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Posts Tagged “

eBay

bad investments

An eBay iPhone 3G Might Not Be Your Most Intelligent Purchase Ever

A few things to keep in mind before bidding on an iPhone 3G from eBay:
1. You can no longer buy an unactivated iPhone.
2. The biggest iPhone will only run you $299 (half of $600 going rate).
3. Eventually, even your grandma will have an iPhone, and that means you will have paid over $600 to have the same phone as your grandma. Remember the RAZR and the Macarena, people! [eBay]


iphone

How I Sold My iPhone in 24 Hours For More Than I Paid

With the possible announcement of the 3G iPhone only a week away, many current iPhone owners are itching to upgrade, which takes money. Other people, finally bitten by the iPhone bug, are eager to buy one, only they are harder to find in stores. This creates a nice, natural supply-and-demand formula that we managed to exploit not once but twice on eBay. Not only did I sell my iPhone in 24 hours, but I sold it for more than I paid.

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gross

At Least 20 People Want to Pay $3000 for the 24-Carat Gold iPhone

When we saw that 24-carat gold iPhone last month, we thought it was too tacky gold for everybody except for Mr. T. Apparently we were wrong. Twenty people have bid 55 times to plunk down real money—and at least two are willing to pony up over two grand—for this gaudy slab of soon-to-be-outdated tech. Or, as our new intern said, "Maybe Chamillionaire has 20 eBay accounts, and we've been overestimating his understanding of how an auction works." Either way, it's a sad state of affairs. [eBay]

hide your gadgets

Buy a Cheater's Crushed Zune For 99 Cents: Do What You Will With The Dirty Videos

This is one of the reasons you don't cheat on your women, my friends—because they will hit you were it hurts. And that usually means a swift kick in the nuts followed closely by a thorough dismantling of your precious gadgets. The poor Zune pictured here met its demise after a scorned woman found videos on it featuring her then-boyfriend in the act of cheating. More »

computerlicious

Buy Designer Laptops for a Good Cause

PC Magazine has partnered with HP and a slew of designers to create nine "computerlicious" (one-of-a-kind) laptops for a charity auction. Available on eBay now (and currently up to about $100 a pop), 100% of the auctions' proceeds will go to The National Cristina Foundation (they donate used PCs to schools and non-profits). If you've been looking for a good way to make your new laptop a tax deductible endeavor (or if you just really like Paul Frank), head on over to eBay and do some bidding. [eBay and PCMag]

blackberry

Blackberry 9000 Already for Sale, Sorta Kinda

The Blackberry 9000 isn't due out till July or August, but a pair of distributor pre-release models have already hit eBay and been purchased by two anonymous buyers. Remarkable not only for the legit-looking set of new pics confirming HSDPA and the 4.X OS, but also because this powerseller apparently has a time machine at his disposal, reaching all the way back pre-August 2007 to get 'em. If you're reading this and happen to be one those lucky buyers, hit us up. Course, we're still waiting for the Blackberry that's over 9000. [eBay, Thanks iomatic]

macbook pro

Buy the Crappiest, Rustiest MacBook Pro Ever for Only $1300

Macs tend to have a high resale value that outpaces PCs with similar specs and age. But this MacBook Pro on eBay looks like it was literally beaten with an ugly stick before being left to rot in a vat of orc piss, and the dude's still asking $1295 (more than a brand new MacBook). For that, you get a 17-inch Core 2 Duo Tiger-based MBP that's covered in rust, missing the battery and plagued by a bum screen. More »

wii mod

Super Mario Galaxy Wii Mod Makes the Stars Mushroom With Delight

There's little we've said about our modder buddy Ramon that we haven't already said back when he made the Zelda, Samus, Rockstar and Clerks Wii mods. This guy is talented AND he has good aesthetic taste—something not commonly found with modders. This time he's auctioning off this one-of-a-kind Super Mario Galaxy Wii mod that will benefit Child's Play, the children's charity started by Penny Arcade. Video hands-on, details and more pics after the jump. More »

halo

My Little Pony-Master Chief Hybrid Confuses My Sexuality

Once upon a time, a little Pony named Lily met Halo hero Master Chief. They fell in love—for little Lily's feminine side complemented Master Chief's machomanness— and had a son named Halo Silver. OK, I made that up. But I have to justify this perturbing vision sold for $151.57 on eBay. Confused? Me too. [eBay via TechDigest]

crazy

Airplane Cabin for Sale Will Make You Apartment Commander

If you are looking for a complete apartment makeover and a cheap private plane, head to eBay now because someone is selling the interior of a passenger airplane. The 19-square-foot "real Boeing aircraft model Airbus aircraft seats" includes everything but the trolley dollies: first class double seats, two fully-equipped airplane toilets, kitchenette, storage lockers, and onboard in-flight video equipment. Jump for more pics and the sellers' psychedelic "business ideas" for this contraption.

More »

retromodo

Dealzmodo: 1989 Kraco Cellphone Was $1,500, Now $15

Waiting around for a rebate offer so you can score a sweet new handset? Why not go retro instead with Kraco's KCP-205 Trans-mobile cellular phone, listed on eBay at an opening bid of $15. That's approximately $1,500 less than it originally cost back in the day, when all you needed was a shoulder, an oil field and a dream. The phone was only used for one month, and the leather carrying case and manual are still in great shape. Just remember, even if you do convince some carrier to give you service for this old clunker, it would only last a few weeks, as the cellphone analog switch-off is still scheduled for Feb. 19. Good hunting! [eBay]

roundup

Afternoon News: Dark Knight Tomatoes, Woz's Odor, Shopping With Microsoft and More

• In 1950, a guy who cuts a tomato in half and finds its center bears resemblance to the Batman logo laughs and eats it. In 2008, he sells it on eBay. [eBay]
• Fake Steve says "There's something in the air" is really just a joke about Woz's gas problems. That's the best guess I've heard yet. [FSJ]
• Microsoft is working on grocery carts with video displays that show commercials and allow self-checkout. [Yahoo!/AP]
• The Japanese government is working with private companies on ultra high-definition video, which will show images up to 33 million pixels and may be seen as early as 2015. First they one-up us on the ladder to heaven, now this, I can't take it anymore! [Google News/AFP]

gaming

1981 Atari Handheld Breakout Game Prototype Up on eBay

Sure, you may have heard of Atari's less-than-stellar handheld offerings such as the Lynx and the Touch Me, but my guess is that you've never seen this, a prototype for a handheld breakout game that was never released. In fact, only two of these prototypes exist in the world. More »

dead cellphone

This Is What a Nokia E90 Blasted With a Shotgun Looks Like

Someone blasted their Nokia E90 with a 12-bore shotgun. And then decided to put the bent and twisted piece of telephony up for sale on eBay "for parts." Or for laughs, because then someone decided to buy the remains of the smartphone for $20.50. Apparently, he didn't realize that not a single part of this phone would work, as the E90 is mostly a single sandwich of printed circuit boards. Gunshot gallery is below. More »

digital cameras

Fuji Gives In and Whores Megapixels Like Everyone Else?

A few months ago, I happily wrote a post about Fuji camera's continuing decision to build sensors with fewer megapixels in exchange for better light sensitivity. Apparently, that philosophy has not kept up. Proof: Old generation Fuji point and shoots like the F30/31 are going for more than double the original retail price on eBay ($400-$500!) as enthusiasts reject the newer F50 camera with double the MP and worse image quality in dim conditions. Is this true, or fan myth mania? [TheOnlinePhotographer] - Eric Sheline

retail greed

Slackers Stores Not Slacking on Wii Profit Margins [UPDATED]

The chaps at Ars Technica are reporting that Slackers stores, of Illinois and Missouri, are retailing their entire Wii stock on eBay, making a tidy $150 profit over the MSRP. According to an unnamed employee at Slackers, the stores are receiving a regular shipment of Wii consoles. Unfortunately, none of those are making it to the shop floor. Instead, to increase their profit margins, they are selling their entire stock via eBay, with a "Buy it Now" price of $399.99. The price was lowered from a previous $499.99, as the products were not exactly flying off the cyber shelves. Ars Technica tried contacting the management, but failed to receive a response. More »

wwjd

Hard-to-Find Gadgets' Insane eBay Prices Let You Rip Others Off for Holiday Fun and Profit

It's the holidays, which means shoppers get themselves worked into a frenzy looking for "hot" products that will prove to their children that they love them despite the 11 previous months of shoddy parenting. Looking to take advantage of some people less internet-savvy than yourself this season? Take a gander at the top products that are getting way above their retail value on eBay right now, plus some free tips on getting the highest bid possible with the fewest scruples possible: More »

ebay madness

Amazon Kindle on eBay: $1500; Guy in Santa Suit Delivering a Wii to Your Door Christmas Day: $28,000

While one of the major quibbles with Kindle is its sure-to-darken-your-wallet $400 pricetag, apparently knowledge is priceless, since the sold-out snowspeeders have been going for up to $1500 on eBay. The average is only around $830, but that's still kinda gross. While we're wandering around the seedy area of the eBay neighborhood: More »