I've been on eBay since its inception. I won't tell you how many feedback I have, as strictly a shopper it's a little embarrassing.

Anyway, to your question: I love the hunt, but in my opinion the bargains aren't there like they used to be. I’ve witnessed people paying way over retail. And they really need to check to see if a seller has another one before they bid an auction up. Some things I’ve seen have been just silly.

http://www.i-soldit.com/index.asp

 I sold it stores are what your talking about, they do exist so i would assume there is a demand for them.

 I used to like ebay when it wasn't so business minded. There are too many ebay stores with thousands of listings for the same item, from the same seller with absurd shipping rates. Really turned me off of ebay. Woohoo, you start the bidding at a penny with no reserve, but its $90 for shipping and handling. I'll buy locally for the same amount and not get ripped off.