Shopping online at EBay can be a simple task for everyday items and even some collectibles. Other times, it can be a frustrating chore at best. Items that are frequently collected by the masses, items that were not mass produced, or some that were, but were used in a way that any left are not in good or even passable condition, can be a challenge to find. Vintage boxes and tins, especially those for the archery crowd, fall somewhere midway within the mix. Some fine examples made in years past can still be found, but finding them and paying a fair price for what is available can be an expedition all its own.
As with any online search through EBay, knowing what you are searching for is by far the easiest way to uncover that ultimate find. If unsure of exactly the piece, or are searching more along the lines of a ‘type’ of item than any specific item, there are tips to follow to help.
Knowing keywords and combination keyword phrases will help you uncover that once in a lifetime vintage archery tin or box. Some keywords to search include the obvious ‘archery’, and ‘archery tin’, ‘archers tin’, ‘archers box’ and ‘archers can’. More detailed searches could include brand names that were associated both with archery and hunting in general, such as ‘Herder’s, or ‘Herder’s Box’. When I typed in this last phrase, I uncovered a nice example of a Herder’s tackle box that I recall my father carrying arrow tips in. Other searches to try include ‘Fred Bear’, ‘Bear Archery’, and ‘Fred Bear archery’. This last one produced a fantastic little tin tube of Fred Bear Bowstring Wax, a small tubular tin I had never seen before.
If your search produces matches or not, make sure to check ‘Completed Listings’ on the left side of the search page, for any possible matches that have been recently completed. By doing this, you can compare prices, or just see if anything matching your search criteria has been making the rounds. Also, unless your searches are producing several pages of matches, always search ‘All Categories’ so you do not miss out on an item that someone posted in a category you might not have thought to search yourself.
When you finally uncover the perfect tin or box that you must have for your archery collection, follow all guidelines to ensure a satisfactory trade, including checking the seller’s status, and asking the seller any questions that you think will help you make a decision on whether to bid or not, before bidding. With vintage items, pictures do not always pay justice to an item, or sometimes they do not display serious problems, such as rust, fully. Some vintage items such as tins have been reproduced throughout recent years. If you think the item may be a reproduction, ask. Know what shipping and insurance charges are before bidding also, and be comfortable with the bid you are placing. Once you have won, follow the payment guidelines set forth by the seller in a reasonable amount of time. If the item is received in the condition expected, follow up with appropriate feedback. If an item arrives, that is in serious discrepancy from what was listed, immediate try to resolve the issue through contact with both the seller and any third parties that can be of service. The longer you wait to resolve an issue, the harder it will be.
