Is finding on ebay a thing-o-the-past?

[amblypygi]

About 4 years ago I got this bottle on ebay for $9. It's a big, pontiled, Stoddard demijohn and that was one heck of a deal. I've had a few other major scores on ebay, but lately the deals have become rare as hen's teeth. Is this because more people are searching/using the notification tools ebay provides? Or is it that there are simply more people buying?

 

[BRIAN S.]

Hi ,
GREAT steal on the Demi at 9.00 !!!!! I believe there are many more buyers tuning into ebay. I believe ebay has hurt Bottle Shows overall ......But on the other hand I believe it has helped Bottle Collecting grow as both a hobby and an investment by the exposure on ebay! Which is good for all that are in the hobby. Without new collectors joining the ranks our hobby would soon die. The deals on ebay are still there ......But the steals are almost a thing of the past unless you are online 24 hours a day looking and searching. ( Which i'm pretty sure some people are doing ). LOL You can still get some good deals if you keep your eyes open . Well Anyway , that's my 2 cents on it ! Brian

 

[BARQS19]

I think eBay has helped a lot because say if you collect a rare brand, you have a better chance of finding it on eBay than digging it up or running ads in the newspaper. As for hurting bottle shows I really don't know what to say there. I wish there were more bottle shows. I'd like to go to a show at least once a month without having to travel all over the US, but then if you had them close to home it would be the same people, same stuff. A month isn't really enough time to get more stock.

 

[baltbottles]

I think Brian is right. When i first joined ebay a little over 4 years ago ther was almost always something that i wanted to bid on. And i won quite a bit of what i did bid on now it seems like the competition is getting very stiff. and a good deal is hard to come by. I think ebay has really helped the hobby some people have no place to dig and can only go to a few local shows a year so with out ebay it many be months between additions to ther collection. I think that for the lower end bottles ebay is the place to sell them. its a great place to sell all thoes $5 and $10 bottles that i dig and have no room for. And has allowed me to buy some of the best pieces in my collection. And I met quite a few collectors that have become pretty good friends.

 

[Maine Digger]

I am in agreement with Chris & Brian regarding eBay. For the most part, I haven't come across any real 'deals' in the past year or so. But as Chris indicated, it is a great place to unload all those non-keepers we bring home from digs. I've received some nice feedback from folks who purchased bottles that I considered somewhat common. I believe it brings new people to the hobby or trade. Someone got a good deal on the Ladies Leg I posted on the forum last week, I let it go for $8.00; but I don't mind. I picked up a lot of 6 bottles for $5.00 that included a later vintage Dr. Hostter's Bitters in mint condition, so what goes round comes round.[]

 

[amblypygi]

I don't know if ebay has helped or hurt bottle shows, but it has definitely affected the prices at antique shops around here in New England. Everybody seems to think bottles are made of gold these days []

People are still generally reasonable though, and will usually listen if you are honest with them about the value of what you want to buy. I was able to talk a guy down on a typical black Hathorn Springs pint that he wanted $150 for. I told him that my honest opinion was that it would go 40-50 on ebay and I gave him 35 for it, which was fair. He said that he just ballparked all his mineral waters at 150 because he didn't have time to research everything.

Anyone care to post pics of other good "scores", ebay or otherwise? I have a fantastic bottle I got for $30 in Putnam, CT a few years ago which I'll try to find and photograph in a minute here (all my good ones are currently still in boxes waiting for the construction disaster to end around here).

It would be fun to hear about/see other such adrenaline-rush buying stories if anyone has them to share...

Sean

 

[amblypygi]

Found some pics of my $30 antique store buy, how do you think I did? [][]

It was full, but I've since decanted the contents since the cork seal was pretty much crumbling away anyhow. And yes, we've given it a try and it's AWEFUL [:'(]

45% alcohol though, so probably safe in small doses, nobody that's tried it has died yet anyway...

I think the Hartwig-Kantorowitz bitters were the precursor for Jaegermeister, judging from the bottle shape and the delightful taste!

 

[amblypygi]

Here's a detail of the label:

 

[amblypygi]

At first I felt guilty about that, I got this because these bottles has just come into the store and hadn't been priced. I made the offer and the owner talked me up ten bucks and sold it to me. It was in with a box of full liquor bottles that were all from the 1950s and 60s except this one, pretty weird. I later kicked myself for not also purchasing the full Sandeman's Port that was there, D'oh!!! I was a little keyed-up about this one though and was suffering from a bit of tunnel vision...

I say I felt really guilty at first. After thinking on it though, I no longer felt bad because that's the name of the game. We're really just operating with knowledge here, and nobody can know everything. If I had walked in there with a $3000 teddy bear or something that I didn't know about and she did, I could very easily have walked back out with $100, it happens all the time.

Anyway, what's the general feeling on this?

 

[amblypygi]

Hopefully nobody from a certain antique store is a member... [8|]

Yeah OK, I must still feel a little guilty