Friday, March 13, 2009

The Ebay Experience

I have been looking for a Garmin per every one's recommendation that I get one. After last weekend when my Nike + told me I ran 17.5 miles and I only had run 15 I was sad. I knew that I was reaching beyond the Nike + with my mileage. I also found some good deals on craigslist and was in the process of emailing people about them, and thought I had found one and was going to get it shipped to me. I had emailed back and forth with the guy for a while and he kept telling me he was going to ship it and then got to busy. Well you see, I am a little impatient. I do understand that work does get in the way, and life can be busy, but if I was trying to sell something and had a buyer I would have taken care of it right away. Yesterday I did a little searching around and found some Garmin 305s on eBay. So I have never bought anything off eBay, nor did I really understand how it worked.

I 'watched' the Garmin I wanted yesterday by checking in on it every hour. Then it became down to the minutes. I let it go down to 5 minutes and then I didn't really know what to do. I wanted to be the highest bidder but I didn't want to unnecessarily up the price and let the other buyer that someone else was interested. Sneaky I know.

Then it came down to a minute. My heart was pounding out of my chest. I was so worried that I wouldn't get my bid in or I would be outbid. I placed my first bid with 48 seconds left. Then it immediately said I was outbid. I quickly typed in $135.00, then it said Auction ended. It also said that I had won the item! My heart seriously felt like it was having an attack. It was racing, but I had won and I was going to be a proud owner of a Garmin. Finally. Now I must think of a name for my new child. (and if my creative director from work sees this picture he's going to KILL himself... he always makes fun of my not really there photoshop skills. I am waiting for him to laugh at his desk)

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Overall now that I've used eBay I think it's pretty cool, I got a way better deal and free shipping. It wasn't hard to figure out and I had to wait till the auction ended but I still won so that was exciting. I will have to find out more about using eBay.

On another note, last night I ran a whopping 2 miles at 8:30 pace and right before I got home I stepped in a huge pile of dog poop. I was trying to get home quick before it was dark and SPLAT poop all over. After cleaning my shoe, I then did some cross training, including my 300 sit ups and my 50 push ups. I really am starting to feel my arms get stronger. I usually do push ups up against the couch because I feel like I tighten my abs more while I'm doing it.

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These were taken on my run. Yup, again confirmed that I love where I live. The picture with the water is the little harbor right off the ocean by my house. Hope everyone has a great weekend and I can't wait for my Garmin to arrive so I can try it out and realize how slow I was running this entire time while my Nike+ was lying to me.
xoxo

61 comments:

jaime said...

Congrats on the Garmin purchase! I LOVE ebay and totally understand that feeling. I had the same feeling when I bought my two wedding dresses on ebay. One was purchased while I was at work (and in the office), the other one involved my best friend doing the bidding for me, so I could win the dress :)

Alisa said...

Oooooo Garmin! Now he/she needs a name! Mine is just "G"...not sure what "G" stands for yet.

I love where you live to. If only I could find a job down there I would be there in a heartbeat!!

Jess said...

Ohhh fun! Congrats on winning the Garmin!!!

Maddy said...

Glad to hear you're graduating from Nike+ to Garmin

I love that for your very first ebay purchase you sniped someone!

I love ebay!

I agree with Alisa, it needs a name. Mine is named Speedy Garm-zalez.

Anonymous said...

Oooh i am an ebay fanatic too! I just got an ipod shuffle for $22.50 and i'm bidding on a Garmin Forerunner 50 that's currently up to around $40 (plus $10 shipping and handling)

I get most of my running gear off ebay too. Some new, some used but nothin' a washer and dryer won't fix =) Just have to be careful and make sure you read sellers' ratings and reviews before you bid.

Enjoy the new garmin! Let us know how it works for you!

Sassy Sarah said...

I'm excited to hear how you like the Garmin. I have been wanting to get one, just hate the price tag!

Niki said...

Congrats on winning the Garmin! Watch out, Ebay can be addicting:) You do live in a beautiful area! I wish I lived there!

Jodi said...

ha ha ha I LOVE the picture! You and your new baby :) Congrats on your new purchase. Hope it treats you better than your Nike+ and never lies to you!

Abbie said...

I LOVE Ebay! I even sell stuff on it because I don't live where I can have a great garage sale. You should try using Ebates, too-- and then you'd get 3% cash back on your Ebay purchases. I've become obsessed.

BTW... When my Nike+ gave me an incorrect mileage, I realized that my weight was not entered in it correctly. It was more accurate when I updated it. Just a thought...

Congrats on your new "baby"!

Candice said...

Congratulations on your Garmin! My husband has the same one, and so far it has worked great for us. It's so dependable. I really want my own, but we never run without each other, so I'm afraid it might be an unnecessary purhcase.

I am just like you when it comes to ebay. I've only bought a couple of things on there...and both times I was so stressed out as the minutes ticked away! I'm so excited for you!

Anonymous said...

LMAO LOVE that pic! Hilarious! I am going to throw some names out there..

Gus
Gwen
Gladis
Giuseppe
Grover

hmm...yeah that's it...lol

Nice job on the run!

X-Country2 said...

Love your eBay story. That's totally how they get ya hooked.

Hopefully you and the Garmin will be very happy together.

Kristin @ The Southern Summer said...

LOL

A) Dog poo sucks, especially when stepped in.
B) I feel ya with the Nike+, so glad you are joining the Garmin cult. You'll never want to leave!

Sarah said...

Yeah for Garmin! I got one for Christmas and LOVE it! My husband got mine on e-bay too. :)

Anonymous said...

congrats on the garm, i gotta say its the way to go. nice work on the ebaying too, you keep that up you're gonna need a heart transplant at 32.

Being Robinson said...

welcome to the world of garmin, it is quite fabulous! i had to break up with my nike plus recently, just doesn't compare to the garmin.

Running Through Life said...

Congrats on the Garmin! I have the same one and love it, I can't imaging running w/out it actually.

Sorry to hear about the unfortunate pile you stepped in (lol).

Sasha said...

You will LOVE the garmin- I can't run outside w/out mine!

I need HELP! I signed up for an 8K tomorrow morning, and it's going to be COLD! I've never run in 38 degree weather before!

I should tell you that I hate being hot- I get sick at my stomach. But the last time I ran in the 45ish degree weather in my sleeveless shirt and shorts, I got frostbite on two fingers... well, almost! So I am not sure how to balance not freezing with being just the right amount of warm.

I am going to Target in a few hours- I guess I will buy some running pants???? HELP!

barelytogether at yahoo dot com

Bootchez said...

I got a Garmin a few months ago, and within 20 minutes I was all, Nike who? It's awesome, and you'll love it. I named mine Gary, first for the obvious "Letter G" reason and second because I was once stalked by a man named Gary and, like him, the Garmin *knows every thing I do* -- but without the scary creepiness.

Leila said...

yay! congrats on your new purchase. i thought of you yesterday when i found not 1 but 2 quarters on my walk from my office to the restrooms on my floor at work. scooped those up and put them in my change pile! :)

Aron said...

YAY!!!! I usually just stick to "buy it now" on ebay because those auctions get me all worked up!! :)

sorry about the dog poo :( exactly why I carry bags with me, and even though it sucks to run with a bag of poo I know my dogs are causing people to step in it :)

Unknown said...

Gorgeous sunset!
Garmin sounds like a good purchase. I love ebay!

Jenn said...

I can't wait for the review! I am suffering from Garmin envy...
Also, if you get to addicted to ebay, just move to Canada - less selection, and shipping costs make it way more expensive ;)

ShutUpandRun said...

Congrats on your ebay win. I can never seem to be the last one to bid. I just bought a Forerunner 205, same as yours but w/o the heart monitor. I LOVE LOVE it and have also been trying to think of a name for mine. Nice pics, you have a beautiful place to run!

Oz Runner said...

those pics are great, yes you are lucky to live where you do.....

I have been really thinking about getting a Garmin too, my Nike+ just doesn't seem accurate enough....sounds like you got a great deal, I love ebay....you'll have to share how you like it once you try it out....

Billy said...

You're gonna LOVE it girl. Congrats on the purchase

..although now I'm a bit jealous given that I've been eyeing a 305 or 405 as well.

Anonymous said...

ahhh, I'm so jealous! I want the Garmin 305 so bad.....maybe I'll check out EBay....

jlc said...

Ahhh that's AWESOME! Congrats!! I never win anything. Haha.


Hmm somehow the view during my run today did NOT look the same as yours. ;)

http://gokristen.wordpress.com said...

Ok, I have a secret with the eBay listing...shhh...HUGE secret..

It's the last minute of the auction, instead of raising your bid by a couple of bucks, you put in a huge number..in your case...something like $200.
That way, people will keep putting their $2 bids in and you will always be on top since that is your MAX...then the auction ends and you still get a low price and you win!

Like I said...shhhhh...if everyone knows about this...it won't work...

Susan said...

I love love love my garmin...and you will too! Congrats on the ebay win!

Middalia Wayman said...

congrats on the Garmin. I had a similar experience with Nike +, it was really great until recently. I bought a new sesor, calibrated it and just can't get it to be anywhere near accurate, especially on longer or faster runs. I have had my garmin for two weeks and still can't think of a good name.

Run Sarah said...

I want a Garmin, and thats a great price! Gorgeous photos, too.

Lindsay said...

haha my nike+ sucks too! i usually have to map my run also to double check. i've gotten it to work OK on my regular/easy days but as soon as i try to do anything remotely quicker it tells me i haven't ran as far as i have. (like in races... it'll be over a mile short... pretty sure the race course would not be off that much!)

anyway congrats on the purchase and what a great bargain!

oh and i'm not sure which is better - your photoshopping skills or your stick-person-drawing skills? ;)

Rainmaker said...

Very cool, welcome to the club! Definitely check out Sports Tracks (just Google it), to use with it. It's free and is way better than the Garmin Training Center stuff.

Christine said...

I bought my Garmy on ebay too and it worked out great. YOu will be in loveeee! The 305 is the best one too (if you were considering 405)..def be glad you got the 305.

h-bomb said...

i love ebay these days, you can find nike tempo shorts for way cheaper too!

Marcy said...

Girl you so crazy with that pic! HAHAHAAA That's hee-larious!

Ohhh be careful with eBay. That whole heart racing, OMG am I going to win this bid thing gets addicting LOL.

Welcome to the Churchy Of Garmin. You will love it and wonder what the hells you did without it LOL

Nicole said...

those pictures are beautiful! i'm obsessed with buying things on ebay because your heart races and you get super excited!!!!

I'm happy that you won the garmin! let me know how you like it!!! :)

Run For Life said...

Congrats on winning the Garmin, I love the photoshop pic! Beauuuutiful scenery shots, too. :)

kristen said...

how in the world has someone as hip as you never bought anything on ebay? My heart always races too.

runjen said...

You will NOT be disappointed w/ your Garmin. I got mine for Christmas and am Obsessed with a capital O!

Chasity @ Haute Mommy Blog said...

You'll get addicted to ebay. And your Garmin!

Did you design your blog layout and title photo and all that yourself? It looks really great!

~Mrs. Guru~ said...

Such a beautiful place to run!

Denise said...

Congrats on your first ebay purchase. It can be addicting! I try to stick with just selling and no buying!

Sorry about the dog poo, but it made me laugh!

Lily on the Road said...

Gosh, that's a pretty big Garmin, you sure it won't slow you down? LOL...

Glad you got one!

Anonymous said...

I bought my Garmin 205 on ebay for $135 in Aug. I am jealous because I am already looking at the 305's. You got a great deal because Amazon had them $185 which I thought was a steal! You will have a love-hate relationship with the garmin but, I know the 305 is better than the one I have. Sounds like it will be MUCH better than the Nike plus (I almost got one of those too!)

Anonymous said...

The picture of you and the Garmin made me smile. I hope you enjoy it. Nice win on ebay!

Perfectly Imperfect said...

Your picture with you and the Garmin just made my day! So funny!

And I actually have one and love it! You will never go to anything else now...

And Ebay is addicting! Hope you found a new love for it!!

Amy - the gazelle said...

congrats on the Garmin & the Ebay success! It definitely needs a name - I didn't name mine, an dthen he ran away!

Eric said...

good job and congrats I know that feeling happend to me when I was able to sign in for IM Arizona great feeling

Unknown said...

Gorgeous pics, and hilarious one of you giving the Garmin some love. I just got a Garmin and love it!

N.D. said...

I have the Nike + and it SUCKS that it is so inaccurate. I just lost my sensor for it. That garmin pick is adorable!! Glad you won it! A name - hmm. For some reason I like the name frogger.
Enjoy it! and I totally know what you mean about people not taking care of things. I hate that.

Rick said...

I think there's an upgrade for your Garmin which will tell you where any dog poop is. It's costly, but well worth it.

Brandi said...

Congrats on the Garmin!! That is on my wish list! I get so aggravated with my Nike +!!

Beautiful pics too! So jealous of what you get to see everyday! I would love to live near the ocean!

rinusrunning said...

Congrats and a nice Garmin 305, goodluck and i think you run faster now ;-).
Rinus.
www.rinusrunning.punt.nl

Laurel said...

Ooooh, have fun with your new toy!

I Love Your Whole Face said...

You are going to love your garmin. I bought my 305, two years ago and it is my best friend! :-) I wore it through two marathons and it is the best.

Stuart said...

Welcome to the Garmin clan....now you'll be really hooked!

melinda said...

Ah, I am so jealous! Congrats on the Garmin and welcome to the wonderful world of ebay!!!

Melanie said...

I remember feeling the EXACT same way the first time I bid on something on ebay and won!

christine said...

I would love to have one of those! I only have a MyMio and it's great but I never know my mileage.

ps- where did you get that cute dress? I have been looking for a nice simple black sweater dress foreverr!