How to Buy Scouting Collectibles
Most collectors get started by trading; simply swapping one patch for another with a fellow scout at a camp, trade-o-ree, etc. But as a your collection develops, there may come a point where what you’re looking for is hard to find in your immediate trading circles. When you find a desired item online, the person who owns it may not want to trade for it, but is offering the item for sale instead.
As you may not be used to buying Scouting collectibles, the following are some guidelines particularly with respect to buying from auctions.
Auction Basics
In general, most collectibles offered for sale on the Internet are offered through auctions. Many of these items do not have established market values. The people offering and wanting the item are also generally removed geographically. What ever the source, buying at auction has become a common practice for most collectors. We aim to answer the questions for the first time bidders and online collectors.
With the wide use of the internet, most offerings are 'virtual' on the web. The better ones will do the extra work to provide meaningful suggested minimum bids. In this way you can assess whether an item is within your budget as well as not substantially overpay for an item. You choose the item(s) you are interested in and a submit bid (offer) for what you will pay for the item. If someone bids more, they will be the winner. If you bid the most, then you will win the auction.
There are a couple of important facts you must know about auctions before you proceed. First, your bid is an obligation to buy. If you bid it, you must be prepared to pay for it if you are the high bidder. On the other side, the person putting an item up for auction is responsible for the authenticity of the item. If an item is not as the one that was cataloged, then you should receive a full refund.
When the auction is over you will be sent an notice of your winning bids. You do not need to call to find out your winnings. After receiving your notice of your winning bid, promptly send in your payment. Include your name and address and the list of items. Your items should be sent within the next week although it is proper to expect that personal checks can take a while to clear through the banks. In this case your items may be held until your check clears.
Buying items on The Scouting Memorabilia Collectors Network
The Scouting Memorabilia Collectors Network’s auctions are powered by eBay. Simply browse the items offered for sale on our site and submit a bid on the eBay page for that item. Once you have submitted your bid, the standard eBay auction applies, which is basically the standard online auction process outlined above.