Kyle:

That is an EXCELLENT question which I will take the first jab at. Recently, there have been many conversations to that exact question amongst chippers and dealers. I believe that on the whole, Ebay provides an excellent forum for exposing new chips and bringing non-collectors into the hobby. There have been many new discoveries on the Ebay auction board which would never have been available to the general public. With premium chips, there are a lot of private deals that are never made public. You can name your price and sometimes get a better deal than expected. In addition, you can browse at your leisure 24 hours a day. No need to wait for a chip show. Which does pose a problem.

With Ebay anyone can now be a chip dealer. With so many lots, it takes a tremendous amount of time to sift through the common stuff in search of that gem. Another downfall is the fact that although so many of us do have internet access, the majority of the chipping community either does not have access or chooses not to use it. For example while we have over 2000 member, seldom do we see more than 100 people read any one thread on Greg's board. Conservatively, I'll assume that is less than 10% of the general membership that does surf the web. Therefore, 90% of the chippers in our own hobby DO NOT get on the internet. Obviously not everyone bidding on Ebay chips is in the club but just think how many potential members we might have.

On the plus:
View at your leisure
Diversity of material to look at
Free market
Bid only what you can afford and sometimes get a great deal
Overwhelming exposure to the hobby

Pitfalls to Ebay are:

Inability to inspect chips prior to bidding
The voluminous number of lots to search
The human element of dealing face-to-face
Chips that are devalued due to perception of an overabundant supply (ruining a chip because there are BOXES out there)
Overvaluing a chip due to perception of limited supply
Inability to target your clientele
No need to have shows...

I guess it comes down to this. If you're a dealer, it's competition. And serious competition at that. If you're a buyer, it's an additional resource to finding your chips.

Ebay has certainly affected many hobbies. But I am constantly reminded that it is the human element, the interaction amongst friends that I enjoy the most about this hobby.

So, is Ebay good or bad. I guess it's both. How's that for avoiding the question?