I had the same problem... I became addicted to hot fuzz merchandise on ebay after I saw the film. I spent about £100 on that stuff, but it lead to other, more expensive stuff.
I suggest that you do a few little things to break the habit...
1. Pick an item you are bidding on and stay away come the auctions end.... it will be hard, but just occupy yourself. I went somewhere there was no internet access whatsoever, and though being away at the end won't stop you thinking about it, you will soon start to forget why you needed it in the first place. Which leads me to...
2. There are usually 3 different reasons for buying on ebay... Business, Pleasure or Gifts. Take a look at what you are buying and think which of these you're bidding on. If its mostly business then it is probably justified, but more likely is that its buying for pleasure.... if so then try and limit yourself to the purchasing (not just bidding, we're not gonna take that much of a leap!) of a certain number of items a week, my suggestion is 3. Once again this will be hard, but it should start to ween you off the thrill and allow you to stand back and take a fresher look at what you're doing.
Gifts... this is a tricky one. I found myself buying something I liked, and justifying it by saying that "Oooh, Alex would like that." But it never gets that far, it turns into a thinly veiled personal pleasure purchase. In this case you must be honest, to yourself and those you are supposedly buying gifts for.... you could tell them you are buying them something on ebay that way you will feel guilty when you don't cough up.... shame is a powerful tool!
3. Give your ebay username and password to someone you trust, i.e. family member, girlfriend (thankyou Alex!) etc etc. Tell them to go on now and again to look at your myebay page and to basically check up on you. If you can do this it will be massively helpful, especially if they tell you just how crap the item is that you are about to buy. I did end up trying to buy things behind their back, and I succeeded a couple of times, but they really do bring it home to you when they find out, you just have to find someone who cares enough to do it for you. Remember that what you bid on can't be hidden so they will see all (which is good in the long run... unless you are buying certain leather or PVC based items)!!!
These three points really helped me, and whilst it wasn't instant It did work.
Good luck, and if you need any more advice just let me know.
I suggest that you do a few little things to break the habit...
1. Pick an item you are bidding on and stay away come the auctions end.... it will be hard, but just occupy yourself. I went somewhere there was no internet access whatsoever, and though being away at the end won't stop you thinking about it, you will soon start to forget why you needed it in the first place. Which leads me to...
2. There are usually 3 different reasons for buying on ebay... Business, Pleasure or Gifts. Take a look at what you are buying and think which of these you're bidding on. If its mostly business then it is probably justified, but more likely is that its buying for pleasure.... if so then try and limit yourself to the purchasing (not just bidding, we're not gonna take that much of a leap!) of a certain number of items a week, my suggestion is 3. Once again this will be hard, but it should start to ween you off the thrill and allow you to stand back and take a fresher look at what you're doing.
Gifts... this is a tricky one. I found myself buying something I liked, and justifying it by saying that "Oooh, Alex would like that." But it never gets that far, it turns into a thinly veiled personal pleasure purchase. In this case you must be honest, to yourself and those you are supposedly buying gifts for.... you could tell them you are buying them something on ebay that way you will feel guilty when you don't cough up.... shame is a powerful tool!
3. Give your ebay username and password to someone you trust, i.e. family member, girlfriend (thankyou Alex!) etc etc. Tell them to go on now and again to look at your myebay page and to basically check up on you. If you can do this it will be massively helpful, especially if they tell you just how crap the item is that you are about to buy. I did end up trying to buy things behind their back, and I succeeded a couple of times, but they really do bring it home to you when they find out, you just have to find someone who cares enough to do it for you. Remember that what you bid on can't be hidden so they will see all (which is good in the long run... unless you are buying certain leather or PVC based items)!!!
These three points really helped me, and whilst it wasn't instant It did work.
Good luck, and if you need any more advice just let me know.
