When a company decides that they don’t want to business with you, do they owe you an explanation why? One new eBay customer signed up for the site and bought a few things. Then she received an e-mail telling her that her account was suspended, but eBay wouldn’t explain the suspension. Why? [More]
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You Can Buy The Right To Name A New Moth Species
By 10.19.15
Calling all lepidopterists: if you’re obsessed with moths, now is your chance to name a newly discovered species whatever you want (might I suggest The MBQ?) — all you need is enough money to outbid the other moth fans out there. [More]
eBay Seller Who Sued Customers For Bad Feedback Ordered To Pay $19,250 In Legal Fees
By 9.3.15
You may remember that back in 2013, an eBay seller filed a lawsuit against a customer who left him accurate negative feedback, claiming that he hadn’t actually read his own suit when the company’s actions led to Internet backlash. Now the case has finally been resolved, with a judge ordering the seller to pay $19,000 in attorneys’ fees to the local lawyers who took the customer’s case pro bono. [More]
eBay No Longer Allows 2 Non-PayPal Payment Processors After Divorce From PayPal
By 8.28.15
eBay and PayPal have now completed their divorce, and one of the terms that they agreed to is that at least 80% of payments on eBay are supposed to go through PayPal. That could be the reason why eBay is eliminating competitors ProPay and Skrill from the payment options for shoppers and for sellers, but the real reason is probably more practical.. [More]
eBay Shutters Same-Day Delivery Service eBay Now
By 7.28.15
Three years after eBay launched its rapid delivery venture, eBay Now, the company is nixing the service as other e-commerce companies and retailers like Amazon, Uber and Whole Foods continue to dip their toes in the fast-delivery market. [More]
Victoria’s Secret Serves Frequent Shopper With ‘Divorce Papers’
By 7.22.15
A regular Victoria’s Secret customer in Wisconsin says that she was surprised when she brought her merchandise to the checkout at her local store, and they served her with what she calls “divorce papers,” banning her from shopping at the lingerie chain. What? What right do they have to do that? It turns out that she wasn’t just any customer. [More]
eBay Will Send Your Full Name, Location, And Phone Number To Any Auction Bidder Who Asks
By 7.21.15
Reader A. is a full-time eBay seller, who recently listed and sold a pricey item for a relative, splitting the proceeds. Relatively early in the auction, something happened that surprised and upset A: one of the bidders requested his contact information on file from eBay, which included his phone number and the city and state where he lives. eBay automatically sent it to the bidder without consulting him. Why? [More]
Google Begins Testing Buy Button On Select Mobile Searches
By 7.15.15
Google has finally made good on those reports that it would simplify the smartphone shopping experience by allowing users to simply hit a “buy button” to complete a transaction straight from sponsored search results, rather than toggling between retailer websites. Today, the company announced it is officially testing what it calls Purchases. [More]
Woman Suing Ebay Claims She Owns The Sun, Has The Right To Sell Real Estate There
By 6.5.15
Although no sovereign nation can claim ownership over any celestial bodies, one woman is taking eBay to court, saying she has the right to sell real estate on the Sun. As in, that big fiery ball up in the sky where no one could possibly live. [More]
EBay Rolling Out Its Own Prime-Like Service… In Germany
By 5.21.15
Just weeks after rumors surfaced that Walmart was working on its own Amazon Prime-esque service, eBay is jumping into the game — except its subscription service is only available across that big Atlantic pond – for now. [More]
Google Reportedly Adding Buy Button To Sponsored Mobile Search Results
By 5.18.15
Searching for and buying a product with your smartphone is about to get a bit easier. Google is reportedly just weeks away from adding a “buy” button to mobile search results, a move that will increase the company’s rivalry with other online marketplaces such as eBay and Amazon. [More]
Ryanair Flight Attendant Lists Passenger’s Camera On eBay, Gets Caught
By 4.16.15
When we leave something behind on a plane, we like to believe that it is not going home with the cabin crew to be immediately listed on eBay. Yet that’s exactly what one attendant for Irish discount carrier Ryanair is accused of doing. He was caught at his second job when the owner of a camera up for sale was browsing eBay looking for a replacement. [More]
Ticketmaster Says It Stands For “True Fan-Friendly Competition”
By 3.30.15
Over the weekend, StubHub filed a lawsuit against Ticketmaster and the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, alleging that the team and the ticket company are forcing Warriors season-ticket subscribers to use Ticketmaster if they want to resell their seats to anyone. Ticketmaster is now defending itself and says that it is the one that’s on the side of sports fans. [More]
eBay & Sotheby’s Joint Marketplace Launches Today
By 3.17.15
The joint venture announced last year by eBay and Sotheby’s to offer antiques, collectibles and art in an easily accessible online marketplace is finally coming to fruition this week with the launch of the Sotheby’s live auctions experience on eBay. [More]
Of Course People Are Already Trying To Sell ‘The Interview’ Movie Posters For Hundreds On eBay
By 12.18.14
While there will be no backsides warming theater seats at screenings of The Interview in the United States (at least, not on the movie’s planned Dec. 25 release date), there is still money to be made on the bro-com starring Seth Rogen and James Franco sent on a mission to kill the leader of North Korea. At least, people are still trying to make money off the flick. [More]
Someone Just Paid $25K For A Pair Of First Generation 8GB iPhones
By 12.11.14
Can you remember a time when you couldn’t whip out your phone during an argument over who played that one guy in that one movie, or find out how many miles it was between you and a cheese store? Seems like the Dark Ages now, but for those who thrive on nostalgia and have deep pockets, you just missed out on spending a boatload of cash on a blast from the past — a pair of original, first generation iPhones that recently went for more than $25,000 on eBay. [More]
Copies Of ‘E.T.’ From The Atari Graveyard Sold For Up To $1,500
By 11.14.14
Last week, we shared the exciting news that a local historical society would auction a bunch of trash on eBay. Well, okay, that “trash” was really some of the millions of unsold Atari cartridges that were crushed, covered with cement, and left in the desert for three decades. They were left in the desert because nobody wanted them in 1983, but cartridges sold for as much as $1,537 on eBay, with auctions concluding this week. [More]
Atari Games Recovered From New Mexico Dump Now Available On eBay
By 11.5.14
Depending on your point of view, a selection of vintage game cartridges recently listed on eBay are either priceless pieces of video game history and lore, or just a bunch of trash that someone is trying to hawk on the Internet. Both of these perspectives are true: it’s the cartridges’ status as trash that makes them so valuable and interesting in the first place. [More]
