Tikkabik

Why I love eBay


Originally uploaded by flargh.

One of the first really decent pairs of sunglasses I ever bought myself, I got at a Porsche Design store at the South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Calif., when I was living in Laguna Beach back in 1990. It was this little spot with all these knick-knacks that were designed by Porsche and mostly manufactured by other companies.

In this particular case, the glasses were made by Carrera, a well-known company for its sports lenses and goggles. If I recall correctly I think I spent close (if not more than) $100 for them, which at the time seemed like a king's ransom to me. But they were handsome, well-tinted and had a leather nosepad, which saved me from getting irritated and discolored skin on my nose on hot days. Plus they fit really well and were quite durable -- metal frames that are thicker than wire, reinforced where they needed to be.

I had those glasses for years, and wore them daily -- and for me, this is remarkable. I usually break sunglasses within a few months.

One day, in a fit of pique, my infant son (who's now 10 and a half) grabbed them and twisted them so hard they warped. Badly.

My wife, who's a licensed optician, spent a great deal of time and effort getting them back into shape and she did a wonderful job, but they were never the same again. Like a car that's been realigned after a serious wreck, they just didn't feel right. The geometry was just subtly off.

Eventually I moved on to different glasses, but I kept those Porsche Designs around in a box, unable to part with them for nostalgia's sake.

Fast forward to 2006. About a week ago I found the glasses again, and in a moment of hope, hit eBay hoping to find someone selling them. Lo and behold, there was a seller. And I bought an exact replacement for my favorite glasses. All told, I was out $20.

They arrived today, in mint condition, with the info tag still attached to the temple.

Hooray eBay. This is my "it" I guess.