August 17, 2024: Good Buy, Hello?

I missed out on a promo item from Gen Con (I wasn't going to wait in the stupid-long line for X hours to have a shot), so I just went to eBay and ordered it on the Friday of the show from the comfort of my tablet.

I got a response from the seller on Monday saying, "Hi! Thanks for buying from me. I just got back from out of town this weekend. I am shipping this out today."

I replied: No worries! If you were at Gen Con – like our household was – I hope you had a good time. :-)

It turns out he was at Gen Con! Anyway, long story short, this random guy and I have exchanged Gen Con stories, anecdotes, and promo-item tips (thanks!) via eBay's messaging system.

It's one of the most endearing exchanges I've had in quite some time. Forget Facebook or Bluesky; the social-media wave of the future is communicating with folks out of the blue on eBay.

-- Steven Marsh