Hunting for Dogs on Ebay (Part One)

July 9, 9:06 PMNewark Dog Care ExaminerJody Weinberg

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Hunting for Dogs on Ebay (Part One)
by Jody D. Weinberg

I knew a gal who collected hippopotamuses. Not the actual animal, but semblances of it through art. Most impressive, not for it's quality but for it's quantity, was her collection of hippopotamus figurines, something she told me had taken her a long time to build. At the time, I didn't appreciate how difficult it had to have been for her to gather such a varied assortment of hippopotamus collectables. Twenty years later, I realize how 'rare' hippopotamus figurines really are, as, since seeing the two dozen or so she possessed, I may have run across three hippopotamus, if that many.

At this writing, you can find 323 hippopotamus collectables on Ebay.com, a thrilling number if you are a hippopotamus lover. As one who appreciates dogs over hippopotamuses, I prefer to use Ebay to collect old books about my favorite animal, as well as breed-specific art. Type the word "dog" into Ebay's search engine (the search feature that hunts the auction website exclusively for matches to your word/s) and you will average over 100,000 results at any given time, all of which are listings of dog items being offered for sale on Ebay. The search is further broken down for you by category.

Today's search for "dog" has yielded the following results, the number of items for sale in each subcategory listed beside them.

In the "Collectibles" category, we have:

Animals (30571)

Decorative Collectibles (2065)

Postcards & Paper (1820)

Holiday, Seasonal (138)

Advertising (888)

Housewares & Kitchenware (767)

Animation Art, Characters (538)

Photographic Images (477)

Militaria (399)

Cultures, Ethnicities (315)

Historical Memorabilia (296)

Disneyana (286)

Tobacciana (281)

Breweriana, Beer (266)

Banks, Registers & Vending (186)

Metalware (168)

Transportation (140)

Comics (124)

Vintage Sewing (119)

Pinbacks, Nodders, Lunchboxes (109)

Linens, Fabric & Textiles (102)

Knives, Swords & Blades (99)

Pez, Keychains, Promo Glasses (99)

Trading Cards (88)

Barware (72)

Clocks (68)

Casino (62)

Vanity, Perfume & Shaving (48)

Lamps, Lighting (45)

Pens & Writing Instruments (44)

Radio, Phonograph, TV, Phone (42)

Rocks, Fossils, Minerals (33)

Bottles & Insulators (32)

Religions, Spirituality (32)

Fantasy, Mythical & Magic (26)

Science Fiction (18)

Tools, Hardware & Locks (16)

Autographs (15)

Science, Medical (15)

Wholesale Lots (8)

Arcade, Jukeboxes & Pinball (4)

Furniture, Appliances & Fans (2)

In "Home & Garden":

Pet Supplies (27153)

Home Decor (1436)

Gardening & Plants (308)

Bedding (238)

Kitchen (218)

Wholesale Lots (194)

Baby (158)

Bath (137)

Rugs & Carpets (136)

Dining & Bar (129)

Food & Wine (100)

Lamps, Lighting, Ceiling Fans (58)

Home Security (31)

Building & Hardware (29)

Housekeeping & Vacuuming (18)

Furniture (17)

Tools (16)

Window Treatments (14)

Patio & Grilling (10)Outdoor Power Equipment (8)

Electrical & Solar (2)

Heating, Cooling & Air (2)

Pools, Spas (2)

The list goes on, the remaining main categories also having their own subcategory lists.

These main categories are:

Jewelry & Watches (7680)

Clothing, Shoes & Accessories (7397)

Toys & Hobbies (7054)

Art (4709)

Books (3510)

DVDs & Movies (2305)

Crafts (2090)

Pottery & Glass (2038)

Music (1944)

Dolls & Bears (1246)

Entertainment Memorabilia (1011)

Everything Else (995)

Sports Mem, Cards & Fan Shop (928)

Sporting Goods (924)

Antiques (917)

Stamps (802)

eBay Motors (617)

Business & Industrial (409)

Video Games (282)

Live Auctions (238)

Computers & Networking (196)

Cell Phones (140)

Coins (130)

Health & Beauty (115)

Musical Instruments (101)

Consumer Electronics (41)

Travel (26)

Cameras & Photo (23)

Gift Certificates (7)

Tickets (5)

Real Estate (1)

Real Estate? What kind of property could one possibly buy and sell on Ebay that has to do with dogs? Answer: a Dog Kennel & Pet Grooming Business w/Residence in LongviewTexas. Bidding starts at $349,950.00.

The above results came from one general search using the word 'dog'. Had I searched for types of dogs, such as "hunting dog/s" or a specific breed, I would get many other results depending on what words I used. Ebay also allows you to search the auction descriptions for key words and doing so gives you an even wider set of results! 

My search was done on the "original" American Ebay website Ebay.com. For people who prefer to buy and/or sell in Australia, there is 'eBay AU' (www.ebay.com.au), offering an entirely different item selection of items, and like the U.S. site, a selection that constantly changes. You can also scroll to the bottom of either Ebay Home page and find links to Ebay in Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. With all the ways to search Ebay and all the locations to do so, you are sure to find any and every kind of dog collectable, and to sell your own with ease!

So what exactly IS Ebay and why use it to buy and sell your canine collectibles?

Well, let's start with what Ebay is. Ebay is a website (ebay.com) and according to the company itself, is "The World's Online Marketplace® for the sale of goods and services by a diverse community of individuals and small businesses." Millions of items can be found listed for sale on Ebay every day.  With more than a hundred million registered members from around the world using the service, it is quite a popular website, to say the least. In fact, people spend more time on Ebay than on any other website in the world, making Ebay.com the most popular shopping destination on the Internet. Described as "a global trading platform where practically anyone can trade practically anything", Ebay is the place to buy and sell your canine collectibles, as well as anything else you might imagine.

Now, why should you use Ebay to buy and/or sell canine collectibles?

The obvious draw to anyone, buyer or seller, is the enormous amount of web traffic (website visitors) Ebay has. This makes Ebay.com the perfect place to expand your collections and/or help others build theirs. Because Ebay is open 24-hours a day, seven days a week, and auctions (which include the instant 'Buy It Now' format of purchasing) constantly open and close, one can browse through the listings whenever and wherever it's convenient for them, buying and selling whenever they want. To have access to such an enormous supply of unique, often original, hard-to-find collectibles, many items that you would certainly never find elsewhere, is truly exciting. Not to mention the opportunity to reach millions upon millions of buyers....

New Jersey local Dennis Glennon of DennisGlennon.com started selling his natural dog photography on Ebay in 1999. Initially, he listed three prints in separate auctions and categories. They all sold well and during their run, he tracked the hits for each auction, the tracking feature being a free service that allows you to see how many different people are looking at your auction listing. The amount of traffic his auctions were generating in one day was more that his website was doing in a month, and Dennis realized how advantageous Ebay could be for him to promote his work and his website, something he took full advantage of. “I offered prints for sale at the very same pricing given on my website and people gladly bought them. These people wouldn’t have seen my work otherwise because they were Ebay regulars. They went to my website right from the auction pages and bought more of my work privately.” Years later, both Ebay.com and DennisGlennon.com have grown tremendously and Dennis Glennon attributes the exposure he got on Ebay to much of his website success.

One doesn't need a website, however, to operate a business in cyberspace. Ebay offers members the opportunity to open up an Ebay Store where one can feature and sell all their work and wares! My next article will explain how Ebay Stores work and why they can be very valuable to anyone wishing to sell collectibles, or sell just about anything else! In the meantime, let me further explain how Ebay works.

How Ebay Works:

Ebay offers buyers the option to purchase items in an auction-style format or at a fixed price through a feature called 'Buy It Now'. Which format is used is determined by the seller. Both auction-style and BIN (Buy It Now) listings allow the seller to fully describe their item and display photographs of it. Buyers can contact the seller before the listing's end to inquire about an item should they desire additional information. Online payment services make transactions between buyers and sellers easy, and Ebay's unique Feedback Program greatly reduces the risk of buying from a dishonest seller or selling to an unreliable buyer. For each transaction, the buyer and seller are allowed to rate each other by leaving feedback. Each feedback left consists of a rating (positive, negative, or neutral), and a short comment. These member-to-member comments, which are made public for all to read, help build trust and, as a result of this program, prevent problems between buyers and sellers. One can certainly feel secure trading on Ebay.

Ebay also offers a wide variety of educational tools such as online tutorials and other helpful features and services that provide information and enable members to buy and sell quickly, safely, and conveniently. Tips on safe trading, an Ebay Community, and free member forums (online discussion/message boards) are active at all times so you can learn, at your own pace, how to buy and sell on Ebay.

In the last ten years I’ve been buying and selling everything from an antique English horse brass with my favorite breed on it to fertilizer made with dog poop. Using Ebay has been fun, creative, exciting and profitable. My collection of old books has expanded enormously and my bank account has also grown from selling vintage prints and dog images. I’ve introduced many people to the website and they have come away captivated by it’s magic. Yes, Ebay is a magical place. Again, imagine having access to an immense, practically endless supply of unique, often original, hard-to-find collectibles, many items that you would certainly never find elsewhere. And imagine having access to all those buyers…

I hope this article inspires you to explore Ebay if you haven’t already. Whether it’s hounds or hippopotamuses you collect, your next great find can be found on Ebay.