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Just wondering... I am a faithful SU! customer (member of a Stamper's 10 group for going on 3 years now) and I don't buy anything on eBay that I can get from my demo. She is a wonderful, generous, inspiring woman and a great friend... I am so happy to support her business!
But if I can't get it from her and I really really want it, I don't see anything wrong with getting it on eBay. I do try to avoid those sellers who are obviously violating SU! rules... but for example, I NEEEEEEEDED the Art of Life set and there was absolutely no way for me to get it (wasn't my hostess month, and almost all of my friends are already customers of the same demo). So I bought it on eBay. I don't feel like I did anything wrong. I was thrilled to be able to get it!
And if I can ever manage to part with any of my retired sets, they're definitely going on eBay... more money to spend on new stuff!
I agree, I am a demo myself, I have gotten retired sets off there, and I have sold stuff there before I became a demo. I do know the prices of stuff and won't pay outrageous amounts for stuff. I can't think of the last thing that I bought off of there, I think it was a lot of ribbon or something like that, so I don't think it is a completely evil thing, except for those people who abuse it against the terms of their company's rules.
__________________ Kristina Wife, Mommy, Stamper, Nurse Laura 6yo Jack 5yo, James 4/20/08 Megan arrived 3/16/09
I am a SU! demo going on my 9th year now and I don't have a problem with Ebay. My customers know that if I can't find it through downline channels or within our SU! group they are free to try Ebay for the set they really want or need. I do tell them at my stamp camps and demos that if you want that set out of the mini catalog, you had better purchase it now (from me) or risk paying 3x's that amount on Ebay. I do sell my retired sets on Ebay. This helps with my "need to have that new set" spending allowance!
I use Ebay to get retired sets. Last summer, I wasn't into flowers becasue I was using the stamps just in my scrapbook and I have a boy. But now that I have really gotten into making cards, as well, I need flowers. I really wanted the Petal Prints (from last summer's mini) a couple of months ago. Ebay was the only place I could get. So, I don't feel guilty about it.
Sorry - I LOVE Ebay! I don't buy current sets because normally I can not get them cheeper anyways - but retired sets and hostess sets - this is the way to get them. I often oogle over the hostess sets and don't have many friends who do stamping so I'd never be able to get a party with that many sales. I also love to sell on Ebay and make some $$$$$!!
I only buy on EBay if it is a hostess set that I know for sure I am not going to be able to get, like Art of Life. I wanted that one so badly that I tried to talk two ladies at my HOM group if I could trade the hostess set when my turn came around (June) for the AOL and one of them wanted AOL as bad as I did and the other didn't necessarily want it but wouldn't make a commitment, so I started out first here on SCS and fortunately made a trade for this set, but if I couldn't have gotten it here, I would have gone to EBay. I just sold four retired sets on Ebay so I could turn around and buy from the new catalog when it comes out. I am not a demo and probably never will be, so I don't feel guilty at all.
__________________ Sandy~
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11
I am pretty apathetic about it. I don't love it, but I certainly don't hate it. For the current SU! stamp debate-I am noone's conscience. Sure it bugs me, but if there was no demand for getting the current stuff-there wouldn't be a market for it. That isn't a dig at anyone who uses the bay for selling or purchasing, I am just sayin'.
I wonder how the SCS Cookbook would go over on that site....heh heh heh
__________________ We love SSG R. King-US Army & SGT J. Priest USMC!
ΑΦ#14574 Just sayin'�atie 2005 ND rules!
We've only made an eBay purchase once. I can take it or leave it. I think it's great if you want to sell stuff, but it has also hurt the collectibles market in some ways. My parents have a lot of collectibles that sell for next to nothing on eBay, but were quite valuable only a few years ago. I don't have any problem with people using auction sites to sell in a fair way. It's sad that some people use it in ways that they shouldn't, but you will find that anywhere. Someone out there is always willing to abuse the system.
I will admit that I go to eBay to see what new sets look like before they are actually available. But I don't purchase them until I can get them from my demo. I would rather have her make the money. It baffles me that people will pay retail and higher, then add high shipping charges, just to have a product before anyone else does. But the Internet has made us very impatient in a number of ways.
I don't hate ebay. I don't like to see people violate their contractual agreements, but I do think that home based party businesses need to do something about how some customers are uncomfortable with the strong sales pitch that sometimes is associated with this kind of business. I have had people literally avoid me once they found out I was a demonstrator, and yet I had never even invited them to a party.
But I love ebay and the way it has allowed me to have access to things I would never have had before like antique fabrics and frankly retired stamp sets that are no longer available. But I don't like the stress of bidding, so I don't bid on things I can find for a reasonable price in another location.
__________________ Life is too short: eat chocolate and stamp up a storm. It will come out OK in the end.
I will be going along with the masses, it seems. I LOVE e-bay for lots of things, but generally not stamps! Before I met my current DEMO, I was tempted by the sale of inspiration sheets...but now I have a SUPER DEMO and she does all kinds of classes, so I don't even feel compelled to look at stamps on e-bay.
__________________
"Happiness is when what you think, what you say,
and what you do are in harmony."
-Mahatma Gandhi
I think you used to be able to find some good deals on ebay when it first started but honestly....now every time I try to look for something, the prices are as high or higher than what I could purchase the item for elsewhere! I'm talking about general merchandise here....not just SU stuff. Now it seems a good source for "hard to find" items but that's about it.
I have bought a few stamping supplies on ebay. I don't think I've bought any stamp sets, but if I was looking for a particular retired set, I'd definately check it out! I would never buy a current set from ebay, that's just wrong IMHO. And the prices are ridiculous!
I bought my coluzzle and some templates from ebay and got a really good deal on them. I also bought my ink storage from craftsolutions and love it. One of the best things I bought (just because I'm too lazy to make it myself) is the cardstock file tab system. It's great!
__________________
Suzanne Proud mom of two soldiers and a Texas Aggie, and proud Grandma of a beautiful baby girl!
I think that eBay is a *wonderful* forum! I have used it as both a buyer and as a seller.
As a buyer, I have purchased WWII-era porcelain that has been difficult to find in the States through other means (because so many non-war ships were bombed at the beginning of the war, many transporters avoided trans-Atlantic shipments to the U.S.) or because it cost so much other places that I have found it, when eBay was much more reasonable. Before I became a demo, I bought no-longer produced stamp sets (which I don't have the room to store, no matter how much I like them...!) I've also bought Italian charms, Quickutz dies, out-of-print books...you name it, it there.
As a seller, I've sold my old maternity clothes, the kids winter coats, old sorority and bridalwear formal dresses and shoes, 1st Edition H/C books (back in the days when I worked and could afford to pay full price for a 1st Edition, that is!), scrapbook pages (that *DO NOT* use any SU! products on them), paper piecing die cut original creations, etc.
It honestly isn't eBay that burns my butt: It is the *TROLLS* who have signed an agreement with their respective companies stating that they either will not sell or eBay, will not sell in any permanent location, or will not sell the merchandise at a cut-rate price. And I don't care if they're SU!, TS, CM, MK, AHA...if they're "active" and selling currently available merchandise on eBay then they're a *TROLL*! ~ K
__________________ Hi...My Name is Kaylyn...I'm An Alphaholic.
[B]
I don't hate ebay, but I get very frustrated at times with the whole format. I've been looking for several months for a Viking sewing machine for my mom hoping to get one similar to the one she literally wore out. But every time I find an older model it sells for an outrageous price. Lord, she is 80 yrs. old and just wants to make quilts for her charity group that donates them to residents of rest homes. I can only guess that they are being bought serviced and sold in a different outlet. Whatever, I've given up trying to find what I want on ebay and bidding as I can't seem to match the final bids, I know a new machine (not Viking) costs a fraction of what the used ones go for so what's the deal?
I think e-bay serves a function like any other "marketplace". Like any other store, you have to know about what you are shopping for and what it is worth. On occasion, I sell my kids snow clothes, some toys and retired SU sets on e-bay. I use e-bay to buy retired sets, SU stamps that have been broken out of sets, UM stamps that I come across while searching for something else generally and paper/ribbon samplers. For instance, there used to be a gal on there who sold 2 yards of each of the colors of ribbon. Another gal who bought all the patterned paper and sold one of each in a pack. Even though it was a bit more expensive for these multi packs, it saved me $ in the long run because I could then buy more of the ones I really liked from my demo and not get stuck with 6 yards of something I didn't care for or paper I wouldn't use. Ebay is a useful place to get lots of things--just have to search longer and harder for the good deals.
I don't hate ebay, but I get very frustrated at times with the whole format. I've been looking for several months for a Viking sewing machine for my mom hoping to get one similar to the one she literally wore out. But every time I find an older model it sells for an outrageous price. Lord, she is 80 yrs. old and just wants to make quilts for her charity group that donates them to residents of rest homes. I can only guess that they are being bought serviced and sold in a different outlet. Whatever, I've given up trying to find what I want on ebay and bidding as I can't seem to match the final bids, I know a new machine (not Viking) costs a fraction of what the used ones go for so what's the deal?
But those older Vikings are probably better than what we can buy new. I haven't done much sewing in the last 3-4 years. But I know that at least *some* of the newer machines just were not built like the old ones. Ebay is great, as long as you want stuff that everybody else *doesn't* want. I've bought and sold quite a bit on ebay. It's market driven.
Good luck finding your Mom a sewing machine, though.
Glad to see there are so many eBay fans here... I just put up some matchbook albums I made last night and one already has a bid on it. I'm going to make one with SU! stamps today and put it in the gallery (of course I won't sell that one!).
I'm totally addicted and not ashamed to admit it. Ebay is a great way to pick up retired sets or "lots" of stamps, craft supplies, inspiration sheets, old catalogs, etc. at a very reasonable price and you don't have to add on the tax and handling. It makes the craft dollar go a little farther. I live in rural MN and purchase items on a regular basis from 2 local demos and one that I met through an Ebay contact (not a demo) in Washington. Neither of my local demos are "serious" and do SU as a hobby to get their stamps cheaper. The person in WA sends me all kinds of information...e-mail newsletters, the mini catalogs, new yearly catalog, etc. She does a better job at keeping me in the loop than the local folks. SU gets a ton of business from me on the front end and I like Ebay for the deals and extras on the back end. Plus the out of state and Ebay orders...everything is shipped right to my door. You don't have prefer to do both online and face to face shopping.
I'm with RedMolly and Kristina...I like E-Bay-I buy on E-Bay things I can not get locally (and yes, I bought of Art of Life there too-I couldn't get it on my own...not my month in club and neither of the hostesses for the months the mini ran qualified for the set :( ) I shop there with a budget though....I set my limit and i stick to it-I know more will come along and I WILL be able to get it in my range if I am patient...
I am not a demo. I love eBay. I buy hundreds of dollars worth of stamps from my demo (including having my own "party" for my birthday every year). I don't feel bad that I also buy some sets on eBay. My demo also uses eBay. My friend's demo uses eBay. They both sell retired sets there.
I have bought hostess sets that I could not get. I have bought sets that I have been dying to purchase but didn't want to put in a real order yet ... like Vogue Verses last month for $9.00 plus $4.00 shipping. I may someday sell my sets that way - I just have a weird thing going that I can't part with any of my sets unless I give them to my daughter-in-law (because I know I can borrow them back). I'm sure I have at least 150 sets, and I've given her countless others.
eBay can be a great tool, and all the eBay-bashing in the world won't change the fact that many demos use it when it's best for them - to sell retired sets, inks, etc..
I have picked up some really cute retired sets that came out before I even knew about SU...and I just bought a whole set of SU color file tabs for my cardstock filing system - there is no way I could have done that on my own - ok I could have but it would have taken me forever...
But if you really look at the prices of current sets on E-bay - I don't understand why people are buying current sets from e-bay because when all is said and done probably over 80% of them wind up being more expensive then if you ordered them from a demo...a lot of people have $6-7 S&H... the other 20% come close to if you would have bought them from a demo...you might be saving a few dollars...
__________________ Jenni -Happy SU Demo - MY GALLERY & MY CHAOTIC LIFE One kid makes you a Parent - Two makes you a Referee
I'm not a demo either. I'm totally addicted and not ashamed to admit it. Ebay is a great way to pick up retired sets, or stamp "lots", craft supplies, inspiration sheets, old catalogs, etc. at a very reasonable price and you don't have to add on the tax and handling. You're exposed to much more than your demo might share with you. It makes the craft dollar go a little farther. It is a wonderful tool in the perpetual stamp search. I live in rural MN and purchase items on a regular basis from 2 local demos and one that I met through an Ebay contact (not a demo) out of state. Neither of my local demos are "serious" and do SU as a hobby to get their stamps cheaper. The person in out of state sends me all kinds of information...e-mail newsletters, the mini catalogs, new yearly catalog, etc. She does a better job at keeping me in the loop than the local folks. SU gets a ton of business from me on the front end and I like Ebay for the deals and extras on the back end. Plus the out of state and Ebay orders...everything is shipped right to my door. You don't have the hassle of arranging to pick it up. That can be a huge blessing in the dead of winter!
I also am a big fan of ebay! I buy and sell all kinds of things including SU! stamps (I am not a demo). I am generally pretty cheap about it though - definitely not one of those people who bids things sky high. I rarely buy current stuff on ebay, but if I can get a current set for significantly less than the catty price and it was on my wish list, sure - I'd probably bid. The odds of that happening are pretty slim though. I love my demo dearly, and lord knows the money I save will go to her anyway on something else!
I don't hate ebay. I don't like the fact that you can sell a piece of toast for thousands of dollars.
I bought one current set on ebay last summer, it was the alphadots set. I felt so horribly guilty, b/c I didn't get it through my demo. I only saved 5 bucks so it hardly seemed worth the guilt.
I've been looking for the Nautical Map background stamp on ebay (demos idea), but have yet to find it.
Life is too short for me to waste energy worrying about what SU stuff is being sold on Ebay. I don't feel any different about people buying stuff (even current stuff) on Ebay than I do if they were to buy it from one of the many, many other demos in my area. I just like to advise people to be aware of how much they're paying for current merchandise and to be sure they're getting a good deal.
I have bought and sold on e-bay- SU and non SU stuff. I would never purchase something SU current though that I can get from my demo at a normal price. Usually that stuff is way out of line on e-bay.
__________________
“Often when you think you're at the end of something, you're at the beginning of something else.” – Fred Rogers
I'm with you guys. Ebay isn't the problem, people who break the rules and abuse it are. I've sold and bought stamps and other things on Ebay and I think it's great. It's the folks who abuse it that suck!
__________________ Jennifer, SU Demonstrator
"Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment" -Ben Franklin
I have purchased things on e-bay but stopped because I can see it is addictive for me. So many wonderful things I want. Now I use the BST forum here. I usually can get what I want if I just wait a little. I love this forum and would rather support the ladies here than go to e-bay.
Who DOESN'T hate eBay???
Who doesn't hate Ebay reply.
