Post #152526 by Kono on Tue, Apr 12, 2005 4:38 PM

joefla70 wrote:
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?

Au contraire, Pierre! I've got to agree with Sabu that finding a hidden rare mug on ebay is as good, no...I'll say that it's even better, than finding one "in the wild." Let's face it, finding something rare in the wild is usually just due to luck. Getting a rarity for cheap on ebay takes skill, cunning and patience. It's quite a rush to wait days and days and then score the big find that no one else bid on.

Swanky wrote:
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.

Yeah, you're right, it's still a bit mixed up for now though. I was at an antique flea market yesterday and found a red parrot mug for $2 and about a half hour later I found a yellow parrot mug and the lady wanted $25!

When possible, I always try to let the high priced dealers know they're whacked. A favorite technique is to look completely shocked when you see or hear the price. Tell them, in a very friendly manner, how I have a couple hundred tiki mugs at home. Tell them all I know about their over priced mug, who made it, where it was used etc. Pick it up again and look it over thoroughly, set it down and tell them it was great to talk to them and "good luck!" I love doing that.

On 2005-04-12 15:40, Trader Woody wrote:
Now, it's becoming like a set of old grandmothers who've won the lottery all trying to outbid each other on silver spoons......

No kidding. That crap means nothing to me. Who can out spend who. If I know that I spent more money on a particular tiki mug than has ever been spent before, I would feel like a chump.

Ebay is funny. I've been getting pretty disgusted lately by the high prices that even more common tiki items have been going for and I begin to feel like giving up on ebay all together, and then I'll score a couple of sweet pieces for cheap. Sometimes they're even listed correctly but for some reason the stars align and you just get a great deal! Often there's no explaining it, an item you've been wanting just falls into your lap for well under what you were willing to pay for it.