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I thought long and hard about whether or not I wanted to write an article on this subject... and given I've put fingers to keyboard and started typing I guess the answer is yes, I do in fact want to write this.

I want to start with the simple truth that there are some very good uses for eBay.  In my case, I search it weekly for historical documents pertaining to a community service organization my father is a part of.  They make great gifts for him as he is fascinated to see what this group has been doing since before he was born, and in the majority of cases the items listed on eBay are done as part of an estate sale.  To that end I feel as though I am rescuing these things from the trash, and hopefully helping a family pay off the unfortunate bills that result in the need for an estate sale.

In general eBay is a great way for things to pass from the hands of one person who appreciates/appreciated it to another.  There are those who refer to it as the global garage sale, and to some extent that is probably true.  What one person no longer needs another person may just now be needing.

It is also a great way for some small businesses to sell items that either aren't doing well in their store -- or that they think people beyond their local community might like.  Again a brilliant and wonderful use of eBay.  One booth, Books Fantastique, at the San Diego Comic Con alerted us to the fact they had copies of Miracle Man -- and were using eBay to help comic book readers at large gain access to a critically acclaimed book.  WOW!  What a great way to use eBay effectively as an advertising tool to let people know you have something they may want!

From time to time I'll see actors or authors (I have done it myself) directly post something to eBay to increase awareness of their new website, or a new project.  It gets the word out to a large audience for a minimal investment.

Okay, I wish this article could be all up and all positive, but the fact of the matter is that there are currently uses of eBay that make me sad, and a tad disappointed.

July 21 from 3-6 p.m. pacific time Michael Shanks signed autographs at the San Diego Comic Con.  It was a truly wonderful experience for those of us there.  You had the opportunity to get an officially licensed MGM photo for either 10 or 15 dollars, and Michael was kind enough to sign each one with a smile.  So why is this under the I'm disappointed with eBay section?  Because the first one of these photos to hit eBay was listed at 9:12 p.m. PDT July 21!  Less than 3.5 hours after he called it a night the item was up, the auction closed on the 24th and someone paid $200 and change for a photo that had cost $10 and some time in line.

Whoever spent that $200 I'd like to believe thinks Michael Shanks is a talented actor, and Stargate or one of Michael's previous projects was great work.  It seems to me the best reason to buy an autograph off of eBay from someone who has never before done a public appearance.  But... if this person truly wanted to support Michael and his career, it disappoints me that $190 went to someone for spending perhaps 2 hours in line.  I say perhaps because I don't think anyone actually waited in line a full two hours, but I also wasn't watching the time on that line as carefully as I might have.

In the case above, Michael Shanks is a talented actor who is employed at least through the end of the season he is currently filming.  He has a contract job with no pension plan, though he probably has health insurance through the screen actors guild or some equivalent.  I suppose I would be even more disappointed if the actor in question were a retired actor with no pension plan who might well need that money to pay their monthly bills.  (Though I know it is unfair of me to assume Michael Shanks, a man I have seen from a distance once in my life, is in better shape.)

Before this years San Diego Comic Con (at roughly 6:00 a.m. PDT  Wednesday morning before preview night) I searched eBay on San Diego Comic Con and there were 480 entries.  A lot of them were saying that they would not be home when the auction ended as they would be at con please be understanding, and several were advertising at the top of all their listings "Come see us at booth # xyz at the San Diego Comic Con."

Today, July 30, 2001 I ran the same search on eBay on San Diego Comic Con and there were 665 entries.  Given con ended 6 days ago I'm going to risk an assumption that few if any of these listings fall into the category of I'll be gone at Con when the auction closes.

One of the items I have seen listed for as much as $10 was a FREE promo card for the Angel Season 2 card series.  Well, I hate to take business away from those selling a freebie within a week of it having been given out but...   see the icon to the right?  Yup, it's a link to the inkworks website, and I'm just going to encourage you to hazard a guess here, but I wonder if you might find that same FREE promo card at the Inkworks website and perhaps even get it for free, or a price really close to free!  (Okay, the fine print says pleas send a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope.  Pretty good price if you ask me! :) )

So, why other than the obvious savings of over $9 do I think you should hop over to www.inkworkscards.com and get your free promo card in exchange for a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope?

Well, let's do a little business 101 lesson.  I have a product for sale.  When I have a convention 100 people come to my booth and each takes 15 cards to sell on eBay.  Okay, what I know or probably assume is that I have 100 avid fans who each loves my cards so much they want to have 15 copies.  Or I might wonder if there is some good use for the 14 cards that they won't need for their set.  What I don't see is that 1,500 avid fans are so interested in my product that they will pay $10 for a free promo card.  So, unless I, the hypothetical person who chose to put myself into someone else's shoes, go to eBay and look to see if people are selling my free promo which in all honesty would not have occurred to me last year at this time, I have to make a tough decision.  Do I continue a product line that has 100 avid followers or drop it.  If I knew it have 1,500 avid followers that would be an ENTIRELY different story.

Starting to sense a good reason to make sure the manufacturers of products you like find out directly that you like them?  Even if they go to eBay and see the cards selling for big bucks, those big bucks aren't paying their bills, providing salaries and health insurance for their employees etc.

So, my two cents worth of advice, if you are in the mood to take it is this.  Send a SASE to InkWorksCards (info at this link) let them know you like their product, and take the $9+ that you just saved and when the product hits the shelves put those $9 into more cards, and providing more support for the company!

Okay, I don't mean to give a tired, or even to be depressing or down, but one of the things I love most about the entertainment industry is when those who create these things we enjoy so much find out just how much we appreciate it.  In the old days of live theater actors heard the applause (or ducked the tomatoes) and knew how the audience felt about their work.  Now millions of people see an actors scene, and at best a few hundred get a chance to applaud it.  If the applause goes unheard, and there are no financial rewards for these efforts (enabling them to pay the bills that they have to pay just as we do) then eventually they may just wonder what's the point -- and I want them to always know the point is we think their acting is great, and their trading cards are totally awesome!

What do you think?  Share your opinion on the message board for this article.

(C) Kay Kellam, 2001 for PopArtsPlace.com
Prior to having her first novel, A Life to Di For, published author Kay Kellam enjoyed a variety of jobs that helped to shape her outlook on the world, and her profession.   more...