While I think we can all agree that what happened to Chris Dotson—getting scammed out of over three grand on eBay and Paypal—sucks to high heaven, he raises a more interesting point at the end of his post: Is there a market for a third-party eBay scam collection service?
ebay
Own a Bloodied Rick James Jumpsuit
By 2.13.06
Ignoring all the Chapelle Show nonsense, there’s no denying that Rick James was a bad motherfucker. His hair could pollute the pin feathers of an arctic duck at forty paces and he often wore spacesuits made from Rue McClanahan’s lingerie.
Step-By-Step Guide On Reselling PS3s
By 2.7.06
Do you want to get rich by playing the supply-exploit-demand eBay game on the next big video game console? Did you see those ridiculous $1000 X-Box 360 eBay auctions and think, “Man, I wish I could get in on some of that exploitive action?” Your prayers have been answered, because this blog has a remarkably sleazy and delusional article up on the fine art of console reselling.
Consumers Speak: iSold Your Stuff on eBay, But All You Got Was This Lousy Experience
By 1.31.06
Reader Ben P. writes with his horrible experiences with the Southern California ‘we sell your stuff on eBay’ chain, iSold.
I’ve sold items on eBay several times before, and while it’s a bit of a hassle, it never overwhelmed me. Late last year though, during a move, I had multiple items I thought would sell well on eBay that I couldn’t justify loading into the Uhaul, and having plenty on my plate with the move, thought I could just drop off at iSold it and wash my hands of the transaction. Their motto is after all: “The Easy Way to Sell on Ebay.”
Game Quest Direct Thwarts eBay Gougers
By 1.23.06
Silicon Era has posted a great expose of Game Quest Direct, a once-retail video game chain that hit it big by acting as a bulk republisher of particularly sought-after games. Inspired by the absolutely mad eBay prices on games like Disagaea or Resident Evil 3 for the Gamecube, these guys decided to strike up deals with the publishers to get these games back in circulation at a reasonable price. The problem? The very same gaggle of eBay speculators who inspired GCD’s business are now calling foul:
The Sucks Site Review: PayPalSucks.com
By 1.17.06
If you’re going to run a successful Suck Site, you should aim for a big target. PayPal Sucks may have stumbled on powerful internet suck alchemy. Anyone who has used eBay (the owner of PayPal) more than casually will have run afoul of PayPal at least once. And thus, a hit is born.
Morning Deals Round-Up: Christmas Clearances, Soniccare, eBay, DVDs
By 12.27.05
• Today only, pay just 10 cents to list an item on the store the sows distrust in your fellow man: eBay. Obviously they are encouraging you to dump all the crap you got this Christmas and we think you should take advantage of it, because you are never going to fit into that after what you ate this weekend.
eBay UK Weighed Down by Scammers
By 12.16.05
eBay UK is getting fraudier, reports the BBC. Crooks aren’t using just the standard, in-system scam, either—selling something they don’t have—but are instead hijacking high-scoring accounts, so better to lure in those who really want to buy a used hot tub.
Adidas told the BBC that it monitored up to 12,000 auctions involving its goods every day on the British site – yet it estimated that up to 40% of all Adidas products available were counterfeit.
It’s an online auction site—there are going to be some scams. Forty percent, however, is somewhat amazing. And if we can’t trust customer ratings, then what does eBay offer that Craigslist does not?
eBay Takes the Blame for Everything
By 11.23.05
This guerrilla campaign by eBay in Brussels shows how marketing obviates the need for facts and figures when a hastily-slapped sign can say so much more. These stores went out of business, for god-knows-what reasons—perhaps a death in the family, or a shortage of mayonnaise—but that didn’t stop eBay from taking the credit.
Inevitable Frenzied Post-Launch Xbox 360 Ebay Sales
By 11.23.05
If we figure that the lowest average price for an Xbox 360 Premium kit is around $450ish after tax, the going rate on Ebay this morning would seem to be around $945—nearly double the retail price. That’s not a bad bit of profit for anyone who could get their hands on a system, let alone three or four.
