Has the internet taken the fun out of collecting?

[rmiller]

The post from earlier this morning about other things we collect got me thinking about an interesting discussion I had recently with a gentleman who collects antique toys and games.
He’s been collecting since the 60’s. He admitted that he does use the internet from time to time, but said he does not like to too much because it takes away from the “thrill of the hunt.”

He described looking for pieces, sometimes for years, at flea markets, yard sales, thrift stores, shows, etc, and finally finding what he was looking for- said finding it on ebay just doesn’t compare. He said the internet has just made it too easy, too convenient, and has taken a lot of the fun out of it. I just started collecting myself, so I have no basis of comparison.

What do you guys think? Has the internet taken from the “thrill of the hunt?” Would you guys even collect gloves, or anything else, if there was no internet?

[Thudhugger]

Growing up in Idaho in a big family, choice was never an option when I would get things. Generally my folks would order from the Sears catalog or go to Montgomery Wards and what we got was what they had. Having the internet opened up a world full of choices that I never had. So for me and my collections the net has been a boon. I still enjoy the thrill of the chase because alot of what I want on the internet is too expensive and I can't convince my wife that I would be better off having spent X-dollars on a 60 yr old item. So I still frequent antique malls and garage sales for bargains.

Bottom line is for me the internet is a nice supplement to the local chase.

thud

[Centerfield]

I completely agree, the hunt has all but disappeared. When someone finds an antique of any kind (a glove for argument's sake), they will immediately list it on eBay and get a true market price for it. It's better for them, so they will continue to do this instead of bringing it to a flea market or having a garage sale where they will either sell it too cheaply or not move it at all because they drastically overpriced it. For the collector, it's a different animal. We can still have fun hunting, but because the game has changed, there will be far fewer success stories. In time, it won't be worth even trying any more. Having said that, the internet has made commodities of collectibles. We can buy whatever we want at any time. That's why sticking to vintage pieces makes things a bit more difficult. The fun is sustained, somewhat, by focusing on rare or unique items. Just my opinion.

[vintagebrett]

Everything goes in cycles - I firmly believe that things will cycle back to antique shows and flea markets in the near future. My dad and I have argued this a couple times but I strongly feel this way. eBay is largest market online for people to sell goods but their decisions over the past 6 months to a year have alienated a lot of people and their business model is moving away from antiques and collectibles to buy it now items. Plus, unless you have a rare or highly desirable glove, the market is terrible on eBay. You'd have a better chance at selling it for a higher price at a show, even if you have to hold onto it for a couple of months.

The May Brimfield show was very well attended and I think buyers much prefer going out on the hunt - that is part of the fun (for me, it's almost better than the actual find). Gas prices seem to have made it a little bit more difficult for dealers to make shows but I think they will start to come back.

The only thing I can see preventing this from happening is the aging dealer community. At the antique shows I frequent, many of the dealers are getting a long in age and probably won't be doing the shows much longer. We'll see if my generation steps up to the plate in this area but I don't see a lot of younger people at antique shows.

[Mike_2007]

Regarding gloves on ebay - I don't seem to find many gloves I'm interested in any more... I have some extra cash to spend and I checked ebay the last couple of weeks - have not even book marked a single glove. For instance, the only USA HOH gloves being listed are crappy ones people are trying to get rid of to buy better gloves.

I would love to be able to "find" nice gloves outside of Ebay but I don't see that happening. Whenever I stop at garage sales all I see is people's junk out on their front lawns - I just don't get out of the car anymore.

So my glove collecting may end soon. I just don't see many interesting gloves anymore. Guys that were collectors who discovered ebay already sold their stuff off. Others are holding on to the good gloves.

[jackwhale]

Nothing beats being able to handle and visually inspect gloves (or anything) rather than just looking at pictures and trying to guess what the actual glove will be like when it arrives. I've been pleasantly surprised and disappointed by my ebay purchases.

In my area it is either ebay or nothing. I have never found an interesting glove at the local (Northern Calif) flea markets or garage sales. I keep looking but mainly find plastic or kid's gloves.

[Cowboy7130]

I agree that the internet got me into the hobby of collecting gloves. More specifically, this forum got me interested in vintage gloves. Now, I am a rookie collector, even though I am a loudmouth on this board. I have purchased mainly lower-priced modern gloves from ebay, but they are still way better than I would find at garage sales or pawn shops or so-called antique shops around here. I think around here, "antique" must mean "junk!"

But my vision for my personal collection has expanded dramatically since I found this forum and the vintage gloves on ebay. I look forward to acquiring some nice Nokona gloves, a couple of examples of the A2000, and a few HOH gloves in the future, as my new job and slightly increased paychecks start accumulating. AND I am beginning to eye those nice split-finger pre-war gloves that show up in the vintage baseaball section.

For me, e-bay and the internet IS the fun part of collecting, so much more so than trudging around in the crummy flea-markets and junk shops around here to find nothing of interest.

[Studboy]

I think they are both a different kind of fun. I'm a flea market/antique show guy myself. I love the "search" for the hidden treasure of the flea markets & around here I still have quite a bit of luck, like Jackwhale said, nothing beats putting the glove on your hand, that's fun! on the other hand, I waste hours & hours on eBay, buying very little, but love checking out all the great gloves eBay folks around the country have dug up, and seeing the big bucks the great gloves turn out. That's fun also, more of a time passer, but fun.