Well, now I've done it! I should probably just go on and join FaceBook while I'm being all 21st Century!
Yes, I've won a bid on eBayUK. Sigh. Bad enough AmazonUK has become my go-to shopping site, but blimey, eBay?!
I didn't mean to do it. I actually forgot I'd placed a bid. When eBayUK reminded me with a 'congrats, you're winning!' email a few days ago I was mortified I'd A-place the damn bid, and B-forgot all about it and didn't retract it when I had the chance. I did figure the other bidder would win and, er, put it to the back of my mind.
And then this morning the swell news arrived to the inbox that yippee, I won.
DH took it pretty well considering. I negotiated the payment page and got the confirmation emails that my item will be arriving next week (slow boat from Cheltenham, excuse me?! At that postage price, sheesh!).
What did I win? Well, tbh, I did make out like a bandit - if you ask me. For the unprincely sum of £10 (winning bid, the 2nd class postage is another £5.50. From Cheltenham. How heavy is this thing??!!) I've acquired an Elbesee Posilock floor stand. With hoops. 'Like New - Hardly Used'. So now I can sit on the sofa and embroider my brains out.
Ahem. The reason I'm mortified, aside from forgetting I'd placed the bid? And then won it?
Because immediately after placing the bid I found what I was REALLY looking for on AmazonUK. Brand new. For £13 including postage and packing (and wow did Stitch Craft Create pack that well!)
Er, was what I was looking for a floor stand fancy-schmancy embroidery hoop-frame thingy that retails over here for £35+? No.
What I was REALLY looking for when I strayed accidentally onto eBayUK was a lap stand with frame. Or without - the only reason I went looking on eBay was because I couldn't find a reasonably priced lap stand on AmazonUK. My bad, after perusing eBayUK I realised I was using the wrong search term on AmazonUK. So after placing the eBay bid - which yes, did involve setting up an eBay account so it is a stretch to imagine I forgot doing so - I went back to AmazonUK and used the correct search term.
Which of course brought me straight to what I was really looking for. And at that price (£13 including p&p - this stand retails for £25+p&p elsewhere), well long story short it was in my trolley and I was checking out before the seller could raise the price, hahahahaha!
And it arrived (wow was it well packed!) and after ripping the wrapping (several layers of bubble-wrap and paper and more bubble-wrap and more paper and more...) had that puppy set up and was stitching merrily away within ten minutes.
***Little sidebar moment here. I wrote my glowing review of the stand and the seller doubled the price within 24h of my review being published.***
About AmazonUK. And now eBayUK. I'd far rather patronise local shops for everything including my crafty-sewing-embroidery-reading-other necessities. I'd be over the moon if I could find things even as 'far off' as Dundee (about 15 miles south). But I can't. The few things I can find locally are so bleeding expensive my DH goes all Delta Rocket on me. (can't blame him, really)
So a few years ago I went looking on AmazonUK after a friend told me about used books at amazing prices, and I was hooked when I found a proper vacuum for half the price the local shop wanted even with postage and packing figured in. I've done so well with my AmazonUK purchases DH now says 'Well, can you find it at a better price on Amazon?' and 'Will you order this for me please, I'll send you the link.'
But not eBay, oh no, not me, I'll never buy anything on eBay - sounding for all the world a right proper snob. Elitist. Heh.
I wonder, should I bid three GBPs higher on the quilt floor stand, or just one? Flushed with bidding success, I have my account watching the quilting frame floor stand that expands wide enough to hand quilt even a super king quilt...
Sigh.
