[meteorite-list] eBay impact (pun intended)

From: tracy latimer <daistiho_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:21:04 2004
Message-ID: <Sea2-F204dMfVElV1JI0001696b_at_hotmail.com>

Without eBay, I probably would not have come to find this List or know most
of you folks, as my first meteorite was an eBay purchase, and I had no idea
there were meteorite dealers out there. EBay has definitely increased
public awareness of meteorite collecting, although it can be argued it is
likewise responsible for a drop in overall meteorite prices. If Steve
despises eBay (and there are certainly things to despise about it!) that's
his call. He hasn't tried to talk anyone out of using it, just stated he
hates it

Tracy Latimer

>From: "Matson, Robert" <ROBERT.D.MATSON_at_saic.com>
>To: meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com
>Subject: [meteorite-list] eBay impact (pun intended)
>Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 10:22:49 -0700
>
>Hi All,
>
>EBay: love it or hate it, it has made an irreversible impact on our
>little hobby. I think one could convincingly argue that without it,
>there would be several additional metric tons of meteorites still
>"hiding" in the deserts of Northwest Africa. (And some might argue
>that that would be a GOOD thing.) But then, I doubt many of us
>would currently have CR2s, R-chondrites, and large specimens of
>unequilibrated H-, L- and LL-chondrites in our collections!
>
>So there's no doubt that eBay has directly benefited collectors,
>but there are pluses and minuses for sellers. As Mike Farmer
>pointed out, eBay has greatly expanded his customer base, and at
>least in his case it sounds like the increased sales have offset
>the precipitous drop in prices. Others may not have been as
>fortunate, so I can understand their frustration (or in some
>cases outright hatred). Ironically, eBay was a bit like a
>Near-Earth asteroid strike: it forced an evolutionary change
>on the meteorite market, and sellers have had to scramble to
>adapt and fill new niches, or face extinction.
>
>Cheers,
>Rob
>
>
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Received on Mon 14 Jul 2003 01:41:55 PM PDT