Dammit, hit submit too quickly and I can't go back and edit to add this:
Also, I too enjoyed the eBay thread but never purchased anything that anybody else posted. I liked reading about odd items and posting things that I found, thinking that they might be good for somebody else.
I agree with Qbix. There are better places to have an eBay thread. It looks like VCF has this covered. Like some others have mentioned, I prefer VOGONS because the color scheme is much easier on the eyes. The white background at VCF just makes my eyeballs ache, but I'll give them a shot and check out the eBay and CL threads there.
I don't look at VOGONS in the same way as Reddit or other large forums. This is a niche forum that (usually) attracts older and more mature participants. As jheronimus mentioned, help is almost always given freely and cheerfully here at VOGONS. I don't post in every thread because often somebody else responds faster or better than I can. I post and help out where I can.
VOGONS is the perfect retro/legacy discussion forum for me. I like the way it's laid out, designed, and colored. I'm not going to stop visiting just because the eBay thread is gone. That's just silly and immature. This site has so much more to offer, although I do hope for Phil's eventual return.