After months of discussing shopping deals on this blog, do I dare bring up one of my favorite haunts...eBay? There's not a day that goes by that I don't thank my lucky stars that I live in the Internet Age.

In my teaching days (love those summers), I spent many a summer in London, antiquing at Portobello Road, Bermundsey Market, etc. Found some great sterling and crystal vanity jars and amassed quite a collection before the prices went sky high in the 1990s.

The timing is right if you can buy in this economy. Savvy sellers start their eBay auctions high, but occasionally you'll find the seller who tries to psyche you into bidding with a low starting price. Look out for these, there are deals to be had. A friend recently bought more jars than she meant to because she placed some lowball bids and won!

Other items to watch, if you still enjoy your sterling flatware, this could be a good time to add to your set. Or old crystal stemware patterns. No hurry, just type in the eBay search bar your pattern name, and look for a good deal every now and then. Don't think of it as taking advantage of someone suffering from the bad economy, think of it as helping someone get through the hard times.

Have you bought or sold anything on eBay recently? What good deals have you seen?

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