Question about auctions

[mikeycook]

I am getting back into collecting seriously after a 25 year hiatus. I've been buying on eBay for the past several months and wanted to participate in some of the auctions on the calendar.

When registering, I am often asked for references. This is not a problem, but since I've done my bidding online I haven't interacted much with the sellers and I haven't been to live auctions to meet anyone. I also don't buy in stores much because they focus more on new product.

My question is, how should I pursue answering the questions about references. My options seem to be:

1. Contact a few sellers I've done business with on eBay and ask if they would have a problem with me listed them as a reference.

2. Put eBay as one of my references, with my rating, but I wouldn't be able to put an actual contact name and would still need another reference.

3. Put the names of other auction houses I have used, though not for card purchases (I have participated in estate auctions in the past). This is what I did for the Goodwin auction.

If there's another approach, I haven't thought of it. I'd appreciate any input, particularly on #1 and if that's something others do.