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Over the past several years, Ebay has gotten to be a really tremendous way to buy and sell things online. It's even affected the world of stained glass. Finding really good-quality stained glass work for sale on Ebay can be a real chore though, unfortunately. Since you're only looking at a photo, and don't necessarily know yoru seller, it's easy to get taken for a ride.

There's definitely a few cool things out there, but you've really got to hunt for them. A couple general ideas to help you find them: a lot of the really inexpensive stained glass stuff for sale on Ebay is massed produced and shipped in from places like China and Mexico. If you're not looking to spend a lot of money, you might be able to find something. But if you're at all looking for something unique, collectible or antique, chances are you're going to want to steer clear of items ate the low end of the price range.

Another thing to bear in mind is that there's actually a bit of a black market for stolen stained glass windows. People posing as construction workers have been known to pull up and rob houses of stained glass in the middle of the day. So, just to be on the safe side, it's always a good idea to find out as much as possible about the history of any window you might be purchasing, as well as some background about the dealer.

Beyond that, you're going to want to look at technical aspects of the window. Is the window copper-foiled or leaded? Copper-foiling is better for small, indoor pieces, and leading is generally used for larger pieces (it's considerably stronger) and items which are exposed more to weather. When you look at the photo of the piece online, can you tell if there are any cracks in any of the glass? Does your seller have a policy for reimbursing you for damage if the window is broken during transit to you? Does the glass have any painting on it? This will drive up the price significantly, as it involves more work to build the window?

While you can find some really great stained glass deals on Ebays occasionally, it pays to be wary. Learn as much as possible, and ask questions. And if you're really in the market for great stained glass and have a little more money to spend, your best bet is definitely to commission a stained glass studio directly. This way you can find out who you're dealing with, view their past work, and have something custom-made for your needs.