Everyday eBay is the first scholarly analysis of the internet marketplace that has become a global social, cultural and economic phenomenon. The eighteen new and classic essays gathered here examine eBay from a wide variety of perspectives as a bellwether of taste and material culture; as a rich site of cultural, racial, and sexual discourse and practice; as an emergent media form; and as a facilitator of global consumerism. From old toys steeped in nostalgia to 'rare' limited edition shoes, the contributors demonstrate that value on eBay is never simply about 'price'.

Introducing Everyday eBay Ken Hillis, Michael Petit, and Nathan Epley 1. My Obsession: I Thought I was Immune to the Net. Then I Got Bitten by eBay William Gibson 2. Ephemeral Culture/eBay Culture: Film Collectables and Fan Investments Mary Desjardins 3. Virtual_radiophile (163 *): eBay and the Changing Collecting Practices of the U.K. Vintage Radio Community Rebecca Ellis and Anna Haywood 4. Fortune Telling on eBay: Early African American Textual Artifacts and the Marketplace Eric Gardner 5. Reading eBay: Hidden Stores, Subjective Stories, and a People's History of the Archive Zoe Trodd 6. Immaterial Labor in the eBay Community: The Work of Consumption in the Network Society Jon Lillie 7. The Perfect Community: Disciplining the eBay User Kylie Jarrett 8. Black Friday and Feedback Bombing: An Examination of Trust and Online Community in eBay's Early History Laura Robinson 9. Return of the Town Square: Reputational Gossip and Trust on eBay Lyn M. Van Swol 10. Of PEZ and Perfect Price: Sniping, Collecting Cultures, and Democracy on eBay Nathan Scott Epley 11. Auctioning the Authentic: eBay, Narrative Effect, and the Superfluity of Memory Ken Hillis 12. Between the Archive and the Image-Repertoire: Amateur Commercial Still Life Photography on eBay James Leo Cahill 13. Virgin Mary In Grilled Cheese NOT A HOAX! LOOK & SEE!: Sublime Kitsch on eBay Susanna Paasonen 14. eBay and the Traveling Museum: Elvis Richardson's Slide Show Land Daniel Mudie Cunningham 15. The Contradictory Circulation of Fine Art and Antiques on eBay Lisa Bloom 16. My Queer eBay: Gay Interest Photographs and the Visual Culture of Buying Michele White 17. When Used is Better than New: Sex Panic, eBay, and the Moral Economy of Underwear Michael Petit 18. Playing Dress-Up: eBay's Vintage Clothing-Land Katalin Lovász The Editors and Contributors Index