Broadway stuff on eBay

[ucjrdude902]

Posted: 7/17/12 at 11:41pm

I'm new to the eBay world. Anyone have any experiences buying Playbills, etc.

[aaronb]

Posted: 7/17/12 at 11:49pm

Haven't bought any playbills, but you can get some great prints--just bought this one of Shylock from the 1860s-70s:

Updated On: 7/17/12 at 11:49 PM

[castlestreet]

Posted: 7/18/12 at 8:57am

I've bought a lot of items over the years- the first thing you should always do, especially if you are buying something that is rare, is check the sellers feedback. Anything short of great, and I would pass.

I just purchased last week one of the portraits of the young Norma Desmond that hung over the staircase from the original Sunset Blvd- got it for a steal at $75!

I also bought a lot of Playbills a few years ago- it was a great buy- paid like $12 including shipping and got a bunch of rare stuff from the mid and late 80's including Carrie and Legs Diamond.

[The Scorpion]

Posted: 7/18/12 at 9:24am

I just purchased last week one of the portraits of the young Norma Desmond that hung over the staircase from the original Sunset Blvd- got it for a steal at $75!

That's amazing! Any pics?

eBay's a great resource for finding rare stuff. Two of my prized theatrical possessions that I got from eBay are a mint-condition Playbill for the world première of Sweeney Todd signed by Angela Lansbury and Len Cariou and a signed poster from the entire cast of Sunset Blvd in LA. Got both for ridiculously low prices...virtually no-one else placed bids!

[grumpyoptimist]

Posted: 7/18/12 at 12:33pm

UC, if you're in the NY area or can get there easily, I'd highly recommend the Broadway Cares Flea Market (this year 9/23). They have a couple of vendors who bring nothing but libraries of old playbills (plus you can see the condition in front of you). And all kinds of unique memorabilia. Went for the first time last year, loved it so much I'm doing a weekend trip (I live in San Diego) just for that event
Broadway Flea market

[castlestreet]

Posted: 7/18/12 at 12:44pm

The Flea Market is def. worth it- not only for the above mentioned reasons, but as the day goes by, many tables begin marking down just so they don't have to lug the stuff back with them!

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 7/18/12 at 1:10pm

Be careful of any posters. Rare posters for old shows may look like a steal, but often they are poor quality reproductions.

[castlestreet]

Posted: 7/25/12 at 2:51pm

Great day! It arrived in the mail today, here it is!

[hermajesty]

Posted: 7/25/12 at 3:40pm

I bought a poster for $300 signed by the cast Brilliant.

Updated On: 7/26/12 at 03:40 PM

[ErinDillyFan]

Posted: 7/25/12 at 4:05pm

The only bad experiences I have had on ebay have been related to broadway stuff.

1. I bought a lot (as in a specificed group) of playbills and flyers. It was supposed to have 6 playbills and 30 flyers (Like you find in hotel lobbies). I got an envelope with the playbill to Spamalot and about a dozen flyers. When I complained and tried to get the correct things sent or a refund, my account got hit with a bunch of bad customer reviews. It was not worth the $15 to fight.

2. I won a collection of Reba McIntyre stuff related Annie Get Your Gun. The special CD, posters, might have even been a doll. I was only interested in the CD and won it for around $6. Apparently, they didn't think that was enough, so they said the cat had peed on the doll. I said that's okay send the other stuff. Well, the cats scratched the poster too. That's okay, just send the CD. Well, I wouldn't feel right about sending you less than what you won. It was like a game of Monty Python Cheese shop. When I pressed the CD was damaged too.