Matt,
Our Museum has acquired several things from Ebay, but more often I use it to
get an idea of what insurance value to assign collections as well as
determine what vocabulary to use or how to date certain items.  Sometimes
Ebay sellers don't know what they have, but sometimes they are collectors
who would, say, know the difference between a fly reel, a baitcasting reel,
and a surfcasting reel and from there I can search the internet or other
resources for more specialized info using those terms. The way we have
handled purchases is to have a staff member purchase a desired item
personally.  Museum policy requires staff not to compete with Museum
collecting interests, so the staff member offers the item to the Museum at
the purchase price and the acquisition happens that way.  In our community,
however, there are several keen collectors of local history who compete for
items on eBay and it is not necessarily the best place for us to acquire
things for our collections.  Not only do the local collectors drive up the
price, but I think there is the potential to frustrate those people whose
collections might eventually come to the Museum if diplomacy and luck are on
our side.

Ellen Carrlee
Curator of Collections and Exhibits
Juneau-Douglas City Museum

>-----Original Message-----
>From: Matt Mayberry [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
>Sent: Friday, March 19, 2004 2:43 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: True eBay Confessions
>
>
>I'm writing an article for History News about museums and eBay
>(and other
>online auction sites). Anyone care to share your experiences
>with me?  I'm
>looking for good and bad, acquisition and deaccession,
>policies that you
>may have been adopted, and other ways in which museums and
>their staff have
>responded to this cultural phenomenon.  Many thanks!
>
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