Newsweek didn’t say which one of the many on-line auctions actually sold the two shirts. I didn’t realize there were so many, until I started checking on my computer. I’ve only used E-bay, which I believe is the original on-line auctioneer. I’ve made some good purchases, but have also learned some valuable lessons from shopping in this manner.

My taste in clothes and accessories happens to run toward the more pricey items, which I can seldom afford. When I lived in Florida, I bought my Ann Taylor and Harve Benard fashions at an upscale resale shop for a fraction of their original cost. A friend told me about finding some bargains on E-bay, so I started looking. Hesitant to purchase a suit or other fitted item, I decided to look for handbags. After scouting out products by Coach, Prada, Dior, and Chanel, I decided to bid on a “genuine, certified” Chanel quilted leather bag. I was so anxious to put in a bid, I forgot to check the seller’s history (available for cautious E-bay users). With the winning bid, I sent my money order and in a few days received the purse.

Well, I may not be the most savvy connoisseur of high fashion, but this purse didn’t look, smell, or feel like leather. When I checked the seller’s on-line customer ratings, I discovered that he had several complaints for selling fake items. I had been rooked. I also noticed, however, that he had a “satisfaction guaranteed or money back clause,” which I decided to use. I carefully followed the return instructions, and although it took several weeks and numerous e-mail messages to get a refund, he finally came through.

Another friend bought a diamond ring by bidding on E-bay. But I don’t think I would ever purchase jewelry that way. If I’m going to spend hundreds, or maybe thousands of dollars on jewelry, I want to see it in person, along with a certificate of authenticity from a reputable jeweler before I plunk down that amount of cash. It’s just too easy to pass off poor quality in jewels, since one can seldom detect the flaws and imitations with the naked and untrained eye.

Once I was searching for a particular style of coffee mugs, and found some on E-bay. I made the successful bid, sent a money order to the seller, and never heard from her again. Checking her customer feedback, I discovered several others had experienced the same thing at about the same time. Prior to that, the seller had good ratings, so I don’t know if she died or what. She never had any more listings—at least not under that name.

My most recent purchase came about a couple of weeks ago. Ever since I became interested in genealogy, I have realized what a treasure Miss Ida Belle Williams’ 1948 “History of Tift County” is. We talked about it at the last meeting of the Tift County Genealogical Society, and Mr. Robert Gressette, our guest speaker, said he had bought a copy by running an ad in a local “shopper” type paper. I thought about that, but decided just on a wild chance, to check E-bay first. Would you believe there was actually a copy for sale? It was just 12 hours from the closing time for bids, so I submitted one. I was outbid almost immediately, and therefore submitted a higher bid. That time I got it.

In contacting the seller for the total price including shipping and insurance, I discovered she lived near Atlanta, a few miles from where I lived in the late 70s when I was stationed at Fort McPherson. Using that as a point of reference, she and I became sort of e-mail pen pals, and she told me her mother had written a book many years ago about Gwinnett County history. In doing her research, she had acquired books on almost every other Georgia county’s history. The mother had passed on years ago, and the daughter was beginning to auction off the books. I just happened to check at exactly the right time to get the one on Tift County.

The book arrived this week, very well-packaged, and is in excellent condition for its age. So this time buying from E-bay was a delightful experience. As with any kind of auction purchase, though, it’s good to remember that old warning, “Caveat Emptor” (Let the buyer beware).



Carolyn Abell can be contacted at

carbell1020@mchsi.com.