[meteorite-list] eBay impact (pun intended)

From: Steve Schoner <steve_schoner_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:21:04 2004
Message-ID: <20030714174330.24578.qmail_at_web12704.mail.yahoo.com>

--- "Matson, Robert" <ROBERT.D.MATSON_at_saic.com> wrote:
> 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


One thing I wonder, and maybe even applaud Ebay for,
is that it may drive out those that are in it for
money alone, such as perhaps Mr. MC...

And inadvertantly, it will drive the prices down, a
boon for collectors.

(But, like it or leave it, I still hate it)

LOL!

Steve Schoner/ams

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Received on Mon 14 Jul 2003 01:43:30 PM PDT