We've used eBay a few times so far. One use of eBay is to monitor what's out there. We won't go after everything that might be worth adding to our collection, but it's worth keeping an eye out for things that shouldn't be on eBay in the first place. And we've already spotted some of those. Sometimes a seller will work with you if you approach them right. One seller agreed to end the auction early and sell to us at a fair price, eliminating the possibility that we could be outbid or hit our bid ceiling and lose the item. That seller also donated some other related items as well as an item a few months later. Another seller was asked to donate or consider ending the bidding early. With bids already placed on the items we were looking at (a set of 14 letters from the early 1840s from a family in an important family in our county) we did not expect much other than to let the seller know of our interest in acquiring the items. Much to our surprise and delight, she happily agreed to end the auction early and donate the letters to us. In turn we agreed that we would transcribe the letters and publish them in some form, which we are working on. Ending an auction early is a can of worms some sellers don't want to open. Ethically, once there are bids placed on something, the seller should not end the auction for the benefit of an bidder. Exceptions would include the discovery of major damage that was previously unnoticed, or problems involving ownership. In our case, the seller who agreed to donate had no problems ending early. She was glad they were going to a good home and not to some reseller or investor or whoever. She was also very upfront with the bidders who inquired as to what happened. For the most part, the bidders were satisfied with the resolution of the transaction: one wanted them because she was doing research on Quakers (the family were Friends) and another said she wanted to buy them so she could donate them to a museum or historical society. For us, they proved to be a very important look at the ways, customs and lives of a noted family in our county. But don't expect people to roll over for you. More often than not they're going to you where you can go. If you're realistic and ask questions, eBay is a good place to at least monitor. Scott D. Peters Research Director/Archivist Ocean County Historical Society 26 Hadley Ave., P.O. Box 2191 Toms River, NJ 08754-2191 (732) 341-1880 [log in to unmask] [log in to unmask] "Telling the Stories of Ocean County" Historically Speaking ALHFAM -FPIPN vice-chair for trivia, errata and miscellany [log in to unmask] "The ordinary distinctions in society are often vague, and imply no just pre-eminence: rank and titles are adventitious things and instead of designating merit or virtue, are frequently the baubles of imbecility, or the sparkling decorations of meretricious pageantry" William Griffith, on behalf, and by order of the New-Jersey Society for promoting the gradual Abolition of Slavery, Twelfth Month (December) 20th, 1803 ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).