According to Wikipedia, in 1997, the first item that ever sold on eBay was a broken laser pointer for $14.83. After the winning bidder was contacted to make sure he understood that the laser pointer was broken. The buyer’s response: “I’m a collector of broken laser pointers.”

From that point on, we should have known that this new idea in the world of selling in an auction format over the Internet would be one of the most talked about concepts, and one of the most popular.

And just as I remember where I was when the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI, where I was sitting during the 9/11 tragedy, as crazy as it may sound, I actually remember what I was doing when I was first introduced to eBay.

I also remember eBay being basically the same as I view it today. Don’t get me wrong, however, there have been some subtle changes. During eBay’s infancy, you would have a better chance of finding an auction selling 10 broken laser pointers than a listing that accompanied an image of the item being sold. Of course, that has all changed now. I would have to think that the advent of small, user-friendly and affordable digital cameras and scanners has had a lot to do with that.

The idea of fraud was much more prevalent 10 years ago on eBay than it is now. To my knowledge, eBay did very little to prevent criminal acts, such as selling fake designer clothes and jewelry. Sellers who took part in shill bidding were rampant in the late 1990s, and although fake autographs are still a problem, eBay is now actively pursuing ways to educate collectors on how to help ensure that potential buyers are purchasing authentic items.

Then came Paypal. I remember someone who bought an item from me on eBay actually sending me three one hundred dollar bills in an envelope about seven years ago. Paypal is just a bit more secure than that – actually, it is probably the most secure form of purchasing an item over the Internet.

I’m so sick of hearing all the Paypal haters out there. You come up with a better idea on how to accept payments on eBay and I will listen. Just because eBay now owns Paypal and it takes about a 3-percent cut out of the final price shouldn’t give haters a legit reason to be up in arms.

Paypal’s rules are fair, and the percentage it takes is really no different than what credit card companies take from merchants who receive those types of payments. Also, by accepting Paypal, the seller is enabling a buyer to feel secure about a potential eBay purchase. Sellers very well might make more than that 3-percent charge on the final realized price because they take the safe Paypal method.

OK, now that you’re all warm and fuzzy after reading until this point, there are still a few things I still have a beef with eBay about, and have for years.

eBay has become labeled as a “wholesale market.” Those are the last two words a seller wants to hear about a sales venue they are thinking about selling their items through.

It wasn’t always this way, however. Five to 10 years ago, eBay wasn’t only not a wholesale-type outfit. In general you could get more money for collectibles than anywhere else.

Not anymore. Major auction houses have taken over, and if you are willing to wait a few months to get paid for an item, major auction houses are usually the best place to go.

For a year or two now, I’ve heard eBay is trying to go with more of a “fixed-price” setup for listings, kind of like Amazon.com. I really like the auction format that eBay has lived by for so many years. If I want to buy an electronic device at a fixed price, I will go to Amazon. If I want the thrill of an online auction, I’ll go to eBay. Period.

Also, I still am getting about 10 eBay phishing e-mails every week. I actually fell for one of these scams when hackers first started doing this a few years ago. Obviously, I learned my lesson after my entire eBay and Paypal accounts were compromised, but if I still get that many, people must still be falling for these.

Unfortunately, these scams deter many people from diving into the world of online commerce. These people may be our buyers and sellers of quality material.

Let me stress, no matter how much eBay bashing I hear, I still feel the positives far outweigh he negatives.

Where else can you buy an item at a garage sale for a dollar, list it that night and have the profit in your bank account four days later?

I’ve learned a lot about business since eBay started more than 10 years ago. I’ve become pretty darn savvy with a digital camera, know the ins and outs of the U.S. Postal system and can type about 40 words a minute, despite never taking a keyboarding class.

I attribute all of this to my time spent on eBay. One thing I will never figure out is why that guy collects broken laser pointers.
That’s eBay for you, I guess.