Wednesday, August 04, 2010

DuPont Real Touch Elite laminate flooring, 8 boxes

Apologies to my readers...I really can't say anything funny about laminate flooring

The gaudy looking layout of the auction page lends a little more credibility (it's not done by some huge impersonal eBay store), and for $250 ($31.25 per box, more than half off the original price), although it's for a very, VERY specific buyer.  With 8 boxes, you're not going to get a ton of coverage, especially since this particular colour has been discontinued.

Craigslist is usually a bit better for these things, but you do whatcha gotta do.

Cheap Car Insurance Bad Credit Card Loans INFO DVD Cash

I think that the snake oil salesmanship of this eBay auction speaks for itself. Speaking to the desperation of a recession and taxed ravaged people, it's a little too promising to get something for nothing, especially when you hear stories of constant layoffs of people who've worked hard for years and now just want a little break.  Cheap car insurance, low mortgage rates, anything to help.

The seller's feedback rating, a comparatively low 90.6% rating, is enough to give most people pause.  Caveat emptor.

Barcode Scanner - SYMBOL LS2208 ***** VERY CHEAP *****

Small retail business owners can probably benefit from a Symbol LS2208, which is abundantly available on eBay.  However, one can probably benefit from looking a little harder, especially when the auction purports itself to be "VERY CHEAP" at $54.99.  This is where one learns the art of sniping, when you see current bids for the same product for around $30, but could easily go well above $60 towards the last few seconds of the auction.

I don't know how people can do it, but the ones who are good are really successful.

Sperry Top-Sider Mako 1 Eye Cream Boat Deck Shoes Men 8

When reviewing cosmetics auctions on eBay, such as top eye creams, I have a really tough time, given that I have absolutely no need for them.  When punching in those keywords, I ended up with a pair of shoes, which was kind of weird, but I'm rolling with it.

These aren't the kind of shoes I would find myself wearing.  It doesn't look so much the type of shoes one would wear if they had problem feet (no full laces), although they go into exhaustive detail as to the features that are on them, going on to call the eyelets as "rust-proof." As deck shoes, it would make sense, as you're exposed to a lot more saltwater, although for most people, it's probably not a huge deal.

500 + MG GORDONII HOODIA NATURAL HEALTH SLIMMING PILLS

I used to review a lot more of these types of auctions and I'm surprised that they're still around.  Slimming pills, like all other diet and exercise supplements, are huge on eBay, but it's been a while since I've seen products containing hoodia gordonii, which hasn't been been as popular lately.  There has been a lot of controversy over that product in particular, especially given the questions about the efficacy (still no scientific evidence), but also the questionable marketing tactics.  There are at least three ongoing lawsuits regarding hoodia gordonii and the companies that are selling products that are purported to contain it, but actually don't.

Suvorna Blackhead Pimple Remover Extractor Lancet 1104

For most people, acne is a fact of life the instant puberty is achieved, which have made popping zits a regular ritual for teenagers everywhere.  Getting rid of blackheads also has been a source of satisfaction for some (myself included).

However, the "manual" method of doing so is pretty discouraged, due to the potential scarring and skin damage, for which these tools are used.  These things are a little more fun than they should be, which stretch the skin around a pore and allow whatever stuff is inside to escape.  Chalk this up with cracking joints to the list of stuff that we're not supposed to do, but we do anyway.

WEIGHT METABOLISM/FITNESS SUPPLEMENT LOSS DIETARY DIET

In my eBay reviews, I see new supplements for weight loss all the time, which makes it increasingly difficult to keep up with.  There have been a lot of trendy weight loss supplements, all claiming to be the "best weight loss supplement." Since they're coming and going at such a rapid clip, they're usually gone by the time that there has been sufficient research in place to verify either their efficacy or their safety.

This is one of the latest ones.   With the buzz-word worthy "Evomine-X" name, it sounds promising...although further research reveals that the primary ingredient is bitter orange, which is not necessary safer or even as effective as ephedra, which has been subject to an FDA ban since 2004. 

3 VHS Ball Workout Videos Total Body Abs Pilates Walker

In this day and age of the internet and digital media, this is practically an antique.

It's not so much that the concept of getting your abs workout is an antique concept, but the technology needed to view it is becoming harder and harder to come by.  With VHS to DVD being one of the most major leaps in entertainment electronics (even more so than DVD to BluRay).  I don't know if 99 cents is a fair price to pay, as it assumes that you even HAVE a VCR.  I haven't owned a VCR in 3 years.

Tuesday, August 03, 2010

Brand New 2010 City Select Baby Stroller by Baby Jogger

Can't really think of anything clever about this one, a Baby jogger city select stroller. Baby products are always huge on eBay, which are generally not cheap.  In my days of riding public transit every day, baby strollers were actually getting SUV sized, which ended up taking up a stupid amount of space on the bus/Skytrain.  Can you tell that I really don't like children that much, or the unwarranted sense of entitlement that surrounds parenthood in general?

Royal Caribbean Cruise line Shipshape Logo Yellow Visor

I routinely see a lot of these types of auctions when I'm doing reviews. With the vast majority of eBay auctions being unsurprisingly useless crap, I now actually realize the value of auctions like this one. Having just come back from a quick one-day road trip to Seattle, I picked up a few souvenirs while at the Science Fiction museum. Which I promptly managed to leave behind on my way back home.

If you're doing the cruise Royal Caribbean, this is probably one of the most butt-ugly souvenirs that you can get (my mom got me a towel with their logo on it).  But, people lose stuff like souvenirs, so hey.