Hi Don,

Thanks for sharing you and your wife's experiences, and also your friend's story....

> So...my wife and I still haven't gotten into
> ebay except for an occasional item but the
> day is coming when we will.

> No less than FIVE Antique Dealers in my area
> have recently given up their shops of 20 and
> 25 yrs to go strictly ebay.

Don, your post reminded me of something which happened to me recently....

A few weeks ago, I went to a "collectibles" fair.... I thought I'd just check it out, and try to get a feel for what was "hot" in collectibles.... They had all kinds of collectibles there - model trains, dolls, military badges, old magazines.... I ended up buying some old ads I liked, and also an old newspaper ("The Times" of London, from Dec. 10, 1839)!.

Anyhow, as I was moseying along, I heard someone call my name. I turned around, and it was one of the stallholders - he happened to be Phil, someone I knew from my university undergraduate days (over 10 years ago)! I had no idea what became of him.... It turned out that he opened his own comics store, and also sells comics at fairs like this one from time to time too.... He deals in both new and also second-hand comics.

Anyhow, Phil and I got to talking (catching up on "old times"), and eventually, the conversation turned to eBay. He said he wasn't selling on eBay, but some other former comic store owners he knew were now exclusively selling their stuff on the online auctions.... He told me that a friend of his who does this is making about the same income online as he was from his store, but he now has to work less for it.....

So it sounds like it's not only antique dealers who are deciding to focus solely on selling online - but that comic store owners are doing the same thing too (and probably MANY others who deal in collectible items)....

It's a fascinating shift.... And anyone can join in - there are practically no restrictions holding anyone back from doing the same thing....

The opportunity is wide open!

Thanks Don - great post! :)

- Dien Rice