I agree with Bob M,
But I thought it deserved it's own post.

The Marketplace is the one of, if not the best source to find a piece.

I just checked my inventory list and found that I have purchased 30% of my collection through the Marketplace; most of which were hard to come by pieces from other collectors at what I thought were reasonable secondary prices. That's quite an amazing amount considering society and event pieces!
The Marketplace is either a first come, first served
OR
Check out old posts to see if the piece is available and the price is negotiable.
This can be especially true when your willing to buy several pieces at the same time.
Normally when you find a collector, not a dealer, they have a more realistic value of their piece.
A Collector is also happy to pass on a piece to another collector, in the same way the Forum educates new collectors. It's a sense of pride to help somebody else out. You also make a few friends if you're personable during your transaction.(Like tell them why you wanted the piece, and ask where and why they got it.)
I've had Forum members contact me when they've found a piece they thought I was interested in, and I've done the same.
I've found out some great facts about LH's by just asking.
The pursuit is as exciting as the find. Have fun!

[This message has been edited by rscroope (edited 07-27-99).]

I agree the forum marketplace has some of the best deals around. I particularly like the fact that there are only 400+ registered users, a lot less than e-bay.
I think you make an excellent point about responding quickly to the posts in the marketplace especially if the HL is a good deal or a desirable piece.
I usually log in the evening, many times I am too late for posts from the AM.
I called another collector last night re his post of six days ago. The two retired HLs were gone that I wanted along with most of the other listed HLs. However, he mentioned Amelia Island which I didn't have. He gave me a Very fair price. The most interesting part was I said I'd get a money order today. Told me my personal check was fine. That's not happening on E-bay!
I also use the marketplace to check asking prices on HLs I'm considering purchasing. E-bay only goes back about two weeks for completed auctions. Yet I was able to search the marketplace for
prices for the past year. I haven't even collected that long.
All in all I feel a lot more comfortable dealing with Forum people. I've just got to respond quicker!

Donna