#best 09 "Best Shop"

Far and away, Ebay was our most popular store this year.

We've dabbled in past years, squirreling things away to present to the kids for birthdays and holiday gifting. This year, though, we dove in headfirst, finally realizing what a vast resource it is...

Annalise fell in love with Little Toot the tugboat. She wanted the DVD, then the original story (published in 1939), then three sequels; Little Toot Through the Golden Gate, On the Thames, and on the Mississippi. They are all out of print; we paid less than $10 apiece to feed her passion.

Jeremiah became enchanted with technology and gaming this year. Ebay has helped us provide him with lots of cool gadgets and games and systems. I found a sewing machine...less than I would have paid for a lesser machine, retail, and in the box with the manual.

So many of our interests, these days, lead us down paths that are faint and not well-traveled. mainstream stores don't always have the things we want, and going to specialty stores isn't usually within our means. What we find on Ebay seems to truly suit our quirky interests, especially since, as a philosophy, we all like older models and items with a history behind them.

i expect Ebay will be a big part of our 2010, too!=)