Ebay News

Romanian Hacker Vladuz Makes Another eBay Housecall

2007-03-15T08:55:00.000-07:00

Call it the equivalent of neighborhood teens strewing toilet paper on your trees on Halloween, but the nuisance stunts of a Romanian hacker who calls himself Vladuz has quite clearly confounded eBay's attempts to stop him from making his presence known on the online auction site. Confident of his ability to breach eBay's security, Vladuz posted early this morning in eBay Germany's forums, displaying Pinkliner status.

Read more http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y07/m03/i14/s02

eBay DVD pirate nabbed

2007-03-15T08:52:00.000-07:00

A man who was selling large quantities of pirated DVDs on eBay has been arrested.
Trading Standards officers, working alongside the Metropolitan Police, raided the home of a 22-year-old man in Canning Town in east London, seizing several hundred discs containing shows such as The Sopranos and 24. Computer equipment was also seized.
Read more http://www.webuser.co.uk/news/112854.html

Art thief escapes, but dropped eBay receipt leads to suspect

2007-03-15T08:51:00.000-07:00

The owner of a center city art gallery said a receipt dropped by an art thief has been traced to a man who worked at another gallery and was suspected of stealing pieces there.
The thief stole an $18,000 Keith Haring screenprint of late German artist Joseph Beuys from the I. Brewster gallery and fled on a bicycle in the March 7 snow.
"We were all running after him," said Nicky Brewster, gallery owner.
Brewster said the name on a printout of an eBay receipt dropped by the thief was traced to the other gallery, and that gallery's former employee fit the description of his thief and had bragged about an association with the late Haring. Brewster said police were looking for the suspect.

Norwegian palace put up on eBay

2007-03-09T07:28:00.001-08:00

The Norwegian Royal Palace in Oslo went on the auction block this week for a brief time until it was pulled off eBay early Thursday as a hoax.
The last bid received for the stately pile in the center of the capital city was $99,999.99, the newspaper Aftenposten reported.

Read more http://www.imedinews.ge/en/news_read/25681

Canonsburg man to federal prison for eBay fraud

2007-03-09T07:25:00.000-08:00

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A man who auctioned high-priced electronics on eBay, then did not deliver the goods, was sentenced to federal prison.
Edward Semulka, 41, of Canonsburg, was sentenced to two years in federal prison Thursday and ordered to spend three years on probation once he's released.
Semulka had pleaded guilty in November to wire fraud.

Read more http://www.pennlive.com/newsflash/pa/index.ssf?/base/news-47/1173403445290400.xml&storylist=penn

Suspect sought in eBay scam

2007-02-26T14:40:00.000-08:00

State police detectives are asking the public’s help in locating a Millsboro man accused of scamming a woman on e-Bay.The suspect, Reginald H. Pimental, 23, is wanted by both state and Laurel police on charges of felony theft by false pretense.

He is also wanted on five outstanding court capiases.State police spokesman Cpl. Jeff Oldham said a 54-year-old Michigan woman placed a bid for a diamond ring on eBay in August and lost the auction.When the woman received a second chance e-mail from the suspect, he provided his phone number, a correct last name but a different first name, Oldham said.

Read more http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070223/NEWS/70223071

eBay sacks O'Fallon woman accused of coupon scam

2007-02-26T14:37:00.000-08:00

A woman accused of running a counterfeit coupon operation out of her home continued to try to sell items on eBay after she was charged, but by Friday afternoon, she appeared to be out of business.Cynthia Madej, 40, is facing 14 counts of felony forgery after police raided one of her garage sales and discovered thousands of items in their original packaging. Authorities had been tipped off by a suspicious shopper.Police said that in addition to garage sales, Madej used eBay to sell items she got with the fake coupons and also sold the coupons online.

Read more http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stcharles/story/2D61C012E79427418625728C00105ED1?OpenDocument

Still no signs of human life at eBay

2007-02-26T14:34:00.000-08:00

I am getting nowhere with a dispute I have with eBay and PayPal. I was unable to use an eBay discount coupon, but my complaint was simply passed around in circles. Access to real people seems impossible. The seller remains unpaid. CC, Dursley
In the past eBay and PayPal have replied to my requests on behalf of readers, but not this time. I have spent two months trying to contact someone there, but all messages and emails are met with silence. This is not personal to your problem as I have had no opportunity to discuss it either. When companies stop communicating with the press, we can only assume they have something to hide.

Read more http://observer.guardian.co.uk/cash/story/0,,2020586,00.html

Torahs for Sale on eBay.

2007-02-22T09:34:00.000-08:00

Groups can buy Torahs online, but must beware of dangers SAN FRANCISCO (JTA) — New Jewish communities are relying on the Internet to communicate, organize, build community — and sometimes to obtain Torahs. Four-year-old Minyan Tehillah in Cambridge, Mass., applied online to Save-A-Torah Inc., a Maryland organization that rescues and restores Eastern European Torahs and donates them to needy congregations.
“We qualified — we’re students and young adults,” ritual coordinator Rachel Milner Gillers says.
Commissioning a new Torah, which can cost $20,000 to $60,000, was out of the minyan’s reach.

Read more http://stlouis.ujcfedweb.org/content_display.html?ArticleID=208863

Police Break Up EBay Gang

2007-02-22T09:32:00.000-08:00

An Oceans 11-style crime syndicate that carried out more than 200 highly planned jewellery raids across Europe has been smashed by police.
Forces in seven European countries have broken up the network which channeled more than £25m from jewel heists into drugs and real estate.
The money came from highly choreographed raids on jewellers, mainly in northern Italy, with the goods fenced on eBay and through pawn shops, Europol said.
Police made 35 arrests after swooping on the homes of suspects in Estonia, Lithuania, Finland, Spain, France and Germany.
Italian police have been working on the case since 2005.
The gang usually worked in teams of four thieves to rob high-end jewellery stores in operations often lasting less than a minute, said the agency, which coordinates police intelligence throughout Europe.
Stores in at least a dozen other countries were targeted.
Without intelligence cooperation, "it is very unlikely those countries would have known that the group responsible was one and the same," Europol director Max-Peter Ratzel said.
Spokesman Soren Pedersen said more arrests were expected around Europe. "This is just the start of a major police operation," he said.
The stolen items were swiftly moved out of their country of origin and sold, allegedly to finance hashish and cocaine trafficking from Spain to Scandinavia.

eBay Addresses Vladuz Hacking Incident

2007-02-22T09:30:00.000-08:00

Rumors have been circulating since December that a Russian had hacked into eBay databases. Screenshots of discussion-board posts by eBay moderators that were composed and signed by "Vladuz" were posted by eBay members as proof that the hacker had accessed eBay email accounts. An eBay spokesperson did not respond to an inquiry made by AuctionBytes last month looking for information about the alleged hacking incident.

But a small group of eBay users kept discussing the Vladuz matter online. On Wednesday, eBay finally responded to an inquiry from the Register in the UK and acknowledged that someone had obtained access to a small number of eBay email accounts (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/02/20/ebay_conspiracy).

Read more http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y07/m02/i22/s03

eBay Find of the Day: Original Pink Panther car

2007-02-16T10:18:00.000-08:00

Here's a special item that can tell the love of your life how truly unique you think he or she is. This one of a kind pink vehicle was created in the '60s as the real world embodiment of the cartoon car used in the Pink Panther TV show. As the eBay description tells us, "respected" Hollywood builder Jay Ohrberg created this monstrosity fantastic custom. Described as a "limo," it is 23 ft long, 6 ft wide and is powered by a 7-litre engine! It's front-wheel drive for those in snowy climates, and although capable of running on its own, it has only been started occasionally. The seller admits it might need brakes and advises towing it to events where it is sure to draw a crowd.

The seller also promises that the rights to use the Pink Panther name are available from MGM as part of the deal. As outrageous as it looks on the outside, the inside looks tailored for Austin Powers. A huge shagfest lounge is what you're greeted with when you drop open the tailgate-like doors. Surely it's seen a lot of lovin'. The seller promises to have it reupholstered, as well. Act now, the opening bid of 75,000 pounds (Approximately US $147,210.00) is the only one up right now with three days left. It's eBay Item number: 190081313567. Sort of reminds us of that wild Nomad from Barrett-Jackson.

And the Winner Is...Wyoming girl is highest bidder in eBay auction of OWU tuition

2007-02-16T10:17:00.000-08:00

A final bid of $18,669.99 finished out Oklahoma Wesleyan University’s auction on eBay for a full year of tuition, room and board.Candace Blain of Douglas, Wyo., currently a college sophomore at South Dakota State University, was the highest bidder.

Blain, who is majoring in nursing, will transfer to OWU next year but is not keeping her win for herself — she will be giving the tuition to her younger sister, Chelsea, who is a senior in high school in Wyoming.

Read more http://www.examiner-enterprise.com/articles/2007/02/15/news/news840.txt

Shill-bidding: ECS researchers propose a solution for online auctions

2007-02-14T07:38:00.001-08:00

Researchers at the University of Southampton have proposed a solution to ‘shill-bidding’, a disruptive but increasingly prevalent practice which threatens the integrity of online auctions such as eBay.
Shill-bidding occurs when a seller, or a friend or associate of a seller, bids clandestinely on their own sale. Sellers can thus increase the price of their own items or ultimately buy them back if the auction fails to achieve the price they want.

Read more http://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/about/news/1177

eBay Sellers Cash In on ‘Mooninites’

2007-02-14T07:10:00.000-08:00

Those light boxes installed in major cities across the nation to promote Cartoon Network's Aqua Teen Hunger Force first triggered a terrorism panic in Boston, then triggered some commercial exploitation on eBay.
Fans have designed and are selling T-shirts taking off on the crisis, caused when law enforcement officials in Beantown two weeks ago treated the lighted figures of a "Mooninite" character from the show as possible explosive devices.

Read more http://animators.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=105155

Alerting Systems for Wanted Items on eBay

2007-02-14T07:06:00.000-08:00

received a question from a reader about wanted items on eBay. "I'm sure your inbox is full of questions but I sincerely pray that you take the time to answer this one. Do you know of any software or method that will alert the user INSTANTLY when a desired eBay saved search item comes available for sale? Thank you in advance for ANY help you can provide."The first that came to mind is MyBaboon, which notifies shoppers by email when an item they are looking for is listed on eBay.

Read more http://blog.auctionbytes.com/cgi-bin/blog/blog.pl?/comments/2007/2/1171397523.html

GEORGE LYNCH: 'Stolen' Mr. Graffitti Guitar Surfaces On eBay

2007-02-14T06:48:00.000-08:00

Legendary guitarist George Lynch (DOKKEN, LYNCH MOB) has released the following message:"The guitar I called 'Mr. Graffitti' was lost due to mysterious circumstances that involved some kind of theft. I have searched for this guitar and considered it a lost cause for the years since it has been gone.

I was alerted to the sudden appearance of this guitar on eBay last night [Feb. 11] and after reading the ad for it, it is up for sale under equally suspicious circumstances, claiming it is up for auction by an anonymous third party."I am in the process of involving law enforcement in getting it back. I saw the audacity and nerve of the seller's opening bid being at $6000.00 without any regard to how public this is and will be. What I am asking any of you who might be aware of who this is to please come forward with any information. It would be deeply appreciated."To view the auction in question, click here.

HERE IS THE RESPOND FROM THE SELLER.

This is in response to George Lynch and the EBay community in regards to Mr. Lynch’s inflammatory comments concerning this instrument being “lost or stolen”.

Your recollection is incorrect. Let me reiterate that you did indeed give this guitar as a gift in October 1997, to the current owner, in front of witnesses in your home with your family members present. A lot can happen in 10 years and even more can be forgotten, which is the case here. It is unfortunate that you have chosen these means to try to sabotage this auction.

I want to make this very clear that I am a hard working, honest person who has never stolen anything in my life or associate with people who do so. Do you really think that if I thought there was a shred of truth to your claims that I would be stupid enough to broker this on EBay in front of the whole world? I have already promptly responded to your inquiry and find it disturbing that you choose to post blogs, pleading to your fans for any information about this guitar when you could have the authorities (law enforcement) or EBay themselves contact me directly if there were any validity to your claims. As you can see, I am very confident of the facts surrounding how the current owner established ownership of this guitar.

I will no longer be responding to any of the obscene and threatening e-mails received regarding this matter, don’t waste your time. As stated on the blog by an insightful individual, if these claims were true, this auction would have be closed by EBay immediately. I hope everybody understands that the only reason the current owner wishes to remain anonymous is to avoid all of this BS.

Let this put to rest all of the false claims and misinformation regarding this instrument and how it was obtained. As to the serious bidders, please do not ask for this auction to be ended early. It will run the full course.

To all of the legitimate bidders trying to ask questions, please except my apologies if I do not respond in a timely manner due to the overwhelming number of bogus e-mails I have received today.

Ottawa firm set to challenge EBay's Internet-selling dominance

2007-02-13T11:09:00.000-08:00

Huddled around a handful of computer screens at their downtown Ottawa office, the five staff members of Jaded Pixel are busy working to update their online shopping software, Shopify.
Their goal: to take on giant Internet auction house EBay.
It's an audacious plan, but the software that allows anyone to set up an online store for free in minutes has already met with surprising success.
Even though it has been available at shopify.com for only eight months and has not been advertised, more than 2,500 people have already signed up to create stores.
The Indianapolis Star used Shopify to set up a store to sell Super Bowl memorabilia after the Indianapolis Colts' win last weekend.

Read more http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=c6a209df-be83-4ed4-8f10-a4b38cc85757&k=20527

What's going on with Peekvid

2007-02-08T10:00:00.000-08:00

Hi
I know this has nothing to do with eBay, but is there anyone out there that can update me on what's going on with peekvid, why it closed down and if it will open again.
Thanks

Huge mistake in marketing precious items on eBay

2007-02-08T07:22:00.000-08:00

I run the article in question by AHR Consulting Inc President, Anton H Romulus for a second opinion who is familiar with Dave Pasant and Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race. He mentioned “eBay made a huge mistake by giving away the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race sit for a bid won only with $350 above its original value. That shows only how poorly a precious item can be marketed when the steak was $50k. We also need to recognize the fact that David Pasant was for many years a supporter of the Grand Prix Foundation. Is that a real wining? I do not think so. With this occasion we can note that Grand Prix Foundation made a big mistake first by selling a rare item on eBay, the world largest garage sale, and second by not setting an incremental condition of at least $5k for such item.

As for Mr. “pilota17” my advice is to give it back or pay the difference to the charity. Regarding eBay, I am not sure their system allows incremental restrictions on bids and therefore it is not entirely eBay’s fault for this goof up.”The news wire originated this reaction was printed under LB Prix: Winning bid gets in at the wire launched: 01/27/2006 12:00:00 AM by A.J. Perez, Los Angeles Newspaper Group. Of course media failed again to cover such aspect as it is in fact a no success story but one that we can learn from it. The wire is here to fold:

Read on http://www.ustnt.com/01/index.php?l=nws&a=nws_ask&id=93

Alleged Software Pirate Disappears From eBay

2007-02-08T07:19:00.000-08:00

One day after it was reported that he was being sued by Microsoft for allegedly selling counterfeit copies of its software, an eBay merchant that goes by the name of ChicagoComputerBroker was no longer selling products of any kind on the online auction site.
On Tuesday, ChicagoComputerBroker, whose real name according to court records is Donald Collins, of Mount Prospect, Ill., was offering Symantec's Norton antivirus products for sale on eBay, despite getting hit with a lawsuit the previous week in which Microsoft accused him of being a software pirate.

Read on http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=197004171

Alesha’s Wedding Dress On eBay!!!

2007-02-08T07:15:00.000-08:00

Wednesday ,7th February 2007
Whether you’re a fan of Alesha Dixon, Mis-Teeq or just like a good ‘ol eBay bargain, this story may just make your day…

Ever since it was reported that Harvey cheated on ex-Misteeq beauty, Alesha – with fellow Daddy Cool star Javine – the members of this love tripod have been in and out of the tabloids. Now the Harvey-Gate break-up has taken another turn. A turn for the weird.

Read on http://www.rwdmag.com/articles/fullstory.php?&sid=&id=3225

Rare Dylan recording for sale on eBay

2007-02-08T07:13:00.000-08:00

Seller of tape of previously unheard song called "Sidewalks, Fences, and Walls," recorded in 1987, hopes to garner $12,500.
In the fall of 1987, rock producer David Briggs went to the house of a friend, bearing a gift: a just-finished recording of Bob Dylan singing "Sidewalks, Fences, and Walls," a song that Dylan never released.

Read more http://www.mp3.com/news/stories/8616.html

EBay, News Corp. Mull MySpace Deal

2007-02-08T07:10:00.000-08:00

Online auctioneer eBay Inc. is in talks to supply electronic payments and auction features to the popular MySpace social network and other New Corp.'s online properties, according to people familiar with the situation.
The negotiations have been ongoing for months, a source said, but no deals have yet been reached.
The potential tie-up of two Internet behemoths is further affirmation that News Corp. (NWS) is trying to turn MySpace into a bigger money-making venture.

Read more http://www.smartmoney.com/bn/ON/index.cfm?story=ON-20070207-000779-1526

eBay Girl Joins FunFriends.com for a Magic Night; Charity Poker Tournament Benefits Magic Johnson and Starky Hearing Foundation

2007-02-07T07:27:00.000-08:00

Fun Friends, the original plush cell phone covers, had a Magic night on Saturday, Feb. 3 in Hollywood, FL. Fun Friends participated in the Hard Rock Hotel Celebrity Poker Tournament, which unofficially kicked-off Super Bowl Weekend.

The Hard Rock Hotel Celebrity Poker Tournament benefited the Magic Johnson Foundation and the Starky Hearing Foundation. Celebrities including Magic Johnson, Spike Lee, Nicolette Sheridan, Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy Osbourne and Michael Bolton participated in the event along with all the heavy hitters in sports, poker, music and entertainment. Each celebrity participated in the poker tournament that included 42 tables.

Read more http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070206/cltu200.html?.v=2

Bids coming in steadily for eBay tuition auction

2007-02-07T07:26:00.000-08:00

Oklahoma Wesleyan University’s auction on eBay for a full year of tuition, room and board began with much enthusiasm on Sunday evening.The first bid came in at $500 and before the end of Monday, bidding was over $7,000. Those who visited the eBay site on Tuesday morning were probably surprised to see the bidding at $1,825.

The drop in bidding numbers was explained on the site. OWU started the auction over again at one penny after some technical issues on the eBay site, which have now been resolved.Because the auction was started over, the length of the auction will now be extended. The auction will now run until Feb. 13, OWU Executive Vice President Bob Myers said.

Read more http://www.examiner-enterprise.com/articles/2007/02/06/news/news867.txt

eBay turns its back on virtual sellers, Britain

2007-02-07T07:25:00.000-08:00

Exactly who owns virtual game items that can be acquired, sold and exchanged online is a real-world ambiguity that has forced eBay.co.uk into action.Speaking yesterday, the auctioneer told Contractor UK that it no longer allows the sale of virtual items from internet games such as World of Warcraft and EverQuest.

An eBay spokesperson said synthetic objects from such titles like game characters, currency and points present too much of "legal complexity" to be permitted.The move follows warnings from unhappy publishers of MMORPG titles that they take a dim view of individuals, and presumably supporting websites, that sell their "in-game property."Blizzard, makers of World of Warcraft, have urged players not to trade in virtual items outside the realm of Azeroth, and have already shut down 1,000 gamers who refused to comply.

Read more http://www.contractoruk.com/news/003079.html

eBay Motors Goes Local with Dealer Subscriptions

2007-02-07T07:24:00.000-08:00

eBay Motors has launched a new subscription-based service for auto dealers to list their entire used-vehicle inventory to customers within a 100-mile radius of the dealership.

eBay Motors Local Market costs $1,000/month, which covers listing fees for an unlimited amount of vehicles, with no individual insertion fee per vehicle. As with traditional eBay Motors listings, a $50 sale fee applies for vehicles that sell online. The new subscription service requires no contract or commitment.

Read more http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y07/m02/i06/s02

Microsoft Claims Popular eBay Merchant Is A Software Pirate

2007-02-07T07:23:00.000-08:00

Microsoft is suing an eBay "power seller" with more than 2,000 successful transactions on the online auction site for allegedly selling counterfeit versions of some of Microsoft's best-selling applications and labeling them with fake certificates of authenticity.
In the lawsuit, Microsoft accuses Donald Collins, a Mount Prospect, Ill., resident whose eBay name is ChicagoComputerBroker, of counterfeiting and auctioning off a range of Microsoft applications, including Excel 2003, Outlook 2003, PowerPoint 2003, and Word 2003. Microsoft also accuses Anne Collins, a Chicago resident who operates on eBay as irish5025, of participating in the alleged scheme.
The suit was filed last week in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Microsoft is seeking unspecified damages against both defendants.

Read more http://www.informationweek.com/industries/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=197003771

Sheltering Income from Your eBay Business

2007-02-05T09:22:00.000-08:00

If you run a profitable eBay business, full-time or part-time, you may be able to gain tax relief and build up retirement savings through a qualified retirement plan and/or IRA. For example, if you net $40,000 from an eBay business and make a tax-deductible contribution of $5,000 to a retirement plan, you only pay income tax now on $35,000.
If you're in the 25% tax bracket, the write-off essentially means that the contribution is only costing you $3,750 out-of-pocket; the government is contributing $1,250 through the taxes you save by making the contribution.
The type of plan you use and the amount of money you put into it depends on several factors, including how much you want or can afford to save, whether you have other retirement plans, whether you have employees, and your years until retirement. Here are just three options to consider:

Read more http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abu/y207/m02/abu0184/s02

Homestead Sites for eBay Sellers

2007-02-05T09:21:00.001-08:00

Homestead.com has offered website hosting since 1998. As an online seller, you can choose between two main offerings. Homestead's web-hosting service allows you to add a PayPal shopping cart if you want to sell items. And Storefronts is a full-featured ecommerce service that uses eBay's ProStores technology (formerly Kurant) and integrates with eBay and PayPal.

Homestead Websites The Homestead web-hosting Starter plan costs $4.99/month for the first 3 months, then rises to $9.99/month. You can use the Starter plan for one website with up to 5 pages and can get a personalized domain. There are two other plans, one for $19.99/month, and one for $49.99/month. If you want to sell items, you can add a PayPal Shopping Cart.

Read more http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abu/y207/m02/abu0184/s03

Man banned from eBay for alleged shilling

2007-02-05T09:14:00.000-08:00

A British man, one of eBay.com's "Titanium PowerSellers," has been permanently removed from the Web site for alleged shill bidding.
Shill bidding is when the seller artificially drives up the price of an auction, The Sunday Times of London said.
Eftis Paraskevaides, an antiquities dealer from Cambridgeshire, England, allegedly used his ex-wife's eBay account to drive up the prices of at least 400 items, the newspaper reported.
Six users were permanently banned from the auction site after after The Sunday Times ran an investigation on shill bidding and passed the evidence on to eBay, the newspaper said.
Paraskevaides antique company made around $2.7 million, making him a "Titanium PowerSeller" and one of eBay's top earners.
Last month he told an undercover reporter that he was able to have business associates bid on his auctions, The Sunday Times alleged.

nna Bonta Spaceship for Sale on eBay!?

2007-02-05T09:12:00.000-08:00

The spaceship being sold may win the high bidder half of a million dollar grand prize and a place in aerospace and literary history. A rocket being built to compete in an aerospace competition has been name Lauryad, after the spaceship from American novelist Vanna Bonta's quantum fiction FLIGHT novel!
The rocket team is competing for a grand prize of one million dollars in the NASA Lunar Lander Challenge this October (07) against a few rocketeers contenders, including video game genius John Carmack (Doom and Quake).
Read more http://www.waleg.com/celebrities/archives/006736.html

Great tips for ebay sellers

2007-01-30T08:50:00.000-08:00

Like most who sell on eBay, my initiation with the site was as a buyer.
Once I had a feel for how things operated, I realized it was the ideal way to achieve my dream of making money without ever having to theoretically put on pants.
Fast-forward five years and selling on eBay has become my primary source of income.
As most full-time students understand, it can be difficult to keep afloat with academics and still scrape up enough cash for bills and extracurricular activities.
While I'm known in my circle of friends as the guy without an alleged real job, eBay has allowed me to bring home enough coin to cover the aforementioned items and flex my hours to fit my schedule for the given day.

Read more http://www.svsu.edu/clubs/vanguard/stories/1167

Ebay auction-fixing exposed

2007-01-29T11:08:00.000-08:00

Users of the internet auction site eBay are being defrauded by unscrupulous dealers who secretly bid up the price of items on sale to boost profits, claims a report today.

The Sunday Times says its investigation has revealed that the practice of artificially driving up prices — known as shill bidding — is widespread across the site.

An undercover reporter last week taped one of the UK's biggest eBay sellers admitting that he was prepared to use business associates to bid on his goods for him.

The Sunday Times said it found evidence that a number of businesses — from overseas property agencies to car dealerships — have placed bids on their own items using fake identities.

Read more http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=416879&in_page_id=2

PCSO employees charged with selling seized arms on eBay

2007-01-29T11:07:00.000-08:00

former Pima County Sheriff's armorer and former sergeant and supervisor of the Pima Regional Training Center have been forced to resign after being charged with stealing and selling arms, armor and weapons that were either purchased or seized by the Pima County Sheriff's Department.
Thomas Sibley and Thayer Thacker are now the subject of an aggressive criminal investigation.
Former Sheriff's Sgt. Thayer Thacker was assisnged to the Pima Regional Training Center. He'd been with the department for 15 years.

Read more http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=5997077&nav=menu216_15_3

Sale of GGB Prank Part of EBay Protest

2007-01-29T11:06:00.000-08:00

In an act of protest against the Bay Area based company eBay, one eBay user located in New York City has placed the Golden Gate Bridge for sale, and the highest bid is a pitiful $.99 cents.A user by the name of gmajorspresents, who has received nothing but positive feedback on his sales, is using the hypothetical sale of the bridge to illustrate what he perceives to be major flaws in eBay policy.gmajorspresents calls for "a three strikes and you're out" complaint policy "for sellers using straw bidders."

He insists that sellers should "list postal and handling charges separately," and require signature of the recipient of any item sent by mail. gmajorspresents also demands a 24-hour hotline to field complaints "instead of 2 day vague email responses."

Read more http://cbs5.com/topstories/local_story_027113815.html

Alleged eBay Scammer Caught In Santa Clarita

2007-01-29T11:03:00.001-08:00

Sheriff’s Department officials have acted on a warrant issued by Santa Clarita Superior Court to arrest Ronald Walker, a man they believe is responsible for a series of eBay scams that duped six victims out of a total of $9,000.
Allegedly, Walker listed items for sale in the popular auction site, and once they sold, collected payment but never shipped anything out. The items include a Sony Camcorder, Louis Vuitton handbag, tickets to the 2006 Rose Bowl game and a 32” Television.

The items were listed for sale using eBay accounts in his own name, as well as his co-worker’s name and a variety of fake names.

His bail has been set at $100,000.

Ebay To Suspend All Virtual Item Auctions

2007-01-29T11:02:00.000-08:00

A new report from technology news site Slashdot has revealed that online auction house Ebay intends to remove listings for all virtual items, regardless of type or game title, clamping down on third-party sales of gold and accounts from many popular MMOs.

Despite the Slashdot piece further explaining continued in-game item and currency sales through third party firms as IGE, previously profiled on Gamasutra in August, and Sony Online Entertainment's own internal Station Exchange for its line-up of MMO titles, eBay has decided to close down all virtual item listings due to their inherent 'legal complexities.'

The policy currently in effect covers virtual items of any type, including in-game currency, items, and entire accounts or characters from MMOs, even up to, the report notes, 'neopoints' currency for casual virtual-pet website Neopets.

Read more http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=12556

Priest Caught Selling Absolution on eBay

2007-01-26T07:06:00.000-08:00

A Catholic priest from the Norwood neighbourhood of Bronx, New York, has been charged with selling absolution via an account on eBay, the popular online auction website. The priest, Father Augustine Butler, allegedly offered "Complete absolution for all sins, past, present and future" at a starting bid of $250. Nearly 2,440 eBay users took Mr. Butler up on his "limited supply" offer before church authorities were apprised of the transgression.

"Father Butler's actions have brought shame down upon himself, the Catholic church, and to eBay, the respected internet auction house," Cardinal Primaverde, of the Archdiocese of New York, said.

read more http://www.avantnews.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=332

Australian student sells his life on eBay, including 'cranky girlfriend'

2007-01-25T06:44:00.000-08:00

Fancy a new life? An Australian man is selling his on the auction site eBay, offering his name, phone number, worldly possessions and circle of friends to the highest bidder.
Nicael Holt, a 24-year-old philosophy student, has promised to introduce the buyer to his potential lovers - "around eight which I have been flirting with", as he put it on his eBay entry - and his grand repertoire of six jokes.
Bidding started at A$5 (£2) and closed yesterday at A$7,500. Mr Holt, from Wollongong, south of Sydney, said he would go through with the deal if any of the top five bidders were genuine and prepared to pay cash.
Under an entry posted on the site earlier this month, headed "New Life for Sale!!", Mr Holt offered a broken relationship with a cranky ex-girlfriend and a four-week training course "in becoming me", including fashion sense, food tastes and "style of seduction".

Read more http://news.independent.co.uk/world/australasia/article2183873.ece

Thieves Selling Stolen Items On Ebay

2007-01-25T06:42:00.002-08:00

Eyewitness News uncovers crooks going high-tech to hawk your stuff. It used to be thieves would break into your house, steal your valuables, then head straight for the pawn shop. Now they're just logging onto the computer and sending your stolen stuff into cyberspace.

Pawn shop owner Jim Holloway said he’s seen the change, “They know if they pawn something's that not theirs and it's stolen, they have a good chance of getting caught.”
Read more http://www.myeyewitnessnews.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=1663f3f3-a071-41a2-a06a-a3ce03eb5d7b

Investors cheer eBay turnaround

2007-01-25T06:42:00.001-08:00

Investors gave their blessing to eBay's turnaround Wednesday, sending the stock of the San Jose auctioneer soaring after it trounced Wall Street's expectations for the second quarter in a row.
Not only were revenue and earnings more robust than analysts had anticipated, but eBay also expanded its operating margin and accelerated the growth of the total value of items sold on its marketplace.
EBay's fourth-quarter net income rose 24 percent to $346 million, or 25 cents a share. Excluding stock-based compensation and other expenses, eBay said net income increased 27 percent to $431 million, or 31 cents a share, three cents above Wall Street estimates.

Read more http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/16538153.htm

eBay's 'Feedback 2.0' Revealed

2007-01-24T07:17:00.001-08:00

eBay users can now view sample screenshots of eBay's recently announced "Feedback 2.0" system on the eBay UK website. The new system will allow buyers to rate transactions on item description, communication, shipping time, and shipping & handling charges. In late February, eBay will pilot Feedback 2.0 on eBay.co.uk, eBay.ie and in Australia, Belgium, France, India, Italy and Poland. If all goes well, eBay will launch the new system globally in late spring or early summer.

Read more http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y07/m01/i23/s03

Car Dealership Auctions Off Super Bowl Tickets

2007-01-24T07:16:00.001-08:00

MIAMI While thousands of Bear and Colt fans try to figure out how they will get their hands on Super Bowl XLI tickets, a Homestead car dealership is offering up two free tickets, but there is a catch.Armstrong Toyota-Scion of Homestead is auctioning off a 2006 Toyota Sequoia on eBAY that they loaned to current Miami Dolphin running back Ronnie Brown.

As an incentive to potential buyers, they have also decided to throw in two Super Bowl tickets.With premium seats to the Big Game already being offered on eBay for up to $20,000, some fans are taking advantage of Brown’s offer. Eight people have placed bids for the SUV/Ticket combo, with the highest bid reaching $12,100 as of 2:30pm on Tuesday afternoon.Potential buyers have until January 29th to place their bids.

Weakness in Ebay's Core Auction Revenue Worries Analysts

2007-01-24T07:15:00.001-08:00

Houston, TX - The world's No. 1 auction Website, Ebay is showing weakness in its core auction revenue with no indication of improving conversion rates, despite lower listings, according to Piper Jaffray analyst Safa Rashtchy.
"Investors should focus on user monetization and marketing efficiency metrics," writes Rashtchy.
The investment banking analyst noted that listings were down 8 to 11 percent over its estimate.
Rashtchy said that, "Ebay's revenue per auction has been $1.65, we expect it to be $1.73 in Q4; for a full recovery, revenue per auction should be above $1.82."

read more http://www.axcessnews.com/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=12807

Questions about eBay's Ban on Auction Extenders

2007-01-24T07:13:00.001-08:00

Today's article on eBay's ban of extender tools has raised some questions from readers. They want to know why eBay considers changing auction duration "fee avoidance." Here's what one reader had to say:"I'm trying to figure out how it's "fee avoidance" if the price for 1-7 day auctions is the same, and if you extend to 10 days, eBay bills you for that.

"Another reader said, "The only way you can come up with a fee avoidance by using an extender is if eBay is saying that by using an extender you are increasing your success rate (sellthrough) and therefore having to relist less often and therefore depriving eBay of fees. But even that greed-based concept is flawed since increased sellthrough means more FVF fees for eBay. Again, I hope you can get eBay to clearly explain how an extender constitutes fee avoidance."

Read more http://blog.auctionbytes.com/cgi-bin/blog/blog.pl?/comments/2007/1/1169567390.html

Don't Get Burned on EBay: How to Avoid Scams and Escape Bad Deals by Shauna Wright

2007-01-22T08:25:00.000-08:00

Lots of books tell you how to buy and sell on eBay. But what if something goes horribly awry? Do you have to chalk it up to a "lesson learned," lick your wounds and move on? Not a chance. Don't Get Burned on eBay offers relevant lessons based on real-life stories posted on eBay's Answer Center. With sharp, witty rhetoric, veteran eBay user Shauna Wright (co-founder of the popular web site ), shows eBay veterans and newcomers alike how to avoid those nasty scenarios, and how to pull themselves out of the muck if they've already fallen in. Six entertaining (and hair-raising) chapters cover real problems that people have encountered with bidding, payment, shipping, packaging, dealing with other eBayers, and coping with the eBay system. This book is for anyone who's ever used eBay, because even veteran buyers and sellers often don't know the intricacies of eBay's and PayPal's rules. Don't Get Burned on eBay will leave you well-informed and better protected from potential pitfalls. The book's extensive glossary and numerous in-depth sidebars also make the book useful to people who haven't yet taken the plunge into eBay.

Read more http://avaxhome.ru/ebooks/0596101783asd.html

Another theft cought on ebay.

2007-01-22T08:24:00.001-08:00

Thieves Swipe 42 iPod nanos, Not Realizing Two 80 GB iPods Would ...

Florida Boy Uses eBay to Fundraise With His Head

2007-01-22T08:21:00.000-08:00

Now this is someone using is head to good use.
If being diagnosed with leukemia wasn't bad enough, Patrick Pedraja's hair started falling out from the chemotherapy treatments."That was a big thing," said Patrick, who's 11 and likes to be called Pat. "I loved my hair.
"But his newly expansive forehead gave him a bright idea. If he could get companies to pay to advertise on his noggin, he could use the money for a good cause, like going around the country to recruit bone marrow donors to help others with leukemia.So Pat and his mom, Claudine Andrews, who live in Palm Harbor near Tampa, went to the world's pop culture marketplace - eBay - and opened an online auction.

For a minimum bid of $5,000, Pat offered to wear a temporary tattoo on his forehead for a month touting the winning bidder's goods or services.

Read more http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070121/NEWS/701210373/1004

Hottest and Most Watched Auto Auctions in the WORLD for Saturday ...

2007-01-22T08:19:00.000-08:00

I like this just click on this link

http://autotracker.blogspot.com/2007/01/hottest-and-most-watched-auto-auctions.html

Sophie Ellis Bextor: I’m addicted to eBay

2007-01-22T08:17:00.000-08:00

Sophie Ellis Bextor has revealed she’s addicted to online auction sites such as eBay - but she’s trying to work on her problem.

Read more http://fametastic.co.uk/archive/20070120/4173/sophie-ellis-bextor-im-addicted-to-ebay/

You just need her money for that.

Jessica Simpson’s creamsicle lip candy lipsticks up for grabs on ebay

2007-01-22T08:15:00.000-08:00

More sick people out there.

Washington, Jan 20: If you yearn for lips like Jessica Simpson then just head over to eBay, for that’s where the singer/actress’ line of cosmetics is being auctioned.
The box of Simpson’s “Dessert Treat” line of cosmetics that has found its way to the online auction house has a total of 100 Creamsicle Lip Candy lipsticks.
And, the seller swears will make the wearers’ lips tingle and plump, reports TMZ.com.
Simpson launched the line of lipsticks in November 2005. They were an addition to her already popular Dessert Beauty line, sold at Sephora and online retailers, and the more affordable offshoot Dessert Treats, sold at drugstores.
The box of creamsicle lipsticks has so far gotten bids for a total of 47 dollars. They have been up for auction for five days so far.

'ImpeachBush.com' to fetch big bucks in eBay auction

2007-01-22T08:10:00.001-08:00

This is crap, everybody is trying to make a living off the war.
A sale on eBay of a URL that will attract the strongest detractors of President George W. Bush could fetch a savvy investor a heavy return tomorrow. As of this afternoon, the going cost in an auction of 'ImpeachBush.com' is up to more than $25,000.
The auction of the internet address 'ImpeachBush.com' will take its last bid on January 20th. With 50 bids recorded, the highest is $25,100. The seller claims that the address gets heavy hits without ever having been used as a developed website. Statistics presented on the eBay page claim close to 4 million searches via Yahoo, and more than 1.5 million on Google.
Read more http://www.rawstory.com/news/2007/ImpeachBush.com_to_fetch_big_bucks_in_0119.html

eBay to the rescue

2007-01-22T07:57:00.000-08:00

Looking for "it"? eBay’s advertising pitch is "Whatever it is, you can get it on eBay.”
Even snow. Snow balls, that is.
New York City is the Big Apple, but no snow has fallen on the Apple so far this winter.
I am not complaining, and I haven’t heard my fellow New Yorkers grumble either. Suburban dwellers apparently are feeling snow deprived, however.
Once again, eBay to the rescue, according to AP reports:
Read more http://blogs.zdnet.com/micro-markets/?p=885

Google, eBay Go to War

2007-01-22T07:55:00.000-08:00

It’s official: Google and eBay are at war over online payments. This week, Mountain View, California-based Google upped the ante by offering a link on its homepage to its online payment service, Google Checkout, which included a special offer for a $10 rebate on merchandise.

This is just one of many such promotions, said Benjamin Ling, product lead for Google Checkout, who said that Google is “very happy” with the progress it has gained in the marketplace.

Read more http://www.redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=20838&hed=Google%2C+eBay+Go+to+War§or=Industries&subsector=InternetAndServices

Selling on eBay isn't all it's cracked up to be

2007-01-19T07:15:00.002-08:00

Like most people, I am always looking for ways to make some extra money. As a stay-at-home mom, my options were severely limited. I could baby-sit in my home, but with two kids of my own under the age of 3 that would be somewhat of a headache. I could work at night when my husband came home from his job, but that didn't appeal to me either.
After talking with some people, I found my answer to my problem in eBay, the online marketplace where a person can buy or sell just about anything in deals with people from all over the world.
From the stories I heard, it seemed too good to be true. It seemed like anything people sold turned to gold, and as a self-proclaimed bargain hunter, I thought I could find some good deals in the stores and sell them for a profit on eBay. So with nothing more than a credit card and my two kids strapped in their double stroller, I began my summer scouring stores for discounted children's clothing.

Read more http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20070118/1063886.asp

eBay to Roll out Feedback 2.0, Safe Payment Requirement

2007-01-19T07:15:00.001-08:00

As anticipated, eBay announced "Feedback 2.0," an improvement to its online reputation system that allows trading partners to rate each other on individual transactions. eBay also announced it would require all newly registered sellers to accept PayPal or a merchant credit card when selling in the US and Canada. eBay announced the new policies at a meeting it hosted for 250 of its top US sellers called the eCommerce Forum.

Read more http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y07/m01/i18/s02

Guardsmen accused of selling stolen gear on eBay

2007-01-19T07:14:00.001-08:00

Two National Guardsmen who served in Iraq have been arrested, accused of illegally selling thousands of dollars of stolen military gear — from night-vision equipment to body armor — on eBay.
Lee N. Shobe, 28, of Toledo, and Christopher R. Henkel, 36, of Decatur, were released on their own recognizance Tuesday after appearing in U.S. District Court in Urbana. They were arrested Friday on charges of stealing government property, and their cases were turned over to a federal grand jury.
Henkel and Shobe belong to Headquarters Company of the 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry, based in Champaign, Army National Guard Col. Alicia Tate-Nadeau said. Shobe worked as a unit supply specialist, according to the complaint.

Read more

Benefit fraudster jailed after earning £100,000 through eBay

2007-01-19T07:12:00.002-08:00

A 37-year-old man has been jailed for claiming thousands of pounds in benefits while earning £100,000 through internet auction site eBay.
Barry McNaughton, of Havant Road, Portsmouth, Hampshire, pleaded guilty at Portsmouth Crown Court to two charges of failing to notify the Department for Work and Pensions that he was running a business.
He admitted a further charge of false accounting and was jailed on January 5 for six months. He was also ordered to pay back £16,750 for the income support, housing benefit and council tax benefit he had falsely claimed.
A Department for Work and Pensions spokeswoman said McNaughton had traded electrical goods and luxury items on the eBay site while claiming the benefits during the period from August 2003 to January 2006.

Read more http://www.24dash.com/billpayments/15415.htm

Security is a top priority for eBay this year

2007-01-19T07:12:00.001-08:00

Executives at eBay Inc. have said in a statement that security is their top priority this year as online phishing scams are increasingly becoming a threat for their reputation online.
The company has already begun taking steps to ensure security for their customers. They began a program last year to safeguard members’ identities by concealing their user names on expensive listings.
They are also working hard on making sure that sellers cannot list counterfeit items on the web based stores. In addition, they are also trying to clamp down on scams between buyers and sellers from different countries.

Read more http://business.techwhack.com/1733/security-is-a-top-priority/

Celebrity Artwork Will Be Auctioned Off On Ebay

2007-01-17T07:08:00.000-08:00

One-of-a-kind celebrity artwork will soon be put up for auction on eBay.
Kylie Minogue, Moby and Paul McCartney have honed their artistic talents to help raise funds for London's Great Ormond Street Hospital.
The singers have joined a host of celebrities, artists and designers who have all donated an original canvas of their artwork to be auctioned off on eBay to raise money for the children's hospital.
Others taking part in the art extravaganza, entitled The Alive and Well Dog Project, include Damien Hirst, Brazilian soccer legend Pele, Ricky Gervais and British actor Keith Allen.

Read more http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7006152518

Mdog Fits eBay, Craigslist into Mobiles

2007-01-17T07:07:00.000-08:00

Mdog is working to extend its reach in the mobile space by making several popular Web destinations mobile-accessible. New entries include eBay, craigslist and MySpace.
The company has secured deals with eBay, craigslist, Wikipedia, Citysearch and MySpace, which will render the sites for viewing on mobile devices. Mdog considers the additions a bonus for the company as well as wireless users since the mobile offering will give them real-time access to content, including auctions and classifieds.
The mdog portal allows users to browse these sites, as well as post content, read and make bids, if appropriate.
In the early part of January, mdog launched its Mobile Blogging Portal, which enables bloggers to post and read blog entries, upload photos and respond to comments from any Web-enabled mobile device, such as a Blackberry or Treo smartphone. The portal service is designed to ensure major blog services, such as Blogger, Wordpress, Typepad, Xanga, Blogs.com, AOL Blogs and Livejournal, are properly formatted for a Web-enabled mobile device.

Read more http://www.wirelessweek.com/article/CA6407709.html

eBay Members Fear New Policy Will Inhibit Buyer Bids

2007-01-17T07:05:00.002-08:00

eBay's new "Safeguarding Member IDs" (SMI) policy is coming under scrutiny from users who are concerned it will decrease bidding activity on the site. In recent days, members began noticing that when they looked at an eBay auction, they were unable to see bidder User IDs once the bidding had reached $200. Some fear eBay's new policy will have the unintended consequence of increased shill bidding by dishonest sellers, as well as decreasing bidding by buyers concerned about the lack of transparency.

Read more http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y07/m01/i16/s01

NCR man’s shirt on eBay

2007-01-17T07:05:00.001-08:00

A dejected worker at Dundee’s troubled NCR plant has turned to the Internet to express his disgust at the firm’s decision to axe 650 jobs with an innovative eBay auction.
Bids have been lodged on the Internet marketplace for a NCR production line shirt. The employee who owns the shirt is nameless thanks to the website’s privacy policy, but cites his location as Fife.
The seller claims to be one of the 650 employees dealt a devastating blow last week when NCR confirmed they were downscaling production in Dundee.

Read on http://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/output/2007/01/16/story9181546t0.shtm

China's EachNet staff complain to eBay CEO

2007-01-17T07:03:00.000-08:00

Staff at eBay Inc.'s Chinese partner EachNet have posted a protest letter online over new contract terms in response to the company's take over by Hong Kong's Tom Online.
In the letter to eBay's chief executive Meg Whitman, posted on December 31, "EachNet staff" voiced concerns their terms were threatened by the folding of EachNet into a new venture controlled by Tom Online, announced last month.
EBay would not disclose how many employees would stay with the venture until it had closed the joint venture deal, an eBay spokeswoman said.

Read more http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=internetNews&storyID=2007-01-16T122256Z_01_SHA295255_RTRUKOC_0_US-EBAY-CHINA-DISCONTENT.xml&WTmodLoc=InternetNewsHome_C2_internetNews-4

Russian MiG up for sale on eBay

2007-01-16T07:40:00.001-08:00

There's a Russian fighter jet up for sale on eBay, but if you miss this one, that sellers got a couple more stashed away that he'll be glad to sell to you. Arsik1950 who has sold one item on eBay, listed the MiG 21F aircraft at just over $20,000, and the winning bid at the moment is $26,600. Not bad for an aeroplane, I hear you say, but this one doesn't fly any more. It's a one cabin “demilitarizated” fighter from the USSR that, in its heyday, could reach 1385mph.

Read more http://www.pocket-lint.co.uk/news/news.phtml/6240/7264/russian-mig-fighter-jet-ebay.phtml

Colorado snow bought on eBay arrives in Connecticut

2007-01-16T07:38:00.000-08:00

This winter has brought record-high temperatures and only scattered flurries across southern New England, but snow finally hit this shoreline town on Saturday.
It didn't come from the sky.
Mary and Jim Walker, of Loveland, presented about 30 snowballs to the Hansen family of Milford on the city green, after family patriarch Chris Hansen bought them from the Walkers on eBay for $200.

Read more http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5281517,00.html

Sundance cracks down on ticket reselling on Ebay

2007-01-16T07:37:00.000-08:00

Desperate for tickets to see your favorite stars at their Sundance Film Festival premiere? EBay may be the answer — or not.
Sundance officials say they are scanning the online auction site and cracking down on ticket sales. Reselling tickets online is prohibited.
The festival gives locals a shot at purchasing tickets before they go on sale nationally. More than 2,460 Utah residents were selected at random for a chance to buy up to 20 tickets each at the locals-only sale last weekend.
Two tickets to the first screening of Waitress, staring Keri Russell, sold for $385 on Saturday afternoon. About half an hour later, a second pair of Waitress tickets went for $255.
Sundance officials warn that tickets resold online can be remotely deactivated before the film's showing.
"We've contacted those sellers and informed them of our policy and what actions we are taking," said Patrick Hubley, festival spokesman. "I wouldn't advise people to buy tickets off of eBay or any other site," except for the official Sundance site, he said.

Read the rest http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2007-01-14-sundance-cracks-down_x.htm?csp=34

Stolen item turns up on eBay

2007-01-15T06:48:00.000-08:00

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office is investigating the theft of equipment worth $9,300 from GE Energy, some of which turned up on eBay offered for sale by an employee.Company officials reported Jan. 4 that two calibrators worth $4,000 each, a laptop computer and a digital camera were missing from the factory acceptance test area at the plant.

When the items didn't turn up, a supervisor directed an employee to search eBay.One of the calibrators was listed for sale for $1,500 by a person identified as a GE Energy employee. The calibrator was not sold and has since been removed from the popular auction Web site.According to eBay records, the suspect opened his eBay account a day before the theft. He also reportedly was absent from work the day after the theft.

The employee was suspended pending an investigation and was advised to return the items to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.No charges have been filed and the case is under review by the district attorney's office.

Read more http://www.recordcourier.com/article/20070114/News/101140023

eBay ups opening bid

2007-01-15T06:47:00.000-08:00

An increase in listing fees on Internet auction site eBay has those who use it regularly concerned over what it's going to mean for their bottom line.
Users recently received an e-mail from Bill Cobb, the San Jose, Calif.-based company's president of North American Marketplaces, outlining the new pricing structure for eBay and eBay Motors.
The changes will add 5 cents to listings for items costing between 99 cents and $9.99, or an increase to 40 cents from 35 cents. This will change final value costs, or the costs the seller pays eBay upon an auction's completion, to 3.25 percent of what the item sells for, up from 3 percent.
Vehicle sales transaction fees, meanwhile, will be raised $10 across the board, to $40 for motorcycles and power sport vehicles, and $50 for cars, trucks and trailers.
The changes will take effect Jan. 30, according to the
e-mail.
Read more http://www.post-trib.com/business/209396,ebay.article

Memory, money gone in a flash

2007-01-15T06:44:00.002-08:00

When Christopher Smith bought a flash-memory card on eBay, he had a feeling the price was too good to be true.
He was right.
Smith, a financial adviser at Robert W. Baird & Co., paid $35 for a new card that normally would have cost three times as much.
When the card arrived, it looked like the real deal. It came in a slick package, with a SanDisk-brand label, and it has worked fine in his cell phone and other electronic gadgets.
Too bad the card, like thousands of others sold over the Internet, was a counterfeit.

Read more http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=552298

Retired Judge Selling 'Hillary2008.org' on eBay

2007-01-15T06:44:00.001-08:00

A retired judge who bought the Internet domain name Hillary2008.org in 1999 has the site up for sale on the online auction house eBay.
Flagstaff resident Tom Jacobs, a retired Phoenix-area judge, is asking a minimum of $10,000 for the Web address. A supporter of former first lady and current U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, he said he hopes the site is sold to someone who will boost the potential presidential candidate's fortunes.
But he also knows it could be linked to another candidate or used to promote information unfavorable to Clinton.

Read more http://1010wins.com/pages/184073.php?contentType=4&contentId=289009

Course teaches eBay selling

2007-01-15T06:41:00.000-08:00

The popular course "Learn How to Sell on eBay the Right Way" will be held twice this month.
Courses are scheduled from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Jan. 23 and from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Jan. 30 at Tri-Lakes Telecommunication Community Resource Center, located in the south wing of Reeds Spring High School on Missouri 413.

"The course will include opening an eBay and PayPal account, how to research listings, photo techniques, setting a selling price and more," said Tom Keohan, a business development specialist with the University of Missouri Extension. "During the last session, participants will be able to photograph and post an actual item to list for sale on eBay."

Read more http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070113/NEWS01/701130400/1007

Trader jailed for eBay fraud

2007-01-15T06:37:00.000-08:00

A ROGUE dealer on eBay, whose business was based in Herefordshire, has been jailed for fraudulent trading.
David Hammond, whose Kington-based company specialised in selling television and audio equipment, was jailed for eight months after defrauding users of the popular internet auction site.
Judge David Matthews said Hammond, who pleaded guilty, had abused the trust of his customers.
He added that his actions also had "a knock-on effect for internet trading, which is now an important part of the economy".
Hammond, whose company Trade Enterprises was set up in Church Street in Kington before it moved to the Webton Business Park in Kingstone, retained £8,812 belonging to 23 customers who had not received their orders.
Read more http://www.herefordtimes.com/news/herefordnewslatest/display.var.1114247.0.trader_jailed_for_ebay_fraud.php

Schools find steal at eBay: missing

2007-01-12T07:29:00.001-08:00

Two suspects in a school-computer burglary ring figured they had the perfect place to fence their ill-gotten goods, authorities say: the online auction house, eBay.
Unfortunately for the arrested teenagers, school officials had the same idea.
Acting on a hunch, Poudre School District security personnel checked eBay on Jan. 4, after the latest in a string of break-ins at schools in Larimer County.
"They were sitting around thinking, 'Now where would those things turn up?"' said Fort Collins police School Resource Officer Suzanne Rice. "Sure enough, they took a gander, and there they were."
Up for bid were what appeared to be most of the 32 computers and other electronic equipment taken from Fossil Ridge High School.

Read more http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_4989476

Market Report -- Story Stocks (EBAY)

2007-01-12T07:27:00.000-08:00

29.60: EBay, the world's largest Internet auctioneer, has added another service to its repertoire. The company announced a plan to buy privately-held online ticket reseller StubHub for $310 mln to boost its share in the multi-billion dollar secondary seat market for sporting and entertainment events. The all cash transaction, which is expected to close sometime in the first quarter, will enable eBay to garner a greater footprint in an industry that generated $10 bln in annual sales, according to StubHub.

Some eBay users abuse feedback system, study finds

2007-01-11T09:09:00.001-08:00

University researchers in the East Bay said Wednesday they have discovered that a number of people who use the digital bazaar at the eBay online site are buying and selling reputations along with goods and services.
Some eBay users resort to artificial means to bolster their reputation on the Internet auction site by selling and buying good feedback, according to a professor and a doctoral student at UC Berkeley. The users are taking advantage of what is one of the eBay site's key features, the reputations of the sellers and buyers.
"I could go into this market and buy lots and lots of points of reputation," said John Morgan, a Haas School of Business who co-authored the study with Jennifer Brown, a doctoral student with UC's Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics. "They want to buy that reputation so people think they are a good seller."

Read more http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/16429945.htm

Cramer's 'Mad Money Lightning Round': Bid on eBay

2007-01-11T09:08:00.001-08:00

Here's what Jim Cramer had to say about some of the stocks that callers offered up during the "Mad Money Lightning Round" Wednesday evening:
Sirenza Microdevices (SMDI - commentary - Cramer's Take): "We recommended that in the midsingle digits ... sold it in the teens, and we never looked back ... radio frequency for the Sirius Satellites (SIRI - commentary - Cramer's Take) of the world. ... Sell Sirenza Micro and never look back."

Read more http://www.thestreet.com/_googlen/funds/lightninground/10331877.html?cm_ven=GOOGLEN&cm_cat=FREE&cm_ite=NA

http://www3.whdh.com/news/articles/local/BO39686/

2007-01-11T09:07:00.002-08:00

Two 17-year-olds face burglary and felony theft charges after they allegedly tried to fence computer equipment they stole from Fort Collins high schools through the online auction house, eBay.
The two suspects - a Fort Collins High student and Poudre High student - allegedly stole computers and other electronic equipment totaling over $40,000.
The break-ins began in mid-October with the last one occurring during the early morning hours of Jan. 3 at Fossil Ridge High School. Fossil Ridge was hit three times, Fort Collins High twice, police said.
Acting on a hunch, Poudre School District security officials decided to check the latest offerings on eBay on Jan. 4 and discovered computers from the latest heist.
"They took a gander, and there they were," said school resource officer Suzanne Rice.

Read more http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_4986712

Milford man buys snow on eBay to compensate for warm, dry winter

2007-01-11T09:07:00.001-08:00

A Milford man has purchased his own winter wonderland in this dry and unseasonably warm season.
Chris Hansen used an online auction to fulfill a Christmas wish of his three daughters by buying snow from snowy Colorado.
A former Monroe resident who now lives in Loveland, Colorado, said today that Hansen was the winning bidder in a snow auction on eBay.

Read more http://www3.whdh.com/news/articles/local/BO39686/

EBay buying online tickey broker for $310 M

2007-01-11T09:05:00.000-08:00

EBay Inc. is buying rapidly growing online ticket broker StubHub Inc. for $310 million (all figures U.S.) in cash, further expanding the Internet auctioneer's electronic bazaar.
The San Jose-based company announced the deal late Wednesday after the news had already been leaked to the media.
The sale, expected to close before April, punctuates another improbable Internet success story.
Jeff Fluhr, StubHub's 32-year-old co-founder and chief executive, launched the San Francisco startup against the dreary backdrop of the dot-com bust 6.5 years ago with another former student at Stanford Graduate School of Business, Eric Baker.

Read more http://www.thestar.com/Sports/article/169862

eBay to roll out anti-phishing improvement

2007-01-10T08:14:00.001-08:00

Online auctionhouse eBay is to roll out a system designed to reduce fraud from spammers and phishers to its core North American sites, after initial trials on eBay Motors, and later UK and Australian branches of eBay, were shown to be effective. The 'Safeguarding Member IDs' (SMI) system aims to reduce bidders' exposure to phishing attempts by concealing bidder identities in high-value auctions.
The normal system, wherein all bidders on an item can be checked out freely, is designed to minimise 'shill' bidding - a seller boosting their profits by placing bids themselves or through fake accounts. Such practices are banned by eBay, but for higher-value auctions will in future be defended against via other methods, as the exposure of bidder details grants easy targets to phishers sending spoofed 'Second Chance' auction notices, or even offers of private, off-list sales. The changes to the system, with bidders identified only by aliases, will be rolled out later this week to the main eBay.com site, as well as eBay Canada, and will affect auctions reaching over US$200 (or CA$220).
'eBay, and its online payments subsidiary PayPal, are well known as hugely popular targets for phishing, with most email users accustomed to deleting a handful of requests for account details on a weekly if not daily basis,' said John Hawes, Technical Consultant at Virus Bulletin. 'Big spenders are obviously prime targets for these scammers. We do see fairly frequent offers of second chances to buy items we've never thought of wanting spammed out at random, so this won't entirely stop this type of phishing, but any effort to protect users and keep down the fraud has to be a good thing.'
eBay's announcement of the decision is posted on its announcement board, here.

EBay Doubles Amount of Guaranteed Refund

2007-01-10T08:12:00.000-08:00

said Wednesday it's doubling to $2,000 the amount it guarantees will be refunded for items not delivered or are damaged upon delivery.
Items subject to the new gurantees must be purchased using eBay's PayPal online transaction service, the company said.
The move is part of eBay's stepped-up efforts to address concerns about fraudulent sellers, especially in China where the company also recently imposed restrictions on selling.

Read more http://www.smartmoney.com/bn/ON/index.cfm?story=ON-20070110-000666-0942

Dad buys 3 snowballs on eBay for his kids

2007-01-10T08:10:00.001-08:00

hree snowballs from Loveland have sold on the eBay Internet auction site for $200.
Chris Hansen, a firefighter from Milford, Conn., said he bought the snow for his daughters, ages 12, 14, and 16.
With the East experiencing unseasonably warm weather, Hansen said his daughters got everything they wanted for Christmas except snow.
Hansen went online and found the listing by Mary Walker of Loveland, who auctioned off snow from two monster storms that dumped more than 4 feet along the Front Range.
Hansen said he plans to freeze the snowballs until his family decides what to do with them.
Walker, who said her listing was meant as a joke, initially refused to accept Hansen's money, but he insisted. Hansen was a winner among 100 people following three days of bidding.

Read more http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/bizarre/4460521.html

An Innovative Way to Buy and Sell on eBay for Both Experience and Novice Users

2007-01-09T06:32:00.002-08:00

An innovative software(http://www.internetbizcenter.com/ebay/index.htm)has been developed to help anyone who wants to trade on eBay. This software will extract those items listed on eBay that have misspelled words in the title. The Users will then use these information to buy and sell on eBay.
(PRWEB) January 8, 2007 -- An innovative way to buy and sell on eBay has been developed for both experience and novice Users. This method exploits the mistakes made by eBay sellers where they have misspelled the words in the title of their listing. This innovative method made used of a software whereby it can extract those listings that have misspelled words in the title. The Users of the software (http://www.internetbizcenter.com/ebay/index.htm)can then make use of this information to trade on eBay.

Read more http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/1/prweb495739.htm

Order of Canada Medal Auctioned Through Email, Not EBay

2007-01-09T06:32:00.001-08:00

Danielle Godard - All Headline News Staff Writer
Toronto, Canada (AHN) - One of the first Order of Canada medals given out is being auctioned off through e-mail after eBay refused to let the owner flog it on its site.
The medal is being auctioned anonymously and has had expressions of interest from hundreds of interested buyers.
Nearly 40 years ago, Quebec historian Gustave Lanctot was awarded the medal and at the time of eBay's removal of the auction, the bidding had already reached $15,000 and received 8,500 hits to the website.

Read more http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7006073748

eBay launches business high-fliers

2007-01-09T06:31:00.001-08:00

Auction sites are increasingly being recognized as a breeding ground for serious business men and women, as the growing band of entrepreneurs making a healthy living out of selling their wares online can testify.
Clare Price is one of them.
The 32-year-old left the security of a high-flying job to set up in business on eBay.
Once operations director of an IT services business -- working on the customer service, not technology, side of the business -- she started trading online two years ago, after netting a bargain in the January sales.
Price, from Hayling Island, near Portsmouth, snapped up limited edition Italian designer lamps for £5 ($9.79) each, and made six times that after selling them for £70 per pair.
She then sourced other lamps from a department store supplier and bought a car-full. She sold them within a week.

Read more http://www.cnn.com/2007/BUSINESS/01/02/ebay.career.reut/

Directions to his stolen GPS? Found it on eBay

2007-01-09T06:29:00.002-08:00

A would-be customer, shopping on eBay for a new GPS satellite system, found one that fit the bill a little too perfectly: It's the one that was stolen from him.
Danial Rangkar, 25, of Great Neck, was awaiting arraignment Monday on a charge of criminal possession of stolen property after allegedly trying to sell not only the victim's stolen GPS device, but dozens of other electronic items including laptop computers, digital cameras, iPods, cellphones and other hand-held communications devices.
The name of his attorney was not immediately available.
Read more http://www.nydailynews.com/front/breaking_news/story/486828p-409886c.html

Fraud on eBay: Causes and Cures

2007-01-09T06:29:00.001-08:00

EBay's success makes it a huge target on the Internet. Scammers are attracted to eBay like moths to a flame; the problem is that it's the eBay buyers and sellers who wind up burned. While unsuspecting bidders are the main prey of the crooks, sellers are also bilked when their accounts are hijacked and when scammers hack into and clean out PayPal and linked bank accounts. EBay sellers pay an additional price in the general loss of trust in the site as it becomes increasingly perceived as riddled with flim-flam artists, driving away buyers.
It Can Happen to YouSellers are often the last to know when their accounts have been hijacked, as I discovered. One morning, about a year ago, I received an eBay e-mail inquiring about shipping costs for a John Deere tractor being sent to North Carolina. Since I only sold books on eBay and have never even sat on a tractor, this caught my attention. But I had been selling on eBay for six years without a problem, I never responded to phishing e-mails, and experience taught that occasionally such buyer e-mails went astray on the site's server, so I paid it no mind.
Several days later, the hammer dropped: eBay closed my account, and I was told that a scammer hacked my password and was piling in high-ticket items under my name. Since it is virtually impossible for anyone but power sellers to talk on the phone with an eBay rep empowered to solve problems, (generic phone reps, the only phone help available for the rest of eBay's members, always steer the caller to live chat or e-mails,) the road back involved changing my password and a multi-e-mail/live chat, week-long process of having several hundred dollars in scammer-generated listing fees reversed.

Read more http://www.ecommerce-guide.com/essentials/ebay/article.php/3652611

eBay's Listing Limbo

2007-01-09T06:28:00.000-08:00

eBay (EBAY - commentary - Cramer's Take - Rating) kicked off the week on the wrong foot.
Shares of eBay continued to slip in afternoon trading on Monday after bearish analyst reports about the number of listings on the company's site.
The stock was recently off $1.20, or 3.9%, to $29.59, following a drop of almost 3% on Friday.
Piper Jaffray analyst Safa Rashtchy wrote that his firm's count of eBay's fourth-quarter listings suggests that they will be 8% to 11% below his estimates. Rashtchy says the shortfall in listings could cause eBay, which announces earnings on Jan. 24, to miss Wall Street revenue estimates by $50 million to $70 million.

Read more http://www.thestreet.com/_googlen/newsanalysis/technet/10331285.html?cm_ven=GOOGLEN&cm_cat=FREE&cm_ite=NA

Help RSPCA With Ebay

2007-01-09T06:27:00.000-08:00

We all know that after the excesses of Christmas, money can be tight in January. But you can still donate to the RSPCA by using eBay for Charity to sell your unwanted presents.
eBay for Charity is an easy way to support charities while buying and selling on eBay. You can bid for items knowing that they are helping a worthy cause and if you're selling items, you can donate a percentage of your sales to certified charities.
So if you really can't bring yourself to wear that jumper your granny knitted you, or if you want to sell your old camera now you've been given an even better one, list it on eBay for Charity this month.

Read more http://www.pethealthcare.co.uk/Help_RSPCA_With_Ebay_340/AllComments/

When eBay 'Used' Products Are New

2007-01-08T07:37:00.000-08:00

Recently, a friend told me she had seen my newest book, "CROSLEY: Two Brothers and a Business Empire that Transformed the Nation," offered for sale as a used book at Amazon.com before it was available in stores. (Actually, it was a couple of weeks before the book was printed.)
"How can they do that?" she asked in an indignant tone. "How can someone offer a used copy of a book that hasn't even been published yet?"
There are several answers to that question, answers that also address the question of why new books and other brand-new products - such as DVDs and CDs - are offered as "used" on eBay.
Read more http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abu/y207/m01/abu0182/s04

Monessen memories found on eBay

2007-01-08T07:36:00.001-08:00

The majority of the historic items on display at the Monessen Heritage Museum were found in the attics and treasure troves of those who were born and raised in the city.
But the newest acquisitions to the museum came from an unlikely source -- eBay.
Known as one of the Internet's premiere global online market places, just about anything can be bought or sold through eBay auctions.

Read more http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribunereview/news/westmoreland/s_486985.html

Princess Di Concert Tix Yanked From eBay

2007-01-08T07:34:00.000-08:00

Ebay may find it harder to convince the live music industry that it's hard to stop online scalping because of logistic problems with monitoring so many ads, particularly after it managed to remove all those offering tickets for the July 1 Lady Diana memorial concert. The site had dozens on sale, some at more than five times the £45 face value, but they were soon taken down. U.K. papers reported a spokesman for eBay saying, "In view of the unique and commemorative nature of the Concert for Diana event and as a mark of respect for the memory of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, eBay has decided to not allow the re-sale of tickets to this event on the site."

Read more http://www.pollstar.com/news/viewnews.pl?NewsID=7555

Preparing Your eBay Business for a Crisis

2007-01-08T07:33:00.000-08:00

We know that you're busy doing everything you can think of to make your eBay business successful. You eat, sleep, and breathe your business, analyzing each potential move for its risks and benefits. But, as busy as you are, you've got one more task, and it's imperative. You have to answer the following question. What will I do to keep my business alive in the event of an emergency?

Read more http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abu/y207/m01/abu0182/s02

Nampa woman charged with selling stolen items on eBay

2007-01-08T07:20:00.000-08:00

Nampa Police have arrested a woman in connection to what they believe to be a multi-thousand dollar retail fraud scheme.
Thirty-four-year old Wendy Rebecca Peterson is charged with grand theft and burglary following a month long investigation.
She is suspected of stealing $20,000 worth of items from Costco stores in Boise and Nampa and then selling the items on eBay.

Read more http://www.ktvb.com/news/localnews/stories/ktvbn-jan0507-theft_arrest.fc3c4b2.html

Two-thirds of scam sites are eBay, PayPal, BoA

2007-01-08T07:18:00.000-08:00

Examining the blacklist that Google maintains has revealed some interesting, but not all that surprising, information on common phishing tactics. Of all the scam sites that have been blacklisted, nearly two-thirds are composed soley of scams revolving around eBay, PayPal and Bank of America. eBay and PayPal are rather self explanatory, being some of the most popular sites that involve money transfer and being so user-driven. Even more interesting, it seems many sites hosted on Yahoo servers try to steal Yahoo login information:

Read more http://www.techspot.com/news/24033-twothirds-of-scam-sites-are-ebay-paypal-boa.html

Oldest hockey stick goes for $2,000,000 on eBay

2007-01-08T07:16:00.000-08:00

60 years before the NHL was even invented, it was just a piece of wood.
But today, that hunk of a stump is the world's oldest hockey stick and sold on eBay recently for more than $2 million Canadian dollars.
Gord Sharpe, a former captain of the Clarkson University hockey team, was passed down the stick by a family member when he was nine years old.
Sharpe, who now lives near Toronto, said he left it laying around his house for years until he realized it might be worth something.
Read more http://news10now.com/content/sports/?ArID=91337&SecID=32

Going, going, not quite gone: Cancelled eBay medal auction proceeding via e-mail

2007-01-08T07:14:00.000-08:00

TORONTO (CP) - The anonymous owner of one of the first Order of Canada medals ever awarded is auctioning off the rare insignia via e-mail after Internet auctioneer eBay refused to let it be sold on their site.
In an e-mail Friday to The Canadian Press, the seller - identified only by the eBay username "dalida44" - said hundreds of people have expressed interest in the medal, awarded nearly 40 years ago to noted Quebec historian Gustave Lanctot.
The correspondence has also included a number of "insulting letters," the seller said.
"I had even one person writing: 'Can't believe you would sell this, this piece belongs to a museum. What else could we expect from a Quebecer, though. Disgraceful."'
An eBay spokeswoman said earlier this week that the medal was pulled from the site because it violated the company's policy banning the sale of government property.

Read more http://www.canada.com/topics/finance/story.html?id=4c8f4fdb-f040-4850-9539-540691919b08&k=76726