I like expensive cookware, but don't like paying for it. By expensive I mean LeCreuset and All-Clad. Don't even get me started on knives. Anyway, All-Clad controls their distributors and dealers to the point where deals are impossible to find unless it comes from All-Clad themselves. LeCreuset is much the same way unless you're lucky enough to live near one of their outlet stores like I do. (But everyone needs to go to their website and register as a preferred customer. It won't cost anything, and if you buy their seconds and then get your PC discount, the savings can be near or over 50% off full retail) It still hurts, but your great-grandkids will be using the same cookware you did 100 years from now. But I got off an a tangent......
What I wanted to share is that this is Wedding Season. I have bought many, many pieces of fine cookware off of eBay around this time of year because people get back from their honeymoons and either have duplicate pieces or just realize how much they spent on their wedding and feel a little queasy and need to raise some quick cash. A lot of pictures you'll see will show an entire stack of goodies they're selling. The abundance usually brings the prices down, and the selection tends to be good. Typically, the next few months are very good for selection and some great deals can be had if you're patient. I've actually gotten pots with cards and money still in them on a few occasions, and it's pretty sweet when the person you just bought from pays for your pot with sort of an instant rebate.
Anyway, with the economy kind of slow, I thought this year might be unusually full of bargians, and I wanted to point out this possibility for those that are interested in such things.Lastly, most of you know there is a technique to using eBay, but one that works well for cookware is to search for the specific item you want by name, i.e. "LeCreuset 7.5qt oval dutch oven". This will return the usual hits, but frequently will return a hit for the item listed in the wrong catagory, and subsequently not bid on at all. I got a $275 roaster last year for $15 when this happened and I've seen it fairly often, so it's worth looking into if you know exactly what you want. Also, search for the name item you want mis-spelled. If they listed it with the wrong spelling(i.e. Al-clad, All-Clod, LeCueset, etc), the same thing happens as if they put it in the wrong catagory. Now you're on your own. Hope this helps. Happy hunting.
