A look at the winning entries

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  jptruss

  

  My favourite eBay purchase:

  A designer diaper bag for me and my little one. It is grey and green and oh so stylish, but not too girly so Daddy can hold it too. I searched and searched, and bid and bid and finally got the one that I wanted.

  Why I’m a brilliant eBay buyer:

  I use eBay to find stuff that I can't get at home. Sometimes stylish things don't always make it this far north, so it is nice to have the opportunity to shop for items from all over the world. As well, if someone has something that they no longer need, I love the fact that they can pass it on to me to be reused and make money at the same time. I am a brilliant buyer, because I buy from brilliant sellers!!

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• 

  valeriec00

  

  My favourite eBay purchase:

  My favourite eBay purchase is the decorations for my wedding. My wedding is in the fall and working part time forced me to really find bargain deals. I found many decorations at a fraction of the cost. Our day doesn't have to look cheap just because we don't have a lot of money. Every pay I purchase something for the wedding. My next purchase is a chocolate fountain for my desserts. No one has to know that we don't have a lot of money. eBay lets me get the things I need for less.

  Why I’m a brilliant eBay buyer:

  I think I am a brilliant eBayer because I have talked to many of my friends that have been married and have paid ridiculous prices and I get the same products (or better) for a fraction of what they have paid. My wedding is going to be so beautiful and it's all thanks to eBay. Without a place to sell and trade great products for great prices I would never have been able to decorate my wedding the way I have always dreamed. My fiance cannot believe how much I am saving us by doing a "little seat work" at the computer every night. It takes time and patience to find the things I need, but it's also fun. It gives me ideas not only for my wedding, but also ways I can make money by selling stuff on eBay as well. I am a new Teacher waiting on a job and every now and then I wander through eBay looking for great tools and materials that I can use in the classroom. I can be on eBay for hours and I never get bored searching for that "bargain". The search engine is great for finding everything I need from decorations, crafts, electronics, clothing, tools, and pretty much anything you can think of. If you've thought of it, you can be sure someone else has too!

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• 

  northsnowpuff

  

  My favourite eBay purchase:

  My favourite purchase in the last little while would have to be mini orange tree seeds. I recently received them but think they are the neatest thing. Who thought you could grow a mini orange tree in a pot that actually produces mini oranges? I just planted them in a small pot to start and have them on my window sill; the listing tells me that it takes about 4 weeks for germination so we'll see what happens!

  Why I’m a brilliant eBay buyer:

  I'm a brilliant eBay buyer because I'm actually keeping my small North-western Ontario clothing store running with the deals I find on eBay. Tough economic times, high shipping costs, and duty issues made me realize that eBay connects me to a wider supplier base than just Canada and the USA. Plus size clothing is very hard to find inside Canada and eBay connects me to individuals as well as wholesalers that I wouldn't normally be able to find. When times get tough on my off months I don't hesitate to list items I have in my store to pay for new stock or to help with any shortage I might have that month. Almost 99% of the jewellery and accessories I sell in my store are purchased on eBay. I'm also a jewellery hobbyist; I like to put together jewellery with the different beads, charms, and supplies I find on eBay. I often sell my designs at my store and people love them. Living in a small northern community makes it hard to get the specific beads I'm looking for. We only have a very small bead section in a very small craft store that caters to quilters. So, I purchase all my jewellery making supplies on eBay to support my hobby.

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• 

  mizzfitnezz

  

  My favourite eBay purchase:

  My Enid Blyton collection of hardcover storybooks.

  Why I’m a brilliant eBay buyer:

  Though my boys are only 3mths and 22mths I am working on building them a fantastic library of books much like I had as a child. I want them to have HUGE imaginations. The kind that come from reading fairytales and living in innocence. Kids grow up so quickly, so before the reality of life hits them, I'd like them to experience the things for which I still have fond childhood memories.
  
  I'd like them to read endlessly and then play in their back yard and look for pixies and goblins as they relive each story. I'd like them to fall asleep and dream of flying to a new land each day as in Enid Blyton's Magic Faraway Tree. I'd like them to grow into young men with BIG imaginations. The kind that great inventions are born from.
  
  So each day, I search for books to complete the first phase of their library, which is over 300 books so far. The Enid Blytons are some of my favourites and I seek them out each day. This is now a hobby for me and I bid fiercely on those lots that contain prized missing books to my collection. I have not yet lost an auction and will "buy it now" to ensure I get exactly what I need without spending unnecessarily or ending up with duplicates.
  
  Each purchase is paid for in prompt fashion and if anything should go wrong (as has happened only once), I'll work things out with the seller in an effort to secure the "collectable" and make sure that the item is promptly paid for. Sellers have now offered to keep an eye open for anything I need to add to my collection. Talk about supporting a buyer.
  
  Reading will always play a crucial part in my children's development and as long as there are books, I'll be an avid eBayer and brilliant shopper, searching for and securing the rare treasures that I can only find the world over, here on eBay.

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• 

  blazercop38

  

  My favourite eBay purchase:

  I recently bought a batch of 24 washable diapers made of bamboo. It's the most environmentally friendly and the most economical purchase that I have made so far. I have also made some practical purchases for my work and for gifts. The batch of diapers remains my best purchase and I promote it to everyone around me as I believe to have made the best choice for my family and for my son's future.

  Why I’m a brilliant eBay buyer:

  If I had bought the item locally, it would have cost between $600 to $700, but thanks to eBay, I found the same item for one third of the price, i.e. $200. And on top of saving money, I contributed to the environment.
  
  After doing some research on the Internet, I found out that a baby uses a lot of diapers during their young life. Disposable diapers take almost a century to decompose and they're expensive. On the other hand, bamboo decomposes in a quarter of that time and bamboo plants can be renewed rapidly compared to other materials. Moreover, since bamboo diapers are washable, we save on quantity. Not only do they take less time to decompose, we use less of them. On my part, that's 24 diapers instead of hundreds.

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