I love eBay! I also love local shops and do buy what I can from them... Like the Sage I just bought from Sparkey.

eBay is a great way to get expensive items for much less than retail. Last week I bought a 3wt Teton fly reel and extra spool for $120- the reel alone is worth almost $200.

Here's how I bid...

1) Never, ever bid on something more than a couple hours, preferably a few minutes, before the auction is about to end. All that you accomplish by bidding early is that you add to the hype and attention to that particular item which will lead to more bids! Plus, I find if you rebid often you develop auction fever where you're willing to do whatever it takes to win instead objectively looking at the price.

2) When you find something you want to bid on, hit the "watch this item" icon. That way the item will show up in your "my eBay" area and you can watch the progression of many items, not just what you've bid on.