December 2008. It was much the same as November. Some decks went for really big cash, some were below average, and there were some real bargains to be had if you were lucky enough or vigilant enough to spot them. Normally there’s a spike in December as loved ones bid on decks for collectors I the family. Let’s face it, they make the perfect gift! They are an unabashed luxury, and skaters often won’t pull the trigger themselves, deciding it’s too frivolous. What a nice surprise under the Xmas tree! However, that really didn’t happen this year. I’m wondering what January, February and March will be like. Normally they are big months because of tax refunds, but this year, who knows? Editor’s note: We’ve made the enlargements pop up in front of the page instead of loading in the same window, thanks to Slimbox 2. This should make for a better reading experience. If it goes over well, I’ll go back and retrofit the past columns. Note to web developers, LightBox 2 doesn’t seem to play nice with long pages. It only took me 2 hours to figure that out. If you experience any errors, please drop an email with…

November 2008. The economy is even worse if that’s possible, but by the look of eBay in November there are still collectors with deep pockets out there. These shitty economic times have dropped some prices, but the truly rare and desirable decks are still going for big money. Where do some of these guys get their cash? Good question. Another good question is why do so many big money collectors come from Australia and New Zealand? Maybe the recession hasn’t hit down there yet. Maybe in 6 months time there’ll be a massive sell of from down there. Who knows? So to underline the trying times I have a new section this month: Bargains of the Month. Take a look and kick yourself. Maybe I’ll do it again, maybe not. Check out eBay Watch: November 2008

Gotta love the midwest. It’s in the middle, you know? I’m not even sure what this is supposed to be, perhaps a practice mega ramp? Or maybe it’s the next big thing in ramp transition technology that will deliver the goods where the elliptical transition fad failed. For a starting bid of a mere $799.99, you can probably own this awesome creation. Don’t believe how awesome it is? Check out the pics and auction description after the jump.

October 2008. The economy is totally in the toilet. The stock market is plummeting by triple figures daily, people are being laid off, and stores are closing. Folks just don’t have the discretionary income that they had even a few months ago, and this is evident on eBay. I’ve never seen a month like this. I was hard pressed to find 40 decks to put on here because so many decks didn’t meet their reserve or had zero bids. Sellers, if you want to sell in this Market you’re going to have to lower your prices, be realistic or you’ll end up paying eBay fees for nothing. Buyers with a few hundred dollars in their pocket are suddenly able to afford decks that were totally out of their price range just 60 days ago. It’s a crazy time. Buckle up because October was a bumpy trip. Check out eBay Watch: October 2008

September 2008. The economy is really starting to contract. The housing market has been sucking for ages, and now banks are failing and the economy is streaking towards recession. Skateboard prices are not immune. They are starting on a downward trend, which will continue for sometime I would imagine. It’s a really good time to buy, not so good if you are a seller. Read eBay Watch: September 2008

August 2008. I’ve tried to focus on some more unusual stuff this month, tried to change things up a bit. And sorry this is late, but I’ve been studying for one of my Apple certification exams, so I haven’t had much spare time. I passed it yesterday though with a score of 98%, so I’m pretty stoked. And the funny thing about August, there were more big-ticket decks in the 70s and 90s sections than in the 80s. Unusual that. Probably a first. Check out eBay Watch: August 2008

July was a pretty status quo month. Nothing went super high, but prices weren’t low either. Lots of stuff went for over a thousand, which is my barometer. Australia is super hot or collecting right now: there’s lots of great decks going that way, and some great collections being put together. I guess the weak dollar is good for something. Check out eBay Watch for July 2008.

I hate it when I get my skate culture tips from the mainstream media. This is the second one today. Remember the guy who was so into Back to the Future that he fabricated his own movie prop skateboards? Well now he can bid on the real fake hoverboard that was used in Back to the Future II, that is if he’s got at least $30,000! That’s no typo, it’s the actual starting bid. If you don’t have an extra 30k laying around, you can always bid on the more recent and reasonably priced replica from the Good Wood auction. Pics after the jump.

Collectors are probably bummed, but guys who just want to ride their favorite old boards again will be stoked, as long those old boards are some of these Santa Cruz re-issues slated to ship in August. These images are from SoCal Skateshop. Get in line now, these will likely sell out fast, and then we can all comment on the ridiculous prices the reissues fetch on eBay. Olson is always mentioning how he didn’t get paid by Santa Cruz in interviews. They must have reached an agreement. Also, I think this pushes Duane Peters over the top as the guy with the most simultaneous decks out on different companies, a record that might have been previously held by Hosoi.

This is exactly the kind of thing that I don’t want diluted by the mere presence of a bunch of skateboard comics. It’s a Beetlejuice Magic Slate with a picture of Beeltejuice on a skateboard. What, no coffin shape? Looks like he’s riding switch. It can be yours for a mere $58 ?!?! You can see the whole thing after the jump, but it’s actually smaller than the shot above.