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Christmas Shopping Time on eBay

It’s time for my Christmas shopping and I found some interesting things on eBay (powered by Oracle database software) that you just cannot find anywhere else. I like to make my shopping personal, and eBay makes it possible to scour the globe for unique gifts:

Weird Stuff and Joke Gifts

eBay is an unparalleled source of funny stocking-stuffers, and here are a few examples:

• Kangaroo scrotum purse: (Real leather, makes a unique gift). I bought two of them for lady friends.
• Genuine “Cheesy Poofs” made famous in the hit TV show “South Park”.
• Perv the Elf cusses like a stable boy.
• Prosthetic glass eyes – You can do some great slight-of-hand tricks with these babies.
• Giant hair ball from a cow ($499).
• Weird toast with mysterious letters.
• Prison toilet (great for teens or guest room where space is tight).
• Jesus face on a tree (Wow, it’s $10,000).
• This guy will tattoo your business logo on his head.
• Fruit Bat Taxidermy – Great conversation piece.

And now for something we hope you’ll really like:

But seriously, I like to buy ancient items on eBay, and I especially love the 300+ year-old legal contracts and the old Roman bronze items.

• 1600’s vellum indentures - These look great when framed and its fun to read the Olde English text.
   
• Antique maps and globes make a great gift. I buy them and custom frame them as gifts. Here is a 1567 Woodcut print map of Europe for only $99 starting bid. Check-out this globe from the 1700’s:
   
• Roman artifacts – Most people don’t realize that Roman jeweler is relatively common, and I’ve purchased 2,000 year-old necklaces and real Roman rings for under $100.

1700's miniature globe on eBay

Here is a great gift idea, a stunning 1,500 year old gold Roman ring:

 

A 1,500 year old Roman Gold Ring (current bid $107)

eBay Bidding Tips

As a licensed auctioneer and former eBay Powerseller I find that the thrill of the hunt is the most exciting part of Christmas shopping on eBay, but there are a few tricks:

• Check bidder feedback - Always check seller feedback and carefully note if the positive feedback was as a seller and not as a buyer. A favorite trick of bad guys is running-up good buyer feedback on small priced items, and them start selling.
   
• Snipe the Auction - I came to rely on eSnipe to do proxy bidding. It’s the best way to get great deals on eBay since you can place hundreds of bids and be assured that you gat the price that you want.
   
• Look for under-described items - If you are shopping for someone who likes Depression glass or old prints, remember the old trick of bidding on mis-spelled items. Some eBayers search for Hiesey (true spelling is Heisey) and Parish (For Maxfield Parrish prints), and so-on. You can also search for under-described items such as the super-rare Heisey Zirchon, which is sometimes called purple or violet Heisey.

Wow, so much to choose from.

Happy hunting . . .

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