Eye on eBay
The Green Girl spends a lot of time monitoring that infamous auction site eBay…probably too much time.
To justify my obsession, I like to think it’s a lot like research. And it does help me track buying and selling activity, value ranges, and the types of memorabilia on the market. Plus, it’s fun to shop for something across the country or around the world without leaving my comfort of my PJs in front of the computer! It’s been almost two years since I began bidding on eBay. According to my feedback history, I’ve completed 188 transactions in the past year alone. Yep, I’ve been a busy bidder! It started with my discovery of Country Cousins, little farm-kid figurines made by Enesco back in the 1980s. Similar to Precious Moments, these cute collectibles remind me a lot of life back home on the farm in Northwest Iowa. I first collected these when I was in high school so it was a real treat to find so many of them on eBay. I quickly quadrupled the size of my original collection! At first, I was only observing John Deere memorabilia.
You might be surprised to learn that I did not collect the Great Green when I wrote the book. In fact, I stupidly swore I would not become a collector. I thought I could resist the temptation of green goodies. How wrong I was! Now I’m just as addicted as many of the collectors I’ve met…even more so than some others!
I’ve set all the clocks in my office to official eBay time and even set an alarm clock so I wouldn’t miss the closing of an auction. I’ve become quite competitive in my quests too. The thrill of hitting refresh/reload at the final seconds of an auction to see if your name still registers as the high bidder is second to none. The joy of noting your ID when it says Bidding Now Closed is hard to beat. And the devastation and anger of losing out at the last second is certainly nothing you’d wish on your worst enemy…well, maybe the person who outbid you! I’m proud to report that I recently completed my first international transaction (other than Canada). It was with a gentleman in Germany for a John Deere-Lanz stickpin. We had some challenges getting the currency situation straightened out but we finally found common ground in good ole greenbacks. And now the pin is a new addition to my collection. So if you see the "farm-girl-writer" on an auction, please don’t outbid me. Send me a note with your ID and I’ll try to return the favor!
TextÝ © 2001 Brenda Kruse. |
But then I got brave and decided to bid. One
thing led to another and soon I was winning instead of watching. All that bidding and
buying has resulted in the creation of my own John Deere collection.
It will take you several hours to peruse the pages of
assorted memorabilia and collectibles, including lamps, literature, bedding, belt buckles,
watch fobs, ashtrays, pencils, and other promotional trinkets (er, treasures). 