I've got to admit that I never intentionally went out looking for marbles for sale.  While it is true that I have always focused on the "offbeat" items that qualify as collectibles, and it has been a constant learning experience, antique and vintage marbles were not something I actively looked for.  Instead, they seemed to find me.  Just about every time I've ended up with marbles to sell, I've found them inside of some larger container or in a box of mixed treasures that I bought as part of a larger lot.

The funny thing is that if you find the right antique marble, you could sell it to a collector for a pretty good profit.  So, I find myself with these old marbles from time to time.  I've been working on learning about them and they are actually pretty interesting once you start reading about them and looking closely at them.  When I've sold them I've usually done it in lots because I just consider myself a novice in this collecting arena.

One of the reasons I am writing this blog is to not only help people find what they are looking for (hopefully something I'm currently selling) but also to help people who may be trying to use eBay as a way to get themselves through some tough times or maybe make some extra money.  My knowledge of marbles is limited, but I can tell you that they are quite collectible, and if you find the right ones, they are also quite valuable.

If you are new to collecting, you may want to check out this excellent glossary of marble terms.  It really helped me out with my first listings.  I may be a novice at marble collecting and selling, but I do know a little about transactions on eBay. If you are a relative newcomer to eBay or collecting marbles, ALWAYS take the time to check out the person doing the selling as well as the product they have listed. There are some people, like me, who do just come across a valuable marble once in a while. I personally, will always take at least four or five extreme close up photos of the marble and point out anything I see that might be an identifying mark or a flaw. Identifying marks might include seams or marks at the top and bottom that look like they might be from production. You should expect at least this much from a seller on eBay.

Also, always check their feedback. Optimally, you will deal with someone who is honest and straight forward about how they came to own the marble or marbles or someone who deals almost exclusively in them (best). Ask as many questions as you need to to get an understanding of what you are bidding on and always feel free to ask for more photos if you need to see them. No seller worth your time will give you a hard time about that.

photo credit: Rex Roof
In general, if the listing only offers blurry photos from far away, just keep moving on and don't waste your time. At best this is a careless seller who doesn't care what the product looks like. At worst, they blurred it intentionally and are trying to hide flaws. You don't want either of these scenarios.

photo credit: alexkerhead
Marbles are one of the collectibles that are just made for a venue like eBay. People from around the world can buy and sell to build their collections to just how they want them to be. Most people you deal with will be honest, decent folks. I can count on one hand the number of disappointing transactions I had out of thousands. You must beware and alert though because in the end it will be you choosing to bid or not to bid on that rare antique marble. Good luck!