don't get me wrong, getting a good deal is great too. But the difference between finding it at a thrift store and buying on Ebay is is like the difference between catching a big fish yourself and having it mounted ... as opposed to buying a fish that is already been stuffed and mounted (which I have seen people do). What would be the fun of that?

This is true. But I like both. I am an avid hunter. I get out looking all the time. And I have people looking for me. It's a great thrill to find a mug, but most of the time, I find nothing.

But I also am very interested in certain items. I buy various items and watch others looking for a good deal or at least a reasonable one. Then, there are items I pay whatever it takes. If my Mai Kai collection was made up of what I found myself, it would be a few postcards.

Anyone with much of a collection at all knows that it is easy to get way more stuff than you can display at all. You have to be selective. And if you hunt stuff on Ebay, you get an idea of what it goes for and $50 can be a bargain. $100 can be a bargain.

If I do manage to find some of the stuff I paid big money for on Ebay at an antique store for $10, I will return one of them to Ebay and get my money back.

But let's put it this way. It's one thing to pass over a Leilani on the shelf for $10. It's easy to pass a TIki Bob on the shelf for $80 if you have one already. So, if you have a Suffering Bastard and you see one for $50 what do you do? What's your max? Does it matter if you know you can get $100 or more for it on Ebay? Would you pass it up? No, you'd invest $50 in it.

The day is coming when you will see tiki mugs on the antique store shelf for what they go for on Ebay. I've seen it already in Florida. The days of steals at $1-10 are going away.