Buying Bookmarks

by

Lauren Roberts

The type of bookmarks you like will determine how you will “shop” for them. Beginning collectors tend to start with free bookmarks that libraries, bookstores and other places hand out. But you can also get free ones through the several exchange online exchange forums, and these often come from other countries. A Yahoo group, Collecting Bookmarks, offers the opportunity to talk with and engage in monthly exchanges. Since the members hail from around the world, it is easy to grow your collection with excellent representative examples of other countries’ work.

Another way to trade free bookmarks is to  contact the people who take advantage of Mirage Bookmarks’ Exchange venue. Twenty-eight countries are currently represented by bookmark collectors who are eager to swap bookmarks. They list their e-mail addresses and often their mailing addresses, and provide a short description of what they like and are looking for as well as the language(s) they can speak and write. Anyone is welcome to join the list.

When you want to move beyond the free bookmarks, your choices are more limited and you must use caution. It helps if you have a focus, though it is not necessary. My collection, now hovering around 1,200, is general. I have paper, celluloid, plastic, leather, silk, linen, knitted, silver, aluminum, steel, wood, and other materials. Most of them have been purchased, and most of the ones I purchase come from eBay because although I collect any that interest me I strongly prefer older ones, preferably before 1960, ideally nineteenth- and early-twentieth century.

eBay is, despite changes that have made shopping riskier, still the best place to find bookmarks. The sellers there have more of them and a greater variety than you can find anywhere else. Whether you are looking for new or old, inexpensive or costly they are here. While I will not disclose the ones I am watching or have won or share my buyer name, I will say that this one is one likely to fetch an excellent price for the seller (probably more than I can afford). Another one with a great deal of buyer interest is this celluloid one. It’s a common design—many advertisers used these heart-shaped ones with their logos on them—but it is the first one for this company’s product I have seen since I have been on eBay.
 
Though it’s rare for me to put any sellers on eBay’s Favorite Sellers list, I do have a couple. One of them goes by the name of “thebonescratcher” and he calls himself a “scrimshander.” He uses pre-ban antique piano ivory keys and works scrimshaw images upon them. They are lovely and wonderful, and I am working with him on creating a custom image for bookmarks that will be used as Christmas gifts.

I’ve been on eBay for about five years, and in that period of time there have been dramatic changes. Bookmarks are more popular (and thus able to command higher prices). But it is the recent changes, mostly since January, that have made eBay a higher risk. You can still buy safely, but you must educate yourself. No one will protect you and your money as well as you will. Some safe-buying tips:

Use a buyer name that is not the same as the e-mail address you use to register. People who violate this basic rule and use one of the large free e-mail accounts are easy pickings for scammers.

Use a password composed of letters, symbols and numbers, not necessarily in that order. Don’t make it easy. Write it down and keep it safe.

Sign up for PayPal. While it has its detractors, it is the safest way for buyers to fund their purchases on eBay. (I have occasionally sent checks or money orders, but only if the seller has feedback of 100 percent and a minimum of 300 feedbacks.) If you are worried about security, get a free checking account at a bank that is separate from your main bank. Use it only for PayPal. Transfer money in when you need it. A debit card attached to it will allow you to confirm your address; some sellers require this.

Customize your personal information and site preferences from your “My eBay” page before you do any buying. (These are found on the left side under “My Account.”) I have everything possible turned off since I hate unnecessary mail, but you can choose otherwise. The one preference I do recommend you choose is to not allow SCOs (Second Chance Offers), which are ripe for abuse by scammers and shillers.

Read the articles on their Site Map and Help pages. They contain good information, but in order to learn what is really going on, go to the discussion forums. Before you even consider buying, you should lurk for a minimum of two weeks on the following boards: Bidding, Buyer Central, Trust & Safety, and Seller Central. These forums are where you will get the best and most accurate information about how things really work. You’ll probably be horrified at some of what goes on. Bear in mind that the problems you see here are but a tiny, tiny minority of the total transactions on eBay, most of which go fine. In addition to some rants, idiocy, and troll-ism, you will find excellent advice and generous and knowledgeable eBayers who will give you an comprehensive understanding of all aspects of a transaction. This is an essential step to educated buying and must not be missed.

One of the worst decisions eBay has made recently is to have what they term “Best Match” as the default way to search for items. It is a reward-and-punishment tactic for sellers that does buyers no real good. Avoid it. When you begin your search for bookmarks, you can choose how to view the list of items. Choose “Customize view” and then  choose either Newly Listed (my preference) or Ending Soonest. (At the bottom of the page, you can also change the number of items it displays per page.) Going by Newly Listed gives you the opportunity to place items in which you are interested on your Watch List, part of your My eBay page.

Using your Watch List means you can think about those items while they are live. It is an invaluable device and avoids much buyer remorse. As the auction comes close to ending (within a couple of days or even hours) and you know you want it, you will want to snipe it. Sniping is the technique of bidding once, bidding late and bidding your maximum. Some people do it using a service such as eSnipe, others do it manually. The idea is to decide what the item is worth to you independent of anyone else’s interest. Then in the last minute, place that bid. You’ll either win or you won’t, but you won’t be tempted to bid more than you are wiling to pay.

In order to find bookmarks, you will want to use terms that are likely to bring up what you want. “Bookmark” is the term I use since “bookmarks” brings up more or less (mostly less) of the same thing; the results depend on what the sellers use in their titles. Some people also look under tradecard/trade card since sellers are not always knowledgeable and may use that term. It does mean more searching, though, and I cannot be bothered. If you are seeking a particular type of bookmark (such as Baker’s Cocoa), you might also use the name alone. You’ll have to wade through all items with that name, but those need not be large.

How do you find good sellers or recognize bad ones? Mostly by feedback. While I’ll do glance at feedback percentages, I give them much less credit than the comments. Now I read negative and neutral feedback beginning with Toolhaus, an independent site where anyone's negative and neutral feedback can be checked. In addition to studying what feedback the seller got, I also look at what they left for their buyers and pay special attention to any difficult transactions. I read the comments on both sides to try and determine what really happened. If a seller shows unprofessional temper, the feedback percentage matters not. I don’t bid with that seller. I then go back to eBay and read about one month’s worth (depending on how many there feedbacks there are)—both given and received. I want to know how the positives read, not just that there are positives some of which are so listless they all but shout “Negative!” Doing this takes more work, but you become a more informed buyer and more understanding of the complete picture rather than a single piece of it.

Once you win, pay. If you pay via PayPal and a bank account, know that there will be a hold as with a paper check. Show the seller patience. If you have problems, always contact the seller. (Feedback is voluntary and is not a place to state a problem. It is also the very last thing you do in any transaction.) If an item is not as described or is too late—I tend to give up to a month—PayPal has a dispute process. Use it.

eBay is not, of course, the only site from which to buy bookmarks. On our Bookmark Blogs and Sites page you will find several places where you can purchase them. I recommend them all, but if you are looking specifically for antique ones, check out Daniel Bexfield Antiques, a company that specializes in high quality silver items. Bookmarks are limited (and probably snatched up quickly), but are first rate.

Other places to search for bookmarks (though not many antiques) include Silver Groves, Bath Antiques Online, and Tias. The latter seems to carry many of the same ones you see on eBay but at much higher prices.

What it comes back to is this: eBay, despite its problems is still the best. And you can even look at overseas versions if you want to branch out. There’s the UK version or the Ireland one. There’s also Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, and more since they are now in thirty-seven countries.

It seemed appropriate to me to include IBM’s “Think” bookmark—with the word in 24 languages (including English) at the top of this column. Why? Because while I am encouraging you bookmark lovers to look around and buy what you love, I am also asking you to do it wisely. Don’t buy what you can’t afford. Share what you can. Trade duplicates and give others the opportunity to know your country and share your hobby. But don’t ever take stupid chances with your personal safety or your money.

Think—and have fun!

Bookmark specifications: Think
Dimensions: 7” x 2”
Material: Plastic
Manufacturer: IBM
Date: Mid- to late-twentieth century
Acquired: eBay


Almost since her childhood days of Mother Goose, Lauren has been giving her opinion on books to anyone who will listen. That “talent” eventually took her out of magazine writing and into book reviewing in 2000 for an online review site where she cut her teeth (as well as a few authors). Stints as book editor for her local newspaper and contributing editor to Booklist and Bookmarks magazines has reinforced her belief that she has interesting things to say about books. Lauren shares her home with several significant others including three cats, nearly 1,000 bookmarks and approximately 1,200 books that, whether previously read or not, constitute her to-be-read stack. She is a member of the National Books Critics Circle (NBCC) as well as a longtime book design judge for Publishers Marketing Association’s Benjamin Franklin Awards. Contact Lauren.