i was reading another post and some members thought that it was unsportsman like to make a profit from something they bought of ebay.

of the 1000's of signs, clocks and themometers ive sold over the years, i cant ever remember someone putting there money back into their pocket because they didnt like where i bought it from or how long ive owned it. 50% of everything i have on my wall or sell comes from the computer (ebay, craigslist, oldgas, icollect247 ect). i would not buy anything from charles schilling if you care where it came from. my only gaurantee to you is that is not stolen!!!

once you own it, it's your business what you do with it..

you're totally correct and, as Randy says above, it's yours to do what you want with. If someone misses a good deal on a purchase and you have the opportunity to sell it for a profit, GOOD FOR YOU

I totally agree with the above opinions.

Through the process of collecting we have acquired knowledge/ expertise. Collecting developes certain skills i.e. ability to buy & sell, seek out good deals ect... Our entire economy is built on paying for knowledge or skill sets. Knowledge is power. Why not use that knowledge and your skills to fund your collection or for mere profit? Isn't selling your doubles part of collecting?

"unsportsman like to make a profit from something they bought of eBay."

oh yes, Its wrong to resell anything, thats what I hear and making a profit is just wrong...lol

Every person in this hobby has sold thing for more than they gave for it. Heck I have done it! So the ones that criticize someone else for doing it has "never" done that then right? Wrong!! I have never met anyone that sells everything they have ever bought & sold just to break even or at a loss. We "all" buy things cheap & if we dont want to keep it for our collection sell it to make a little cash. This is how we help fund our petro buying purse. If your pockets are deep enough where you dont have to sell at a profit & can keep everything you buy kudos to you. So with that said the knowledge & mostly the friends I have made over the past 8-10 years of collecting far out value anything I have in or could ever have in my collection. JM2C

I'm new to collecting and to be honest if I dident turn a lot of what I bought regardless of where I bought it, I wouldn't be able to buy the things I really like. I'm unemployeed so the little spending cash that I do have is always working for me. I have tripled my cash and purchased some things that I really wanted. When I started out I bought anything gas related that was cheap. I gambled on some items but then realized I wanted to focus my collection strictly on certain companies or time periods but also realized that something that I may not want for my collection somebody else may. If I turn a profit for doing it so be it.

Dave, What you say strikes home with me. The knowledge I have gained collecting has enabled me to spot a value. It has also provided me with a sense of what something might be worth should I purchase the value priced item. Every now and then I get a ebay seller to end their auction and some folks here call that greed. It's free enterprise at it's best. I may offer $500 for an item worth $1000. I then make a profit. Is that different than what any picker does? I'm an ebay picker. Free world,sellers item, end your auction if you like my offer. Plain and simple. Labeling it greed is wrong in my opinion.
Now who doesn't like cash?

I guess they don't mind paying a grocery store for their markup.

What's the difference from buying something on an eBay auction, and a farm or estate auction then selling it on here?? I mean they both have the same concept, do they not?

Either way, I think its fine.

I think there is another diminsion to this discussion that should be mentioned.Many of us ,myself included,have display facilities open to the public.As a result,more times than you might think,people who appreciate what we are doing bring in things to "donate" to our efforts.

When someone gives me things,cost zero,what am I supposed to do?BTY,I'm talking stuff in the several hundred dollar range.

I have had people give me different items before as well. They have ranged in value from $1- several hundred dollars. I keep what ever is given to me. Mainly because it was a gift from a friend. Though I am just a college student now, there will come a time when my health declines, at that point in time, I hope to pass those items (at no cost) to someone who enjoys them just as much as I do.

Come to the northern states, they wont "give" you anything.

Sure they will give you something Bill an empty wallet!!! Most gas items 4x retail around here and 75 percent of the stuff is junk.

I'm a little lost about this thread as it seems everybody is debating on the same side.
Who is saying that it's not ok to make a profit on an item you purchased (through eBay or other means)?

I always get a kick out of the people that say, "I am a "collector, NOT a reseller!"
I think it would be hard to build a collection without sellers.....
I have never passed a good deal because I already had one, or didn't have room for something or didn't want to keep it for myself.

That is an incorrect statement .. just as TBird

Ive been given stuff by friends that I will always keep. There are also other things Ive bought cheap and sold for double.

I see no problem with it

Profit is part of the game, its how we keep the lights on. However, I enjoy trading "up" just as much or more than selling a good piece. I traded a completely restored Erie computer pump for an unrestored simplex once. Sometimes you can gain an upper edge without exchanging money, as long as both parties are satisfied with the deal.

For quite a long time,I have bartered.I trade my work for a collectible piece a person may have.We both walk away happy with the deal.We both were satisfied with the transaction and money was not changed hands.There are a lot of ways to trade with somone in this life without a currency exchange.JM2C
Robert

sometimes money won't get you what you want, when only a trade will.

Well a strange thing happened to me 2 weeks ago I found a sign on craigslist that I wanted , went and bought it for full price that I thought was fair and now the guy wants it back. He says he should not have sold it and his wife said get it back. He offered me $200 more than I paid for it. not sure what to make of that but I do just collect and not sell.I think he must have had a better offer I think I'll keep it.

Yeah,I would keep it too!I guess he did not have his wife's permission.She may be MAD for a long time!LOL

Really.... we are having this discussion? I don't care if you paid $2 at a garage sale and want to sell it to me for $200 if I want it and feel like its worth that then I will buy it.

I guess I'm just a dinosaur, but a grown man trying to renig on a sale... whatever happened to honor and pride and ethics and dignity ???

True Mr. Jarvis, even if I were standing beside you when you paid the 2 bucks. Or even moreso, if you paid the 2 bucks to me and I'm standing beside you when you then sell it for the 200.

He FORGOT he gave the sign to wife After she got Peed Off when he bought it!

I'd keep it too- something doesn't sound right..

I think its about the Sport of it. I have found items in all three; ebay, flea markets. and trade shows. I guess there is a thrill of something special in a pile of junk. It was for me. I've made money in each but I have to say that my best find was at a flea market. Second best ebay.

Dear Bustermonty

So you ask a seller to end an auction early "KNOWING" there's a good chance you can turn a $500.00 profit on it. You ruin the chance for all the fair players on ebay to win the item for something they want for their "COLLECTION, you knowingly just screwed the seller, then you come on here over the years asking if something is legit ? You call that free trading, I call that ***** worst than GREED !!!

Another thing on here that most members do not know are the rules & regulations for ending a auction. Don't ask me what they are. Go and read them yourselves.

Well said Black T, It is all about Honesty, Integrety, Ethics. Many posts on Oldgas recently has given me a good insight over who I will do business with, I don't care what they are selling/wanting to buy, I will keep my dealings with people that would treat me the same.

And the rules do quite clearly state WHEN and Why you can end an auction early, Once again those few will interpret it to their liking.

Blacktee, I'm trying to keep this civil. We will never see eye to eye on this one. Ebay is like the wild west to me. Life in general is not fair. Many times I've offered more than the item sold for. I only had to miss an item I wanted one time to learn that if you don't ask for it, many times you won't get it. I make an offer and they accept. Free world, no seller screwed. No different than striking a deal at a show or sale. What is wrong with asking if an item is legit on this site? I thought that's one of the benefits of oldgas. I applaud your integrity and loyalty to ebay and the buyers and sellers. I just don't feel the same way. Ebay allows repop ***** to be sold as legit (hence my questions on oldgas) There are so many dishonest sellers on ebay it's a joke, yet you defend it like a major stock holder. Can we agree to disagree?

I like to be fair in any transaction so I did think about selling the sign back but I gave 300 for it and that's what was asked

Here we go again another member on oldgas.com twisting everything around looking for a lame excuse to justify a morally wrong doing. No I'm not a major stock holder. Why do you bring up dishonest sellers ? My post is about dishonest BUYERS!

Dollars to donuts you are screwing a seller, because they don't know what the item is worth. But you do right !

Maybe you need to read all the rules of your so called wild west show. They are there in black and white, and ALL the conditions need to be met for a auction to end. You'd get your butt kicked right out of a normal auction, trying to pull your six shooter out.

Your exact words. " I applaud your integrity and loyalty to ebay and the buyers and sellers." A sentence or two later you BELITTLE me with your stock holder comment.

Yes you can bet we disagree.

I am so glad I'm almost out of collecting. Like a lot on here, I don't turn the other cheek. I speak out. : )

My intent was not to belittle you. Merely an analogy that your actions were defending ebay like you owned stock. I'm not a dishonest buyer. ( you and others may think I am and I can live with that) I'm smart and have taken the time to educate myself on what some of this stuff is worth. When I see an opportunity on ebay I usually make an offer. Like you I speak out and defend my actions. I may be crass but I don't give a hoot about ebay and their rules.
I'm not screwing the seller. I'm taking advantage of what I have learned (many times the hard way). No I couldn't do this at a normal auction house. Ebay is not a normal auction house. Blacktee, I still applaud your actions. You strongly believe in what you say and that's a good thing.
Good Day

I think we see both sides pretty clearly and it looks like a perfect agree to disagree times.

I don't agree to that. LOL!

I've never got a refund for something I over paid for! Is that right either? Just saying. Personally I wouldn't ever end an auction early but thats upto the seller and the barely enforced Ebay rules. I've notice that there seems to be a bit of a boys club on these forums, and thats great, but judging people is not right. One of my first posts was a question that over 500 people looked at and only a few replied. I made a comment and got put in my place for being ungrateful. I'm not stupid. I'm sure there were a few wolfs waiting in the shadows for me to list the item so that they could get there hands on it. Hell I even had to research what I had because none of the GOOD OLD BOYS would even share with me any knowledge of what I had. Sounds like a great place to share a love of collecting. I do believe that the majority of us are here to learn and help and hell ya turn a buck or two.

I know of no one that goes to a show and pays more than what a seller is willing to take....Oh your not asking enough for that...i'm gonna pay you 300 bucks more than what your asking...because I don't want to cheat you.....

If a seller on ebay is willing to sell it for what is being offered and end the auction early...so be it. you could have done the same thing. I use to be against that until items that I wanted were ended early....I have made an offer and have a seller turn me down, only to let the auction run its course and still win it for less than my offer...I guess the seller "screwed" himself? now I guess i'm one of those that "screw" the seller on ebay....how do you screw the seller if he agrees to accept you offer?

"A bird in the hand is worth more that 2 in the bush"..sometimes it's smart to take the sure thing.


Let It go people....who really cares how you got your stuff as long as you didn't steal it!

Greg (bustermonty) you have done nothing wrong in my book>