This is why you should not bid at all, on an item until the very very end of the auction. I think I mentioned this somewhere before, but if it's something you REALLY want then maybe try setting a alarm or reminder to go back and bid on it at the end of the auction. If you bid on it at the beginning, it shows the seller that there is interest, and it's going to sell, and it lets other bidders know there is someone else out there that wants it as well. If you wait until 5 or 10 minutes before the end of the auction, and bid at the very end, you're likely to get a better price.

What I do is open up two ebay broswer windows - one with the item pulled up, where I can refresh how much time is remaining, and the other with my information already typed in, just waiting to submit the bid. The key to ebay stalking is to bid as high as youre comfortable with at the very last possible moment you can, so that in the instance someone else is doing the same thing, your high bid is hopefully higher than their high bid, and if it's not, it still would have been out of your price range anyway. If you're lucky, and nobody else is bidding on it, then even if you bid high, if nobody else is bidding, you'll get it for the minimum price.

Try it next time... :)

Yeah, I kind of new about the no bidding right away thing...I always wait til the last few minutes on an item that I really want, but I think I got too excited...the starting bid was $5.99!!!! I should have controlled myself though, lol

Good tip with the two windows thing, I'll have to try that next time!

Sorry for butting in, but I've had a lot of luck with snipe programs for this. I just put in my top bid and don't even hang out on the internet. I come back later and the program has done the work for me! Google "snipe programs", you can find them free of charge, and it will save you all the pain of waiting.

new listing on ebay - 15 pearl quill from Epsilon Phi chapter (Iowa State) ... only a two day listing and the price (right now) is very low.

item number: 370314611083

I got lucky awhile back (ok a few years) and got a 15 pearl quill from the early 1940's for $88. of course now I want one of the new ones with sapphires and diamonds....but can't afford it quite yet!

There's a new listing on ebay (thanks AzTheta for pointing it out). Its a 20 pearl quill with a diamond tip in place
of the 20th pearl.

Item number 330401064055

its listed as Alpha Theta pin. Its only listed for $9.95 but the front has been defaced,
the letters and the barbs on the quill "feathers" have been buffed off. I don't see anyway
of restoring it. :-(

From the engraving on the back it is from Alpha Theta chapter (Northwestern) from 1947.

Ugh, why would someone do that???

ETA: It's up to $20.50 now. I'm going to keep an eye on it. Even though the letters are gone, I feel like it needs to be rescued.

Another quill on ebay
 

http://cgi.ebay.com/10K-GOLD-ALPHA-X...item20af54ddb1
Item number:140380528049

current price is 50.95 with 2 bids

The person selling it says all the items on their ebay site were found at garage sales?? (Who would sell a quill at a garage sale?!)

Sometimes it gets out of the hands of the owner for whatever reason, and the person who winds up with it has no idea what it is, its value, its meaning, etc.

ETA: The two Quills on ebay right now (posted by AZ Alpha Xi and SexiFuzzy) are from the same chapter and are only two years apart! I'm sure the original owners new each other. What I'm curious about is that the one from 1947 is the "vintage" 20 pearl (well, 19 pearl 1 diamond) and the older one is actually the current 15 pearl style. Interesting!

Double post, but another pretty one...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Alphia-X...item2a04b69354

It's the 20 pearl kind. I can't tell if it's Beta Kappa or Beta Chi. If it's Beta Kappa then it's a chapter founder's pin!

ETA: And this one just breaks my heart...read the description...the sellers sounds like a (former?) member....http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Alpha-Xi...item5ad6f9593d

new member pin (i've already rescued one, I wish I had a little extra money for this one too!) Item number:310038272550
http://cgi.ebay.com/ALPHA-XI-DELTA-V...item482fb89a26

gold - 14 pearls, 1 diamond (I would love to get this one, get a chapter guard and president drop, then donate it to my chapter for the presidents to use! I wish I had more money, omg.) Item number:220570561902
http://cgi.ebay.com/10K-Solid-Gold-A...item335b07ad6e

gold - 15 pearls Item number:250587386664
http://cgi.ebay.com/Alpha-Xi-Delta-q...item3a582c1328

gold - 20 pearls Item number:370332343445
http://cgi.ebay.com/ALPHA-XI-DELTA-s...item5639871c95

gold - 15 pearls Item number:270446142313
http://cgi.ebay.com/ALPHA-XI-DELTA-s...item3ef7d8a369

gold - plain Item number:180487681421
http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-1933-10K...item2a05e7758d

gold - plain Item number:370184990304
http://cgi.ebay.com/ALPHA-XI-DELTA-s...item5630beae60