Growing up in the '70s Greg (eBay ID: Nawakwa1), like many other kids his age, was into skateboarding. He owned a few but when the magazines came out with the newest models they were always way too expensive or only available at a store in California. Of course, this was all before eBay.

Flash forward 25 years. Greg, a father of two who lives in Toronto, now spends a couple hours each morning on eBay. He calls himself a researcher by nature, who's always interested in learning about something new-especially anything vintage. Browsing eBay, exposing yourself to thousands of items, you learn, he explains. One morning, about a year ago, Greg says he "happened to stumble across the skateboard section. And there was everything I ever wanted as a kid-except now I could afford it." And so, a skateboard collection was started.

It's not as easy as it sounds. Greg buys the boards, wheels, trucks and hardware separately, and then has to put it all together, as authentically original as possible. That's where the eBay community comes in. "You start to ask the sellers questions, notice patterns, and eventually build a rapport. Often if they don't have what you're looking for they'll suggest someone else," he explains. "Suddenly, you're involved in a whole network."

At the moment Greg has 21 vintage boards in his basement but figures he's bought and sold three times that amount over the last year. Why sell? Not for profit, he says, but rather to make room for the next collection. You see, Greg's into skateboards, but he's also into the hunt. "The great thing about eBay is it's a kind of challenge to find stuff," he says. "It's like treasure hunting. Sometimes you end up finding something that's been mislabeled or people don't know what it's really worth-and it's a treasure."

So, what's he hunting now? Vintage espresso machines-which, by the way, has led him to access eBay's worldwide sites as well. Although there can be a language barrier, you can usually communicate in English, he says.

However, it's not even always about collecting. Greg buys almost everything on eBay and finds he's "now at a point where I wouldn't buy a single thing without going on eBay first."

So what kind of advice does this enthusiast have for other buyers? Two pieces actually. 1) "Chill out and have patience. The perfect piece will eventually come up." 2) And, so you don't miss that perfect piece, make sure you bid in the last 15 seconds of the auction. Greg uses a stopwatch, and the strategy works 90% of the time.

Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines. Just keep your fingers crossed that this collector isn't hanging around the finish line.