Nathan Scott Epley & Ken Hillis 
Everyday eBay [PDF ebook] 
Culture, Collecting, and Desire

Everyday e Bay is the first scholarly analysis of the internet marketplace that has become a global social, cultural and economic phenomenon. The eighteen new and classic essays gathered here examine e Bay from a wide variety of perspectives as a bellwether of taste and material culture; as a rich site of cultural, racial, and sexual discourse and practice; as an emergent media form; and as a facilitator of global consumerism. From old toys steeped in nostalgia to ‘rare’ limited edition shoes, the contributors demonstrate that value on e Bay is never simply about ‘price’.On any given day, more than two million items are listed for sale on e Bay, from everyday objects to kitsch and collectibles to the truly bizarre. Since its debut ten years ago, e Bay has quickly become a central destination for millions of web browsers. According to e Bay itself, up to 165, 000 Americans now make their living by selling through the website, and other business analysts project that hundreds of thousands of individuals worldwide now make their living through e Bay.