The Bernie Madoff Piggy Bank: Brilliant!

Here's one of the funniest finds I've seen on eBay in a while. It's the Bernie Madoff piggy bank: money goes in, but none comes out! Brilliant!

The bottom of this sculpture has a faux rubber stopper, which, of course, doesn't permit any access to the funds inside.

For those who do not know of Mr. Madoff's deeds, he is currently on trial for running the biggest Ponzi scheme ever. He scammed all kinds of people, from celebrities like Steven Spielberg and Kevin Bacon to upper middle class families on Long Island to nonprofit charities.

I think these sculptures will sell well.

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Bonanzle.com: A Serious Competitor for eBay?

We all know that eBay has been dominating the market for too long, as evidenced by the exorbitant fees and poor customer service. eBay veterans have been praying for some serious competition for a long time. Yahoo tried with Yahoo Auctions, but it was no match for eBay. Yahoo gave up trying in the U.S. and Canada on June 3, 2007, but the company still has auction sites in places like Hong Kong and Taiwan.

But now there's all this buzz about Bonanzle.com. It's being called the "eBay killer," but we've heard that before.

I took a quick tour of the site. Not bad. I like that you can easily import your eBay items, and you can import from Craigslist too.

The thing about eBay is that it's had years to get a lot of things right, so Bonanzle.com will need to burn the candle at both ends to catch up. I'm hoping they have a serious warchest to work with, but with this major recession bearing down on all of us, the odds aren't too good, IMO.

I'd really love to see eBay tremble. It's been too long, and eBay is just too fat.

Google "bonanzle.com review" for some reviews and honest opinions. Feel free to post a comment here if you've tried to buy or sell on Bonanzle.com. Thanks.

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Postcard Prank Sells for $415

A talented writer sold an international prank involving postcards on eBay for $415 (yes, American dollars.) Bidding ended just before Christmas, but you may get a laugh or two from reading the auction details and all the comments. Check it out here.

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$9,100 for Guitar Hero III? I Don't Think So...

I found this article about an Australian man who bought the Guitar Hero III video game for the Nintendo Wii gaming system, and paid $9,100 for it on eBay. Now, I realize how popular Nintendo Wii is right now, and I also know how hot Guitar Hero is with American teens. But $9,100 just seemed too high, even for a hot game.

So I poked around the eBay website for the exact same game, and found that it was being sold by many eBayers, and the typical selling price for a brand new item was around $100. So why would anyone pay $9,100 for it? It makes no sense.

I returned to the article and found the answer: a story was sold along with the game. The seller claimed that he came home to find his son smoking pot, and to punish his son, he decided to sell the game, which was supposed to be a Christmas present, on eBay. Well, eBayer "aspire1700computer" bought the story hook, line and sinker, and paid a ridiculous premium for the game, according to the article.

I can't swallow this story. It's either a total scam or a prank. I can't believe these kinda' stories still find a way to make the headlines in 2007. eBay is great, and it keeps getting better with age. But these silly stories are old and tired. I hope they die out in '08.

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Weird eBay Auctions

It never ceases to amaze me the stuff that folks try to sell on eBay. Today I found someone selling 2 animal crackers stuck together. Check it out here. Any takers?

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Elmo TMX Is THE Toy This Year

When I first viewed the antics of the Elmo TMX doll on YouTube, I was both amused and amazed. This thing is sooooo cool. When tickled, Elmo TMX laughs with that infectious Elmo laugh we all know and love. But that's not all: it also perform the funniest movements, like bending over and falling to the ground in fits of laughter. And it's not the same moves every time you tickle the doll. Elmo TMX has an awesome repertoire of actions that are sure to keep even the most serious kid smiling and giggling for weeks. This doll even returns to a standing position from lying flat on the ground in the prone position.

Who else is laughing about Elmo TMX? eBayers who were fortunate enough to acquire the Elmo TMX doll before it sold out: they are laughing all the way to the bank. The suggested retail price for TMX is $39.99, but they are selling on eBay in the $80-$100 range. Check it out.

I'm hoping I can get one for my baby girl after X-mas.

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eBay's Meg Whitman Supports Net Neutrality

How does the saying go? The enemy of my enemy is my friend?

Believe it or not, Microsoft and Google are actually on the same side of the Net Neutrality debate. And now eBay president and CEO Meg Whitman has sent out an email to all eBay members expressing her support of Net Neutrality.

Why are these Internet giants fighting to preserve Net Neutrality safeguards? Well, it's quite simple, really. If Net Neutrality safeguards are removed by lawmakers in Washington, then phone and cable TV companies will be able to charge the owners of popular websites like eBay.com, Google.com and Microsoft.com fees for delivering the contents of their sites to you and me.

Yeah, rich companies can probably afford to pay the proposed bandwidth tolls that telco and cable TV companies want to charge, but what about the Internet startups? What if you wanted to create a new website that includes video clips that users can download for free? Would you be able to do so , or would the bandwidth toll charges make your idea impractical?

Net Neutrality is about keeping the Internet as free as possible, and protecting an online environment that has allowed sites like Google.com and eBay.com to make it, and make it big.

Click here to read more about Net Neutrality, and you can click here to contact the folks who represent you in Washington, D.C.

Here's a clip from a recent email from eBay's CEO:

"As you know, I almost never reach out to you personally with a request to get involved in a debate in the U.S. Congress. However, today I feel I must.

Right now, the telephone and cable companies in control of Internet access are trying to use their enormous political muscle to dramatically change the Internet. It might be hard to believe, but lawmakers in Washington are seriously debating whether consumers should be free to use the Internet as they want in the future.

Join me by clicking here to send a message to your representatives in Congress.

The phone and cable companies now control more than 95% of all Internet access. These large corporations are spending millions of dollars to promote legislation that would allow them to divide the Internet into a two-tiered system.

The top tier would be a "Pay-to-Play" high-speed toll-road restricted to only the largest companies that can afford to pay high fees for preferential access to the Net.

The bottom tier -- the slow lane -- would be what is left for everyone else. If the fast lane is the information "super-highway," the slow lane will operate more like a dirt road.

Today's Internet is an incredible open marketplace for goods, services, information and ideas. We can't give that up. A two-lane system will restrict innovation because start-ups and small companies -- the companies that can't afford the high fees -- will be unable to succeed, and we'll lose out on the jobs, creativity and inspiration that come with them.

The power belongs with Internet users, not the big phone and cable companies. Let's use that power to send as many messages as possible to our elected officials in Washington. Please join me by clicking here right now to send a message to your representatives in Congress before it is too late. You can make the difference.

Thank you for reading this note. I hope you'll make your voice heard today.

Sincerely,

Meg Whitman
President and CEO
eBay Inc."

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