I'm not so much interested in just getting an item. I'm interested in getting it for the right price.

The stuff on there, after researching this over the past few days, is simply too expensive. There's no "deals" really as far as I can see, at least not on the items I want.

Look at it this way.... you want a wrist watch. A particular wrist watch. It goes for 75 dollars new. You have 25 to spend, so you're looking for a used one.

Everyone else likes the watch and are willing to bid.... but the used watch, a year old is put up for 10 bucks. At last hour of bidding people push the price up to 24 bucks.

You think "Ok, I'll bid at the last second and get it".

You bid your 25.01 cent to be sure. Someone else has bid 50, someone 30, someone 28, someone 75.

Mr. 75 gets the watch (All bid in the last second) because he had the highest bid, and it was WELL OVER what the watch was worth new. Because he has to pay 30 in shipping TOO.

Did he get a deal? No. but neither did you or the others who bid over 25

That's what has been happening.

I actually had the high bid last night. The sextant is worth maybe, and I say MAYBE carefully, 400 dollars in its condition. People pushed the bids way over that. I think it actually went for more than 450 but I was both frustrated and kind of pissed that it went that high.

WHY did it go that high? Easy, these guys are DEALERS in antiques (I can tell this by looking at their previous bids). I am not buying an antique, and I won't buy one that is touted as an antique, because, simply put they are tools and aren't antiques.

So, my mind set for this is probably wrong, but I'm not changing my mind. I'll buy a fucking plastic cheap assed item to use for practice and I'll spend 600 bucks for a new Chinese metal sextant when I NEED one.

That's MY opinion of Ebay after my "extensive" (5 days) of indoctrination....