The great E-Bay..

...and the not so great Paypal.

Published on November 11, 2007 By adnauseam In Blogging

I'm a collector of junk. I collect banknotes, tokens, model diecast cars and planes and old watches. E-bay is like heaven to me even though many people ask atrocious prices for their old stuff. Some sellers are pretty savvy and ask catalogue prices plus markup--others would try to sell a dollar note for ten bucks. As with all sites similar to this you use your judgement and knowledge to avoid buying a dud. You have to learn to read the language. "Scarce" could mean scarce in a town with population 250. "Rare" could mean a rare object in the Arizona desert. Then there's condition: "Excellent" could mean anything from un-used to very used but excellent in the eye of the seller. A "fair"banknote could be shredded and an uncirculated one full of tears. You pays your money and takes your choices.

Unfortunately, I don't buy on E-Bay (I love browsing though), because I don't have a Paypal account. I live in Egypt so no Paypal.

However I had a go at joining Paypal a while ago. Very secure is Paypal. The buyer undergoes a screening process akin to getting a White House pass. You have no chance of joining Paypal if your credit card is not as good as Fort Knox. They check for fine hairs on your legs and if you use a card that is not yours they bump you off as quick as a Hummer hitting a tree.

I have no truck with them on that at all. I just have two gripes: Could Paypal please save me all the form-filling before failing me? And could they spread their net a little wider? Egypt is pretty civilised after all and (for the tourists' sake), you can draw money anywhere--even at Mohamed's kebab shop. Visa is king in Egypt (sorry, Sphinx), but Paypal is not.

Let me have a re-think about this for a moment. No Paypal means no more junk ,equals happy wife. Paypal can take a hike!

Comments

terpfan1980

on Nov 11, 2007

Just so you know, some of the problems getting a PayPal account overseas relate to concerns about money laundering and also the potential that money can be sent to support terrorist activities and the like.

I don't think it's a matter of PayPal not wanting to to deal with customers from other countries. They are just trying to deal with the restrictions and rules placed upon them by the credit card companies *and* the federal government in the U.S.A.

Locamama

on Nov 11, 2007

I love ebay too and I do have a paypal account. My latest purchase - the essential clear plastic cookie jar with surfer that plays Beach Boys tunes. This will be my tip jar for face painting. Recommended by other face painters for the plasticness, clearness and tuniness. Now where else but ebay would I find something like that?

My husband likes to buy goalie equipment or at least look at goalie equipment on ebay. We both laugh at what some consider "vintage" and also at the outrageous prices that some people think thier things are worth. My favorite thing is Mexican folk art. I haven't had the budget to buy anything lately but it's a great place to hunt down my favorite alebrijes, huichol yarn paintings etc. I also have a collection of Spanish Mission paint by numbers which have the added bonus of being super cheap.

Dr Guy

on Nov 12, 2007

Do you have a $20 US Gold Certificate? I am looking for one. I have some Banknotes as well, but except for the old Reichsmark, all US. Plus I collect coins. All Coins! I am fascinated by them as they are real and tangible (not like banknotes), and the art is something else. I have not been active lately, but still have the stuff I collected from when I was a kid. So I guess some of those are worth something since they are over 40 years old now!

Oh, and yea. Paypal Sucks.

Trudygolightly

on Nov 12, 2007

Good to see a fellow collector! Diecast cars huh? does that include HotWheels? My son has a huge collection of them, the redlines, the ones that are not sold in stores, ect.

I collect old catalogs, have several Christmas catalogs from different stores.

Love how you describe the seller's opinions of their own wares! Priceless

Once a person has a PayPal account, they have to watch out for phishing and scams too!! Beware.

It's hard to stay away from ebay....like a drug really, least for me!

liked your article adnauseam

adnauseam

on Nov 13, 2007

Hi Trudy---no Hotwheels I'm afraid--only original Dinky Toys. I always appreciate your comments.
Thanks Doc. Wish I had some of those certificates! For coin values Google coin dealers--there are literally hundreds.

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