Ebay steals - Collecting Tiki

K Kono Member Orlando Joined: Oct 08, 2003 Posts: 1266	K Kono Posted posted on Sat, Jul 10, 2004 8:32 PM What are the best deals or steals that you've gotten on ebay? We've got a thread for Tiki Finds but for the most part, ebay purchases are left out and for good reason. Many casual ebayers think that to get a great item on the auction service merely means you've got loaded pockets. A great tiki find "in the wild" is often the result of luck, skill and tenacity. That can also be the case when shopping on ebay! So share with us what makes you a bona fide ebay tiki ninja. Here are my three favorite ebay "steals": I don't know anything about the tiki on the left. He's about seven and a half inches tall and has the look and feel of a Treasure Craft, but he's unmarked. On the back there's a weird indentation. I got him for $4.25. Four days after I won him an identical one went up for auction. The seller called it a "tiki serving tray" (I guess you could fit a couple of ounces of caviar in that indentation) and all the tiki high rollers (edgeoftexas, cactusjack) jumped on it and it sold for $78! I don't know what it is but I feel like I got a good deal! The other one needs no explanation. It's the smaller vintage Trader Vic Suffering Bastard decanter. I got this a month or so ago. It's only missing the cap. The seller knew nothing about it and did not know how to list it. I just sort of stumbled on it. During the whole 7 day auction only two other people even looked at the listing. I won it with no competition for $4.00. One previous to it went for about $150. Some might not consider this carved tiki a steal since it cost me $22, but it is my favorite wooden tiki and I think it would've went for a lot more if the seller's pics hadn't been so poor. It actually looked kind of Mayan/Aztec in the dark photos that the seller provided. The seller lived in Hawaii though and said that he thought it was a Tahitian carving so I took a chance and was very pleased when it arrived. It's 16 inches tall and a beautiful carving. I love it. So...what are your ebay steals?? No need to tell us your secret search terms, just share the results.

What are the best deals or steals that you've gotten on ebay?

We've got a thread for Tiki Finds but for the most part, ebay purchases are left out and for good reason. Many casual ebayers think that to get a great item on the auction service merely means you've got loaded pockets. A great tiki find "in the wild" is often the result of luck, skill and tenacity. That can also be the case when shopping on ebay! So share with us what makes you a bona fide ebay tiki ninja.

Here are my three favorite ebay "steals":

I don't know anything about the tiki on the left. He's about seven and a half inches tall and has the look and feel of a Treasure Craft, but he's unmarked. On the back there's a weird indentation. I got him for $4.25. Four days after I won him an identical one went up for auction. The seller called it a "tiki serving tray" (I guess you could fit a couple of ounces of caviar in that indentation) and all the tiki high rollers (edgeoftexas, cactusjack) jumped on it and it sold for $78! I don't know what it is but I feel like I got a good deal!

The other one needs no explanation. It's the smaller vintage Trader Vic Suffering Bastard decanter. I got this a month or so ago. It's only missing the cap. The seller knew nothing about it and did not know how to list it. I just sort of stumbled on it. During the whole 7 day auction only two other people even looked at the listing. I won it with no competition for $4.00. One previous to it went for about $150.

Some might not consider this carved tiki a steal since it cost me $22, but it is my favorite wooden tiki and I think it would've went for a lot more if the seller's pics hadn't been so poor. It actually looked kind of Mayan/Aztec in the dark photos that the seller provided. The seller lived in Hawaii though and said that he thought it was a Tahitian carving so I took a chance and was very pleased when it arrived. It's 16 inches tall and a beautiful carving. I love it.

So...what are your ebay steals?? No need to tell us your secret search terms, just share the results.