12 results found for blackberry plants

This one is a little bit curious of an auction, considering that blackberry plants themselves aren't in particularly high demand (in that they aren't items that are being bid on, as opposed to the "buy it now option"), but the seeds for them are gathering more bids.

This is interesting to me as the blackberry is considered an invasive plant species, and have been known to thrive in odd locations, mostly suburban, and not really in people's gardens.

Handcrafted Putter Display Rack, Ping,Scotty Cameron...

Inventive use of keywords is somewhat effective way to generate interest in your item. In this case, this seller is trying to move a series of hand-crafted putter display racks. But, despite the presence of brand names such as "Ping Golf" and "Scotty Cameron" in the item keywords, the product being sold has absolutely nothing to do with those brands. The seller even clearly states, "This is not a Ping or Scotty Cameron product."

If people are doing this, why even bother with search keywords?

PLUMBER DAMMIT DOLL STRESS FRUSTRATION PLUMBING

While installing things like bar faucets in your home entertainment area or kitchen, they usually try to make it as easy as possible for the DIYer. However, many a frustrated wife knows the experience of their handyman husband having their own Tim Taylor moment, and the frustration that comes with it...holes punched in drywall, fuses blown, wrong walls knocked down...

DIY handymen, we salute you. For those trying to find an appropriate gift, there is another first aid kit. OR, this.

Described by the seller as something to take your stress out on, it even has a poem inscribed on the back:

"Being a PLUMBER can be hectic,
Sometimes stressful without a doubt.
Here's a little dammit doll,
You cannot do without.
Just grab it anywhere you like,
And as you soundly slam it,
Release all of your frustrations,
By yelling, "Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!"

The seller has an entire line of these for just about every line of work possible. However, I don't think it'd be the ideal present for surgeon, especially if they are to bring this into the operating room.

NIB! UGG CLASSIC CARDY BLACK crochet BOOTS SIZE 8

This is the second time that I've been asked to write about UGG boots, and I can't find anything particularly funny or interesting about them on eBay, although there are something like a hundred or so listings for these boots that have become really popular after being spotted on celebs. I did some quick research on Wikipedia and found this little entry...

"They somehow managed, despite their appearance, to gain popularity among girls in the United States and Europe."

Hmm...fairly judgemental statement on an encyclopedic entry?

Waterfall Games

Okay, It Came From The (e)Bay takes a different tone and talks about an eBay store which I found to have very helpful customer service and some of the best communication I've ever had with eBay.

This is Waterfall Games, an eBay seller of all things geeky and dorky. Of course, I am saying that as a good thing, as I have recently developed an interest in old-school RPG gaming, where you build characters and act them out, and then make actions based on your statistics and character sheets. Completely dorky, yes. I'm currently playing an assassin in Vampire: The Masquerade, which I'm enjoying.

I came across Waterfall Games when developing an interest in Heroes: Unlimited, which is currently in its second edition. These guys sell books well under list price (around 30% off, depending on the title). With a good selection, pricing, and FREE SHIPPING, there's not much you could ask for. But remember, they only ship to American eBay users.

Beating Up On Debt Collectors By Richard Cornforth 4.0

Although one could easily avoid the wrath of debt collection agencies if they just PAID THEIR FRICKIN' BILLS ON TIME, in this day and age, facing them is an unfortunate reality for some people. While they are often viewed as predatory, when a company's bottom line is dependent on whether or not they are actually PAID, from their perspective, it's kind of important.

But, someone wrote a book called Beating up on Debt Collectors, one Richard Luke Comforth. Perhaps this might help in today's economy?

Then I took a look on Amazon to see if the book is available. Surely it is, but it's not written with a cheesy 3D font on a spiral bound notebook. Is this guy breaking the law by selling copyrighted material on eBay?

Sorry, Recession Funny T-shirts Gifts For Christmas

If you're looking for funny t shirts on eBay, you can probably do much worse than this one.

Me, I don't really see much humour value in this one, although economic turmoil is a current reality, whether we want to believe it or not. However, when you're in the unemployment line or waiting to receive your UI benefits...I can probably think of better ways to spend your money.

ALLI 90 CAPSULES ORLISTAT 60mg

When looking at weight loss and diet supplements, you will find a lot of controversial products with dubious health claims, most of which have failed to pass FDA approval standards. And as a result, there are usually more listings than there are buyers. But then, this one here, for the alli weight loss pill, actually has a relatively high number of bids on it, pushing it to $18.50 (as of this writing).

This product in particular works by blocking fat absorption. But then, as we all learned from Olestra cooked potato chips...let's just say that all that fat has to go somewhere.

A VERY UNUSUAL, VINTAGE, LOCKABLE, LUGGAGE STRAP.

The seller of this item here is in the business of house clearing prior to handing the keys over to an executor. As you can imagine, people leave a lot of things behind when they die, and if they have no one else to handle their affairs, this guy goes in and cleans it up. Most of it gets tossed, but occasionally you find things like this adjustable luggage strap.

I'm not exactly sure what makes this "unusual," more in the fact it's just really, really old looking. But, he has one bid so far.

ISRAEL MNH stamp Sc#973 family health insurance

This is quite a mundane item, as eBay auctions tend to go, although I'm trying to figure out what it has to do with family health insurance (as noted in the item description). Might've been kinda nice if the seller put a rough translation of the Hebrew writing that is on the stamp, as all I have to go on is the silhouetted family in front.

Bringing it into Photoshop and attempting to resample the image, I could barely make out the words "Health Insurance Institution" and "75th Anniversary" somewhere at the bottom. Further reading and research indicates that Israel has had a universal heathcare system, which is mandatory for all citizens to participate in.

Interesting history lesson, although this seller does not come without caveats...he will only sell to you if you're purchasing a minimum of $10 of stuff, which isn't fun when you're a stamp collector and there's only ONE of his items that you want.

Borat Green Mankini Suspender swim Thong Swimsuit Movie

I actually found it. Okay, I wasn't specifically contemplating buying this item, as images of anyone wearing this particular item usually evokes reactions of horror, disgust, and recoil.

This is interesting, considering that this particular type of swimwear actually covers significantly more surface area than your traditional Speedo, although the fact that it doesn't actually cover the hips might have something to do with it.

And, according to the auction, this is the real deal. Officially licensed merchandise from the movie, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Veeeeerrrry niiiiice.

88 results found for orovo

Orovo is one of the many health and fitness supplements that are available on the Internet in general, eBay in particular. However, despite the fact that there are 88 available auctions for items related to Orovo, very little is written about the product itself, and every single Google search hit yields people who are selling it.

Without making negative comments about this blog's sponsor, I'm only going to tell you to do your research about this product first before making a decision, as should be undertaken any time you go into a product without knowing much about it.

ON SD CARD 2500+ BBeB/.LRF ebooks for SONY READER

Thankfully, the technology for SD Card memory has become progressively cheaper and cheaper. Most formats will easily charge you under $10 for 4 GB on eBay. This user is attempting to sweeten the pot by adding 2500+ E-books on a 1 GB card. For the equivalent of $14 USD.

Whether or not you believe the cover story of the seller being a baby boomer grandmother that makes her living transcribing and selling ebooks, considering that all of this information is in the public domain and readily available on the internet, this is a huge profit margin, considering that a 1GB card (empty) can be purchased for under $2.

Your call.

2008 Bugaboo Cameleon Stroller - Dark Brown - BRAND NEW

I'm actually somewhat grateful for this item, having once spent a significant part of my day commuting via public transit (I now carpool, which takes a fraction of the time). However, this is not because I'm in the particular market for a Bugaboo Stroller, or that I have any children of my own, but more that I'm a little bit peeved at parents that come onto public transit and park their SUV sized baby strollers onto the Skytrain or bus, taking up the standing room equivalent of 5 people. The product is relatively compact.

However, it's all completely moot if parents can't be bothered to fold the thing down and seat their child on their laps, which happens more often than not. Come on, people!

A Guide To Writing Library Job Descriptions: 1981 PB

Hitting a serious dry spell of amusing things to write about eBay auctions here, but I found an auction for a book entitled A Guide to Writing Library Job Descriptions. In this day and age of digital information being readily available at ones fingertips, one would think finding job descriptions for any career or occupation would be fairly easy, and of course, given the time that this book was written, it would be significantly more relevant back then.

But trying to put myself in the shoes of a reader in 1981, I'm still trying to make sense of the title. With no punctuation, the title indicates that the book will tell you how to write library job descriptions. While popular conceptions of libraries are of the old lady that shushes you when you talk too loud, the various tasks are quite varied, such as assisting in research. But, I think it's just a list of job descriptions, based on the way the title is written on the cover.

A

GUIDE TO WRITING

LIBRARY JOB DESCRIPTIONS

I guess graphic design and proper typography isn't included in that list.

FIBONACCI TRADING INDICATOR FOREX, FUTURE, COMMODITY

With minimal expertise in futures trading, I'm not about to jump into a market without doing proper research. Regardless, there are numerous resources available on eBay and the internet, such as this one. This is probably one of the most sloppily written eBay auctions I've come across, which is seriously compromising my level of faith in the product. "Automatically draw Fibonacci level so you don't have to guest where to calculate them."

Appropriately enough, they also call it "Fib Level Calculation" too. Are they referring to their sales pitch or is it short for "Fibonacci"?

Heavy Gauge Outdoor Patio Furniture Cover BENCH GLIDER

One would think that patio furniture covers would be the last thing anybody would need at this time of year, unless you were seriously late when it came to putting everything away for autumn and winter in September. But, if you were seriously lazy and late, now's your chance. However, in light of constant news that the economy is in freefall, I think certain things like food, rent, gas, and heat sort of take precedence.

ULTIMATE COLLECTION OF HERBAL TEA REMEDIES EBOOK ON CD

It's the ultimate tea collection on a disc. However, considering the modern view of teas in general, it's kind of hard to see how one can justify actually purchasing a whole CD-ROM filled with recipes for herbal team, especially when they're all preformulated and packaged. The ingredients lists are usually quite simplistic too, only consisting of one ingredient. TEA.

Perhaps if it were for a recipe for something like iced tea or chai tea, then maybe...but even those come premixed now.

Professional Online Trading Academy Trader DVDs Manuals

Sadly, my assigned keywords aren't allowing me to find anything that's remotely interesting, except for a bunch of books and DVDs for online trading. eBay resellers of stuff are becoming increasingly commonplace, offering a brokerage service for people who want to sell things but don't necessarily have the time to do so. I'm wondering if the same thing will apply for stocks as well?

1989 Fleer Billy Ripken F%%% Face Error #616A

This eBay item is the infamous Bill Ripken 1989 Fleer baseball card with the "error." The story behind this was that as a practical joke, the words "F*** Face" were written at the bottom of several team baseball bats, and supposedly nobody caught on the "error" until it was printed.

Several revisions had black bars and white out marks covering up the offending words, and now it's a sought after collector's item.

History repeats itself again with the release of All Star Batman and Robin #10, which features a significant amount of adult language, but is blacked out. Unfortunately, the ink used for the lettering was darker than the ink for the black out, rendering the offending text completely legible. The error was caught, and retailers were asked to return the offending copies. Of course, they're now on eBay.

74 results found for slingbox

Despite the fact that TV ratings are down for top shows, Slingbox technology remains a relatively hot property on eBay. While 74 results isn't a huge number of items, what's notable is the number of bids on each. Looking at the page, the vast majority of the items have bids on them.

Slingbox allows the user to watch television broadcast programming from their television, although I wonder why...the aftermath of the writer's guild strike has had a very negative effect on television ratings, as the formerly top rated show Heroes ends up losing to Dancing With the Stars (which doesn't rely on WGA writers).

EMPLOYMENT WEBSITE - Profitable AdSense Job Finder Site

If you're looking for jobs in Boston...keep looking. However, looking for job-seeking stuff on eBay will dig up an employment website. As the dot.com bubble has long since burst, domains squatting isn't as profitable as it once has been. And, I know that making money off of ad clicks is nowhere near as easy as they say it is. Books have been written about SEO (Search Engine Optimization), and it's not an exact science.

I still remember when I was working for an electronics retailer and was trying to determine value of keywords in Google AdSense. They were trying to push discounted DVDs and I was finding that certain words carried more weight than others (obviously), so certain ones were more expensive to click on, but we had a budget.

18,247 results found for car covers

One particular item on eBay that will yield a lot of hits - car covers. I guess it's not exactly a growth industry, especially since a lot of people have been parking their cars lately, as you look at the list and there's a string of 0 bids running down the side. Well, if you go into car seat covers, then sure, there's a listing for Eddie Bauer Seat Covers and it's got 8 bids on it, but that's more of a necessity than something to cover your car. If you drive a nice car, you more than likely have access to covered parking.

Best ACNE, ROSACEA, ECZEMA, PSORIASIS Treatment & Cure

Finding an acne cure on eBay is more difficult than going through the local drug store, as you're going to have a ton of choices. Not only will you find the standard over-the-counter cleansers and cremes, you'll also find stuff like this.

While it isn't necessarily addressed within the context of the auction itself, it begs the question - if it's so effective, why isn't it in stores everywhere? According to the information on the auction, it's designed to work by gently exfoliating dead skin while reducing scars, acne, and wrinkles. Sounds quite promising, although against conventional wisdom which suggests that one should use multitude of products from soaps to astringents.

Supporters may the product isn't sold mainstream because of some conspiracy to keep products like this out of the market, due to influence of big name pharmaceutical companies. After all, a product like this isn't mentioned in any of the skin care guides. But then, if the product has been on the market for 12 years and it still hasn't caught on yet, does that tell you something?

Not to mention that it doesn't go into the various factors that influence acne - stress, hormonal balance, diet...

Dk Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides Las Vegas (2002)

Purchasing used guides for Las Vegas travel seems like a good idea, and certainly, eBay has a lot of them. However, much of eBay has lately been feeling like a dumping ground for people's stuff when they want to get more than they could get from Craigslist.

Using an outdated travel guide for Las Vegas might not be the smartest idea, considering how fast hotels and casinos are torn down and erected. Besides, you can get it all for free on the Internet...

Puerto Vallarta Mexico Vacation Resort Condo/Hotel Deal

This auction for Puerto Vallarta hotel deals has me thinking of a Mitch Hedberg quote: "I just bought a 2-bedroom house, but I think I get to decide how many bedrooms there are, don't you? "F*** you, real estate lady! This bedroom has an oven in it! This bedroom's got a lot of people sitting around watching TV. This bedroom is a.k.a. a hallway. This bedroom's over in that guy's house! Sir, you have one of my bedrooms, are you aware? Don't decorate it."

Okay, otherwise not a lot of interesting things about this auction, although the seller seems to have failed Geography. The item location is listed as Puerto Vallarta, United States. I know America's territories are largely taken from other countries, but they didn't exactly assimilate Puerto Vallarta.

BNIB Cardy Classic Tall UGG Boot Dusty Rose Us Size 5

I've continuously wondered the logic behind the naming conventions of popular products and brands. "Chubby Chicken" from A&W Restaurants comes to mind (implies long term consequences of product usage), as does "Overwaitea Foods" (implies a negative comment about the customer service), and now UGG Australia.

Given the difference in cultures, it really should be no surprise, that when a pair of boots on eBay shares its name with the verbal interjection of disgust ("Ugh"), they would all be fairly hot items on eBay. Although I might not be a fashion critic, I can honestly say "Ugg" when I see these boots.

2 5 qty White boxes 25 for packing L @@ K FREE SHIPPING

So this begs the inevitable question. When you are buying shipping boxes on eBay, what do they pack it in?

This seller here is selling slightly used boxes, which wouldn't really make sense for a lot of people that tend to reuse or scavenge boxes from just about any source, whether it be "cardboard only" dumpsters or just going into any retail business and asking. While they are offering free shipping, $20 for something that you can just go and get for free does seem a little bit suspect.

American Founder, Cracked Code Of Universe, For Hire

There are lots of lawyers available for hire. Whether you're looking for a family law lawyer, entertainment lawyer, truck accident lawyer, and...this person right here.

If you have a few minutes, feel free to read the auction, as the person waxes political and philosophical on...I have no idea, actually.

From what she writes, she appears to be a lawyer for hire, although she's not offering any physical or tangible product, although that's not entirely unusual. But the writing does seem a little bit...fruit-cakeish. With this much to read, it's hard to see how she can be hired as a lawyer, as she decided to list her rant under books.

Just a few random snippets from her auction and judge for yourself.

"Ask me about the truth of global nuclear warfare as you are being lied to upon a daily basis, ask me about the actual science behind all miracles, ask me how and when personhood comes into being in the womb as it abounds with hope and ask me how and why the magnetic North Pole moves as it is very, very cool."

"Individual questions regarding the workings of the universe may be answered upon request. "

"I am the person who can prove God is actual reality using hardcore scientific fact and my own living testimony, not theory and not unreasoned belief. As Einstein used a physical phenomenon to prove Relativity so can I. He used an eclipse; I can prove what I have named Intrinsicity using the Earth's magnetic field. My federal lawsuit is both scientific and legal, another for which is spiritual. Think Lincoln's civic religion only we never want to combine our ethic and our mores as it has never once worked in all of history."

So far, she has one bid. 2 cents.

HOME THEATER DESIGN ADD TO CHAIRS, SEATING, RECLINERS

This company is selling their design services, doing consulting and design work for people's home entertainment setups, whether it be doing home theater seating or...uh...actually, it's quite vague and I have absolutely no idea they do because they didn't provide a website or any samples of their work.

At any rate, they have a perfect feedback rating, although one can't help but be a little weary when they don't have credentials to back up their claims, which seems to indicate that they're largely a supplier of physical merchandise as opposed to non-tangible information.

PHEN-H HOODIA PHENTERMINE FREE DIET PILLS BOOST ENERGY

As I'm one of the proud and few that can eat whatever with few consequences, diet supplements bother me (please refer to previous blog entries where I'm extolling on the virtues of hoodia gordonii), so I find it a little bit hard to understand the desperation that comes with attempting to lose weight. Me, I have the opposite problem, where my muscle mass has been dropping since I stopped lifting weights and concentrating on martial arts.

Some may be familiar with the fen-phen scandal, where phentermine was combined with fenfluramine and caused patients to have heart problems.

So, it would make sense that they're trying to sell phentermine-free supplements on eBay. But these also contain hoodia gordonii, which is largely unproven and has been known that most products purporting to contain hoodia contain none at all. Hmmph.

CREDIT CARD COLLECTION 1970's 5 CARDS SEARS UNI-CARD

There are lots of features on credit cards today, whether it be 0 balance transfer, reward points, or low interest rates. I wonder what type of features these cards have?

These cards are "vintage" from the 1970s, back in the day when you had to use a carbon piece of paper and merchants didn't get their money right away. Given the modern security features with today's credit cards, this probably would be a really, really bad idea this day and age of identity theft and credit card scams.

Considering that this item already has two votes, I'm thinking that the bidders are thinking the same thing.

NEW TEAK Wicker OUTDOOR PATIO FURNITURE Darby End Table

There are only so many funny things that you can write about teak patio furniture, and I can't really think of any right now.

But, I do have to notice the fact that they have a rating system which gives the veneer of additional legitimacy, in addition to their regular feedback rating: shipping damage (subjectively rated from "rarely" to "occasionally") and construction quality (not so subjectively rated from "economical" to "premium").

George Strait.Oceanfront Property Yellow Vinyl 45 Rpm

Not actual oceanfront property, but the title of a vinyl LP by George Straight. I've always been curious about promotional items for sale on eBay, when they specifically say, "not for sale" and they go for sale anyway.

I still remember when I purchased a copy of Overseer's Wreckage, which wasn't available for sale in Canada, so the only way I could obtain a copy was through eBay for the price of $5. Then I saw the sticker covering the barcode, saying that it was property of Sony/BMG and was not for sale. But, considering that the MPAA is too busy suing college students for downloading music, I don't think they're too concerned.

2 BR RENTAL OUTER BANKS - KITTY HAWK, NC JUL 19-26

If you're looking for Outer Banks rentals, you don't have to go too far. Okay, if you're geographically far away from North Carolina, then technically, yes you do have to go far.

But, with a few clicks of a mouse, you can be looking at this particular place. However, I do have to point out one of the taboos of salesmanship, in which you don't just feature dump, you tailor the sales pitch to the customer.

So, with that in mind, why did the seller bother to indicate that there's "free shipping"? They aren't actually shipping over the building, and with all the paperwork, it's all virtual. Isn't that, I dunno, irrelevant?

1939 Sun Life of Canada Insurance Agent Ad

For this blog, I've been repeatedly asked to write about life insurance on eBay. There are only so many weird things to do with that topic on eBay, so finding oddities is like grasping for straws.

Usually, items found are either the free crap like branded coffee mugs and paper weights, or for ads, like this one here. The huge majority of print ads for sale have zero bids on them, with this being an exception.

What is it that makes this so special? It appears to be a clipping from a newspaper (slightly gray paper, page number in the top left hand corner), but something like this would be fairly rare, given its age. But who was it that held on to this for so long with the intention of punting it on eBay?

18 items found for: pet supplements

Just a simple search for pet supplements nets a large number of hits on eBay, making it a fairly large business, like any other storefront on eBay. Compared to Asian countries where pet ownership is often frowned upon due to the large population densities, it's quite widespread here in North America. And, it's also quite expensive. For under $10, you can easily get stuff to help maintain your dog's health, but if you wanna go beyond that, expect to shell out huge.

The dog that I'm taking care of with my girlfriend got sick recently and we had to shell out over $2400 to get the dog taken care of. We strongly suspect that the vet was padding the bill.

$ 125 CHASE Free Checking Account Coupon

Now this is just plain silly.

I've seen a few dubious auctions in the past, but when someone is selling you a coupon that you'll probably get for free in the mail, one promising $125 for opening up a new checking account, you'd better read the fine print.

Sadly, in this case, there is no fine print. Anyone might mistake this for something more legitimate, such as a person selling a gift card at a discount price (ever hear of the story of someone who paid more than $20 for a $20 gift card?). But then, the seller did forget one thing...the coupon code is actually visible in the image if you look closely enough. If you apply online and they ask for the coupon code, can't you just go and read it off the auction in question?

All temp Travel Cup Swett & Crawford Insurance Collect

Why are items like this considered collectible when you get them for free for working there?

So far you still can't get your travel health insurance from eBay (apart from sponsored Google ads), but you can certainly get related merchandise from the people that sell them. Print ads from magazines, glasses, cups, t-shirts, paperweights, ballpoint pens, memo books...as people usually have long working histories throughout their lives, it's really not hard to obtain this stuff. It's because of branded merchandise, you can go your entire life without having to purchase another coffee cup, ballpoint pen, or t-shirt.

vintage Comstock Casino Reno hotel soap

Next in the tradition of taking things that aren't nailed down in Reno hotels: a bar of soap taken from the defunct Comstock Reno hotel.

Mind you, this might have some sort of intrinsic value to collectors of crap, since the hotel is no longer in existence. As it is, most common forms of hotel memorabilia are casino chips, matchbooks, ash trays, postcards, and flyers. No stolen towels, curtains, rugs, or TVs.

Wedding Bridal Tool Honey Do birthday Shower Invitation

This came up in the search engine when I typed in "Bridal Shower Invitations."

To the seller's credit (who sells these designs), he didn't specifically designate this to be used as an invite for a bridal shower, although it did come up in the auction's title.

At a first glance, when I saw the pictures of tools, I was thinking of something along the lines of appropriate tools being necessary for building a healthy and successful marriage. Instead, we get the cheesy text, "Shovel for the garden / a front door mat / honey do this / honey do that." This isn't exactly traditional in my eyes.

LifeCell Life Cell Anti-Wrinkle Skin Cream - Anti-Aging

It's hard to say if it's the top wrinkle cream available on the market today, but on eBay, it's certainly the top PRICED.

With the magic of photo retouching and makeup, you can make anybody look like a million dollars. And certainly, the promoters of this product have gone to great lengths to provide you with all the information you need to make an informed purchase (or at least that's what they lead you to believe). But how much you wanna bet that the model in the photo just had her makeup done and nothing else?

322 items found for: naot

When taking a gander at Naot shoes, I found that there's a huge selection on eBay. No comment on the quality of the shoes...I'm not a woman and by nature I don't need to have a closet full of shoes. But that also got me thinking about the effort that it takes to buy shoes...even if you know your exact shoe size, there are a lot of other factors that influence a shoe purchase, mostly comfort and style.

I figure that one could easily circumvent it by trying the exact same shoe on in a shoe store, and then purchasing it on eBay. The price of gas hasn't overtaken what you would otherwise be saving vs. buying it on eBay yet.

HACK CRACK RESET WINDOWS NT 2000 XP 2003 ADMIN PASSWORD

IT and people performing network admin jobs have it tough...unappreciative staff, constant network shortages, limited budgets, etc. IT guys will also have their work cut out for them with the tools they have to work with (ie: Windows XP/Vista).

Then I came across this little thing here. The design was patterned after an actual Windows XP disc, although the actual product image shows it to be blank and nondescript. Just reading the product description, does it seem to anyone else that this product might be slightly illegal and out of step with the MS Windows' End User License Agreement?

Audemars Piguet Mens 18k Yellow Gold Open Balance

This is probably one of the more expensive watches available, if you can afford mens gold watches. Not exactly a Rolex, but close to what I sold my car for, it's more than what most normal people need to tell the time. But, if you're trying to get a good deal through eBay, don't count on it. There is a $100 difference between the "buy it now" price and the opening bid. Sure, $100 will buy you a tank and a half of gas. But when the item is $5700...

HDMI Cable

eBay can get you some really great deals on A/V cable, especially HDMI, which are absolutely required if you want to connect a HD video player (PS3, BluRay) to a HD television. But, one thing that people will try to tell you is that you will get much superior video quality out of a cable that costs three times as much.

Read enough about consumer reports and you'll know that average joes and videophiles were unable to tell the difference.

NEW The Great Mortgage Collapse ...

But on the other hand, it's nice to see that you can get people on eBay to sell slightly responsibly too. Because irresponsible of mortgage lenders, we're seeing the huge credit crunch that we are now. This book, The Great Mortgage Collapse, details the state of the mortgage industry both past and present. However, at only 46 pages, less than most magazines, $12.95 is just a little bit steep for this item.

But with a feedback rating in the 60,000s, we might be able to trust this guy.

ESTABLISHED FORECLOSURE SEARCH GUIDE WEBSITE FOR SALE

Foreclosure has become a sad reality in today's economic climate, exacerbated by the subprime mortgage crisis, people who really shouldn't be qualifying loans are now having their assets seized, culminating in the end of home ownership, one of the established milestones of the so-called American dream.

Now, there's the capitalizing on foreclosure, as this seller is hawking a website in the business of reselling foreclosed homes. This somehow comes across as opportunistic, capitalizing on the misfortune of others (and, some may say American as well). As much as it'd be a great chance for someone to enter the real estate market the smart way, it somehow feels...I dunno, dirty?

Welcome to America.

Business Funding loan SOURCES funds Franchise HOME CASH

With most franchise type businesses being independently operated, it probably isn't a bad idea to go in with as much information as possible. For that, there are books, courses, and...this.

E-Books that cost only the price of an eBay listing fee to put up are unfortunately one of the most prolific types of auctions that you'll find on eBay. The vast majority of this information can be found for free on the Internet or by visiting the local library, yet this they're still banking on us dropping $6.95 on this. Good luck, dude.

Vintage Metropolitan Life Insurance Cook Book

If you were looking for life insurance no medical exam and failed to qualify, you might have been given one of these things back in...whatever date this book was published.

The seller doesn't indicate a publication date, apart from the fact that it has signs of age (fading, wear). But most telling is the seller's description:

"This book has been prepared to help the housewife in her everlasting question, "What shall I have for dinner tonight?"

I ain't touching this one.

NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS Addict Drug Recovery Rehab NA 5th

The words "makes a great gift" has been dubiously applied to just about everything that people try to sell to us. That's why regifting has become popular, especially around Christmas when really unimaginative people foist unwanted crap onto us. Other cases, it's not so much about being unimaginative, but being really insensitive. Like, for example, someone who just finished a drug rehab program.

While certainly an important resources, I would hesitate to give something like this as a gift. Drug treatment should be taken seriously and not trivialized. Heck, I'd prefer to give a chia pet over something like this. After all, the TV ads say, "Makes a great gift."

Cartier Santos 100 xxl Chronograph Watch

Up for bid - one Cartier Santos watch, used, current bid (8 bids) is $2775.00, which is a likely significant fraction of its original purchase price, judging from the other prices for similar watches on eBay...some are going as high as $4000.

Given recent economic downturn (or not? you be the judge), we're seeing lots of luxury items being sold on Craigslist and eBay, which may explain why eBay is attempting to take over Craigslist, given that Craigslist has all their listings for free. Given that the seller of the item in question has zero feedback, indicates that this is a quick turnaround sale intended to generate emergency cash. Foreclosed home anyone?

The Luckiest Bottle of Wine in Boston

Finally, something a little bit out there!

Never mind the fact that the most sought-after component is missing, namely the wine itself, but how else can you justify spending double the original purchase price and about a hundred times the amount you'll get back on the deposit (25 cents?). Do you think you can get an item like this from a wine of the month club? Heck no!

The seller is claiming that this helped their favourite NBA team win a game, win $50 on a scratch and win ticket, and helped the seller's cousin score a 30 on the ACT exams. However, I think he's going to need all the luck in the world to sell this bottle.

CHEVROLET SILVERADO GMC SIERRA 03-07 A/C AC Compressor

Okay, I can't really think of anything funny or witty to say about AC Compressors, although sometimes it's a little amusing when sellers attempt to slag on the competition in an effort to prove that their items are superior to the others.

This one in particular goes to indicate that "new" items are not always factory OEM (original equipment manufacturer), and then goes onto say that "these are not rebuilt by someone you do not know." Well, I'm not exactly on a first-name basis with the person who services my car, but I'm pretty sure he didn't rebuild these pieces by hand, so technically, they WERE rebuilt by someone I don't know.

MR16 TRACK LIGHTING FIXTURE BLACK BALLAST WITH BULB

Somehow, I really get the impression that a lot of the things we see on eBay are handled by autonomous bots. And when you see items like lighting fixtures categorized under watches and jewelry, it really looks like someone wasn't paying attention.

I mean, a simple enough mistake...I think...the seller mostly sells watches and jewelry, so he probably just dumped this in with all the other ones. That is, unless he got an automated program to take care of it, in which case it wouldn't necessarily know the difference.

OXY 5 Regular for Acne pimple (5% benzoyl peroxide) 25g

So, it's come to this...there's now a way to get around it if you were too lazy to get your acne solutions from a drugstore. You can now ORDER IT ON eBAY!

Even with gas encroaching $4/gallon in the US or $1.35/litre, it's still cheaper to drive to the drug store than pay $8 shipping to Canada for a tube of acne medication (well, at least it is as of this writing). But, then, can you get the same product with Chinese writing on it? I think NOT!

17 old books RENAISSANCE reformation middle ages

So, like always, if the auction title sounds really, really good, check the item description and read it twice before putting any money down on any item. For example, if you're looking for really old books, one guy is claiming to sell 17 "old books" for the stupidly low price of $9.99. But then, it's entirely digital, but at least you have a tangible copy on a CD-ROM. And he doesn't say whether or not the discs are home-burned CD-Rs. Methinks that they're home burned.

Considering that the books are mostly public domain by now, the profit margins are pretty high for this item, even though he's only selling it for $9.99.

2781 items found for: diet pills

Diet pills are huge business on eBay, or at least allowing eBay to become a haven for those willing to prey on the insecurities of their users by selling them products of dubious quality and performance. As of this writing, there are over 2700 items available with the diet pills keyword, all of which appear to be spread between a small number of users (single items appear in the list 10-15 times each). Most of these are "Buy it now" items, removing the option of trying to shoot for a lower price, so it's undetermined how much demand these items are in.

I've always been a firm believer in the old standbys of proper diet and exercise as opposed to magical pills, especially given the controversy over phen-phen diet pills and fraudulent hoodia gordonii pills. But hey, you know what they said about the fool and his money.

FREE QUOTES LIFE & HEALTH INSURANCE AZ, OH, MI, TX, NV

Sometimes I wonder if it's a bot that's generating auctions like these, but whether you're looking for NC Health Insurance (or you're from anywhere else in the US), it seems like a lot of companies are more than willing to take your money for the piece of mind of proper health coverage.

After watching Sicko, I was left shaking my head at the state of American Health Care (although I'll be more than willing to admit that Canadian health care is not without its flaws either). But, the fact that they're selling related things to it on eBay is somewhat bothersome, and probably not the best choice for the informed consumer.

(MERCURY VILLEGER) FLEECE BLANKET

Bedding is available in all shapes and sizes on eBay. And, you can be assured that somebody who went kinda crazy signing up for various services to obtain free swag will try to unload it on eBay.

This is a piece of branded merchandise with corporate logos from a car company, and is otherwise completely unrelated to the product that it is promoting (ie: it's not really an automotive accessory). And, since it's not considered a status symbol car, it's starting at the low low low price of 99 cents. But then, the guy probably got it for free.

Pitney Bowes Postage Meter Tape 610-0 NEW - 6 ROLLS

Just a quick note on liability - it's always important to carefully read the eBay auction. Thankfully, this particular auction for postage tape is fairly straightforward. They even put in the all-important qualifying word "new," as I don't think that used postage tape will get you very far.

We've all heard horror stories of people who actually paid for "wholesale lists" when they thought they were buying computer components or someone who paid for an empty box for a Sony PS2.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Team Alinghi Plat

File this under "has too much money." I'm not sure what the point of eBay is when you start getting to this level. Besides, if you have the kind of money to buy an actual Royal Oak Offshore wristwatch, why the heck are you looking on eBay?

Not being a member of society's elite, I'm hard pressed as to what makes this worth more than an average household's annual income ($125,000), which is why I probably can't afford something like this.

But if you're looking for a deal, don't bother with trying to snipe...it's BUY IT NOW only.

Bank of Italy, 1920s School Savings Account passbook

I guess this was okay back in the 1920's, when identity theft wasn't such a big deal. But nowadays, expect any sort of savings accounts information to be shredded when it's no longer in use. Perhaps it's a sign of a more innocent time and a more carefree time, considering that it was the roaring 20s.

While the adage of "Trash and treasure" come to mind, it's reflective of a completely different era. The seller gives a thorough history that is attached to the item, talking about how the Bank of Italy eventually became the Bank of America and was one of the few businesses to survive the earthquake of 1906.

Lightning Reaction Extreme - The Ultimate Shocking Game

Quite probably one of the most sadistic and masochistic electronic games ever devised, it's "Lightning Reaction Extreme," which is actually popular enough to the point that it's spawned dozens of videos on YouTube.

The way it works is that the four players hold onto a metal handle that is designed to give them a shock when they do something wrong in the game. Either the last one who drops the handle gets shocked, or the first one who drops the handle shocks everyone else.

Probably a really bad idea if you have a pacemaker.

$$ SURPRISE MyStErY AuCtIoN $$ LCD TV CASH MP3 Laptop $

Not having any success finding people offering laptop rental services on eBay, I came across another bloated category of eBay auctions: "mystery auctions."

Some people doing mystery auctions are actually selling an item as advertised, and then including a "surprise" somewhere in there. This one in particular is only selling an e-mail address, and he's got 5000 of them available.

To their credit, some of them are actually offering tangible items and whatever they want to throw in, but when someone has something of minimal value (ie: a $2 drink box) that's all the way up to $25 current bid, the old adage of the fool and his/her money immediately comes to mind.

** Brand New Designer Gas Lift Swivel Chair in Pink

I scoured eBay in the hopes of finding the ugliest piece of office furniture available, but the only thing I could find was this.

The seller repeatedly states that this chair would be perfect for "ladies and kids." Having remembered what being a boy was like, I can say that I would do whatever I could to make this any other colour than hot pink. For the right type of working environment, this would be ideal. But not my working environment.

And why does the seller say "happy bidding" when "buy it now" is the only option for obtaining this item?

Orovo

Orovo is a natural supplement purported to promote weight loss and clearer skin, and if the number of eBay auctions that pop up that are selling Orovo, could prove to be potent money maker for whoever is making it. But as to whether or not the product is right for you?

With any other supplement that is sold in bulk on the internet, quick research will tell you a lot of different things. Also, someone wrote in on Yahoo Answers, asking about the effectiveness of the product. The first person who replied was from Orovo.com, while the second person questioned its usefulness.

Caveat Emptor.

AMISH MADE 5' Glider Bench NEW! Outdoor Furniture

I found this to be of some interest: outdoor furniture made by the Amish. Best known for their simplistic lifestyle and shunning of modern technology, it's not expected that they would be involved with internet trading, considering that the Amish are often believed to have minimal contact with the outside world.

If this is indeed made by hand, it looks pretty good...either that, or it's "Amish Made" just like McDonald's is really 100% Beef..."100% Beef" being an actual trademarked name.

REAL ESTATE COURSE- COMMERCIAL APARTMENT/OFFICE/RETAIL

I don't know if this is the sign of a declining commercial real estate market or not. Depending on where you live, real estate is extremely expensive for most people, and first time buyers have a lot of stumbling blocks. On the other hand, sub prime mortgages are one of the contributing factors to the major economic slowdown occurring in America right now.

But, when a seller is offering a real estate license course on eBay, is it indicative of a slowdown in the real estate license course market when the words "or best offer" appear in the price?

Leptovox + 1 FREE 7-DD Only $39.99

Diet pills continue to huge business on eBay and Leptovox is no exception. Of course, it is still less known than some of the other pills (such as those purported to contain hoodia gordonii), so it doesn't quite have its own category quite just yet. Given my long standing preference towards proper diet and exercise, I tend to find these a little (ahem) hard to swallow, but hey, if you just happen to have that much cash just burning a whole in your PayPal account...

Search Results for 'lingerie'

Is it just slightly disturbing that the key words "women's lingerie" actually has a few items available under the category "men's accessories"? I'm all about the don't-ask-don't-tell, but I guess in this day and age, the whole thing about going to that store and getting the thing in the plain brown paper bag is kind of rendered unnecessary with current technology. All hail the Internet.

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AMPHETIMINE/ENERGY FAT BURNERS SLIMMING PILLS/TABLETS

Supplements are not exactly a "dime a dozen" on eBay, but they're certainly plentiful. But as always, do your research. So, when you have energy pills and the title of the auction has the word "amphetamine" it, DEFINITELY do your research.

I've already ragged repeatedly on hoodia gordonii products, but it looks like the main active ingredient in this, gugulipid (also known as Commiphora wightii) is another potential dud, as initial studies show promise, but the larger studies fail to show results. It's all caveat emptor here, folks.

SHERATON HOTEL TEA SPOON

Sure, everybody does it, but does that mean it's okay that you're essentially selling stolen property on eBay?

While standard practice dictates that hotels will immediately charge you for items taken from the mini-bar (some will do so, even if the items aren't consumed), so far, hotels aren't charging for commonly pilfered items such as silverware, towels, or toiletries. But, when hotel deals are going for relatively sane rates, it might be safe to assume that they're making enough money that they aren't going to charge you for stolen eating utensils.

Wholesale List Tvs Laptops Mattress GPS Home Theater

Looking for anything in particular? A TV? A foam mattress? Home Theatre?

Keep looking, because you certainly won't find that here.

Wholesale lists are the eBay equivalent of Spam. Thankfully, the days of ambushing people and fooling them into buying what they think is that fancy new iPod or PS3 or whatever and instead they end up buying a CD with mostly dead contacts on it are long past. But they still proliferate. It seems like just about anybody can make a wholesale list and sell it these days. But as always, caveat emptor.

Personalized CAMERON Ball Point Pens Set of 4 Gr8t Gift

Imprinted promotional products are one of the great perks of the working world. Whether it be free pens, t-shirts, coffee mugs, stationery, gadgets, USB keychains or the like, they're always great fun. And best of all, they're FREE.

So, when you start looking at auctions like this one, you ever wonder if somebody's getting a little bit greedy? Especially when there's such a huge jump from the $5 opening bid to the $99 buy it now price? And, they give this crap away for free at conventions anyway. Anybody in the professional world will be loaded with this stuff. I must've been able to fill my wardrobe with all the free t-shirts I've obtained.

Barney Puzzle Friends Swing Set Fun BJ Baby Bop ~ NEW

I saw this and I thought, how OLD is this item?

After some quick research, much to my horror, this show is STILL ON. However, I do remember in the mid-90s when Barney bashing was all the rage. I even once saw a t-shirt depicting Barney chasing after children and eating them. I think I still have a copy of the Kill Barny comic book (named "Barny" instead of "Barney" to avoid a lawsuit).

Obviously, not a crap load of interest in a Barney and Friends Swing Sets, in puzzle for or otherwise.

NEW Dripping Tap Water Faucet Gag Prank Joke Drip SOUND

Prank items are quite easy to find on eBay. This one in particular, would probably be great for someone with Moen Faucets, and probably drive a person pretty batty.

The setups for these are pretty simple...you just set it up in a certain location and make sure it's hidden and out of the way. Just don't forget about it, or else the more intelligent would-be prank victim will discover it and use the nearest receptacle of trash or even the toilet to dispose of it.

Mystery box lot monster cable hdmi camera multi switch

Looking for cheap HDMI cable? Howabout a pile of random electronic crap?

The seller doesn't instill a lot of faith in the consumer that they're going to be getting their money's worth with this auction. As it is, he doesn't even LIST the items that arein this photo, which makes finding what you want that much more difficult. He just lists a few random items that may or may not be in the photo, and then just calls it mystery box.

As it is, the only recognizable item in this random pile of crap is a CPU cooling fan, and it's not even listed or mentioned anywhere in this auction.

S2000 HONDA CAR COVER

If you're looking for car covers, this guy is selling a few, specifically for a Honda S2000. A fairly mundane item, even though it's listed under "everything else" and "other," but it's his style of prose. Taking a gander at all of his other auctions shows that he's using eBay as an outlet to spread the word of the Lord.

And he has this on all of his auctions, whether it be a Gucci Makeup Bag, a cell phone, or a faux fur coat. I don't really know why, as this generally seems to have very little to do with the auction itself, merely a prayer that happens to be tacked on to these auctions. It's an interesting dichotomy, considering that the bible preaches that it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven, and yet he's mostly selling items associated with decadence and excess.

Amen.

S2000 HONDA CAR COVER

If you're looking for car covers, this guy is selling a few, specifically for a Honda S2000. A fairly mundane item, even though it's listed under "everything else" and "other," but it's his style of prose. Taking a gander at all of his other auctions shows that he's using eBay as an outlet to spread the word of the Lord.

And he has this on all of his auctions, whether it be a Gucci Makeup Bag, a cell phone, or a faux fur coat. I don't really know why, as this generally seems to have very little to do with the auction itself, merely a prayer that happens to be tacked on to these auctions. It's an interesting dichotomy, considering that the bible preaches that it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven, and yet he's mostly selling items associated with decadence and excess.

Amen.

RALEIGH HILLS OUTPATIENT Hat PIN drug alcohol rehab

Because spending your time in drug rehabs is such a laughing matter, this eBay seller has decided to capitalize on the sale of a vintage item by selling pins with "Raleigh Hills Outpatient" written on them.

Well, maybe if we didn't have well known celebrities like actors and musicians treating drug and alcohol treatment centers as such a joke, then maybe these would be something that is taken slightly seriously.

As it is, aren't these those kind of tokens that you're supposed to earn after going through 12-step counseling programs?

MICHAEL JORDAN NIKE AIR KNOWS 2 CARD SET BASEBALL/GOLF

Now THIS is a blast from the past.

As the speculator boom destroyed the trading card industry, the end result is that you will see people that amassed cards by the crate load and now are trying to unload them at a loss.

This is a little more reminiscent of the "Bo Knows Sports" advertising campaign at Nike, in which multidisciplinary athlete Bo Jackson excelled at all sports, in addition to two main sports, baseball and football.

Although best known for basketball, and more of a shill for Air Jordans rather than Nike Golf, Michael Jordan did some crossover in other sports as well, spending a brief stint in minor league baseball during his retirement and now spending time in celebrity golf tournaments. But these cards depict a much younger Michael Jordan, when these cards might've been worth more than the $0.01 that they're going for now.

Ceramic Smoking Baby SMOKES cigarettes + BONUS GIFT

Probably the LAST thing on your mind when you went to eBay and you were looking up baby gifts, but here we have a novelty smoking ceramic baby.

The seller quickly qualifies this by saying that "REAL BABIES SHOULD NEVER SMOKE," which kind of goes without saying. This earned a "What the hell is that" from my girlfriend when she saw I was looking for weird stuff on eBay. Yes, this is wrong on multiple, multiple levels.

There are certain types of people that would appreciate a gift like that. Those people probably do not have children of their own, or ever intend to have children of their own. Or EVER have children of their own, for that matter.

CROSS SILVER BALL/POINT/PEN BURKE MARKETING CORP ENGRAV

People on eBay are putting up things with the intent on making a profit, but when people just want to get junk out of their apartments, they call up on Craigslist. When I see postings like this, where the product has zero bids and the product is used and of minimal value to anyone else, then I wonder if these guys are just getting greedy.

Like, when a company starts giving out marketing pens for promoting their business, they'll usually be cheap little trinkets that cost very little for the business in question, and they'll be produced by the hundreds. And, they'll be given out for FREE. Sure, this looks like a nice pen, but most might not perceive the value the same way that it's being promoted.

Heck, the guy even admits he doesn't know how much ink is in there.

2 UMBRELLA HATS -GOLF-BBQ-CAMPING-FISHING-FUN! $4.98!

When searching for camping gear in eBay, I happened to stumble upon this entry here. I don't really expect that this is a serious piece of equipment that one would bring with them when roughing it in the woods, the auction itself is quite amusing, spelling mistakes notwithstanding. Among the more outlandish claims that this product can do (and of course, it's not meant to be taken seriously):

-Prevent head lice from sleeping in hotels
-Keeping your hair dry during a shower
-Reduce your impact velocity while in freefall
-Keeps your head dry when someone spits when pronouncing their Ps.

Pulsed Magnetic Can Crusher PLANS

Now this is kinda cool. Looking for a can crusher? Do you want to do more recycling? Now you "can."

Relying on just the power of magnetism, you can watch with delight as cans miraculously collapse under their own weight. No wait...they aren't actually selling the actual can crusher, they are just selling the plans.

I always thought that aluminum wasn't affected by magnetic fields (I remember watching an old "How Stuff Works" type video where a can separator determined which ones were aluminum based on whether or not they stuck to the magnetic conveyor belt), but if they actually do science demonstrations with this, why not. I guess you learn something new every day.

But wouldn't plans for making a magnetic can crusher be availabe on the internet? Like, for free?

"FACES WITHIN A WINE STAIN"

With wine of the month clubs, you can get wine sent to you on a monthly basis. For the serious connoisseur, this is a dream. But for less serious (or much, MUCH more serious), there is this.

While the likes of GoldenPalace.com have pretty much played out all of the whole Jesus Christ on a grilled cheese sandwich bit, occasionally we still do see the odd item on eBay where some freak arrangement of molecules forms something somewhat recognizable.

But, this guy is selling a stained box for a million dollars. THIS is what he's selling.


Even taking a closer look at the brown spot on the box and you can't even make out anything distinct in the spot. This is supposed to be a face in a stain, but you gotta look really, really close. And even still, I can't make out anything.

Lot 479 Scrabble Wood Wooden Letters Tiles Scrapbook

I've developed an interest in Scrabble fairly recently, having played Scrabulous on Facebook (which is now under threat of shutdown by Hasbro), but I have the worst habit of dropping tiles under the couch. Thankfully, my prayers have been answered.

Missing the Q-tile? You can replace it. Missing them all? Check this out. Mind you, with 479 tiles, you won't have many problems in completing your set. Which leave you the unanswered question as to what you do with the remaining 478 tiles once you replaced the missing Q.

Interestingly enough, there are 17 bidders lined up, which might indicate that they're using it for more than just Scrabble.

URINARY INCONTINENCE IN THE ASSISTED LIVING SETTING

Considering that video media is sometimes considered software, I suppose that this would qualify as "assisted living software", although a few things about this auction sorta bother me. One, is that the father is choosing to sell items through his son's estate through ebay. This just seems sorta tacky and tasteless. Two, the seller's level of grammatical and spelling skill. There are several instances with inappropriate use of possessive apostrophes.

And number three, just look at the box artwork! Dignity is a commodity very hard to come by when you require assisted living, and the VHS box (which appears to be still shrinkwrapped) shows a puddle of water. This is just plain old tasteless.

great 1947 America Fore home owners Insurance Ad

While home owners insurance may not be available on eBay, the advertisements certainly are. I'd like to think that this is an entirely niche market, although it really more seems that they're trying to clear out old magazines that were in the closet/cellar/basement and this is the only way they can attempt to make a profit on it. The words "trash and treasure" come to mind yet again.