Mammoth Blog - Online Auctions

Energy without the Jitters Efusjon EDGE Energy Drink

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 10:30:00 -0500

Efusjon EDGE is the 100% all-natural alternative to today's unhealthy energy drink market. This delicious, caffeinated drink is made with Acai Berry - natures powerful antioxidant. Acai Berry, one of the world's most potent super foods, is believed to deliver up to thirty times the anthocyanins found in red wine (anthocyanins are said to help aid in the prevention of heart disease, fight cancer cells and reduce memory loss). Efusjon EDGE Energy Drink contains no additives or preservatives and is made from the purest ingredients. Young or old, Efusjon EDGE delivers your body the power it needs to thrive throughout your demanding day and life.

# Caffeinated
# Made with Acai Berry - considered one of the top 10 super foods
# Rich, smooth flavor
# Made from 100% all-natural ingredients
# Efusjon EDGE Energy Drink contains NO preservatives or additives
# Helps your body fight the free-radical toxins
# Twelve - 8.4 oz. cans

Get Healthy and Get Paid!

Not only does efusjon offer the healthiest energy drinks anywhere, but also provides a unique opportunity to make a serious income! At the efusjon energy club, we believe in healthy bodies and a healthy income. You can enjoy the delicious and nutritious virtues of our amazing energy drinks and reap the rewards from your very own successful efusjon energy club business. Under the efusjon energy club revolutionary new community compensation structure, you get rewarded in ways you never dreamed possible. It's a unique opportunity never before seen in the network marketing industry!

CLICK HERE - To Find Out More and How to Join!

Win A Framed, Ernie Banks Autographed, Chicago Cubs Jersey

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 11:17:00 -0500

Efusjon Home Run Team,

Starting today through December 31, 2009 every team member that personally enrolls 3 people will be placed in a drawing for a Framed, Ernie Banks Autographed, Chicago Cubs Jersey. This will be an incredible keepsake for our Home Run Club winner.

The Jersey is being provided by Mrs. Liz Banks, wife of Mr. Ernie Banks, of the 500 Home Run Club, and proud member of the Efusjon Home Run Club.

Each member of the Efusjon Home Run Club that enrolls 3 people in the month of December will have their name placed in a raffle.

Each time you enroll three your name will be entered into the raffle again.

For example if you enroll 6 people in December you would have two chances in the raffle, 9 would give you three chances and so forth.

End the year with a Home Run for your Efusjon business, let's knock the cover off the ball!

Ernie Banks
http://www.500hrc.com/ernie-banks.html

500 Home Run Club
http://www.500hrc.com/

Efusjon Home Run Club
http://seemymatrix.com/66079?

Efusjon Home Run Club December Sales Contest

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:26:00 -0500

The Jersey is being provided by Mrs. Liz Banks, wife of Mr. Ernie Banks, of the 500 Home Run Club, and proud member of the Efusjon Home Run Club.

Each member of the Efusjon Home Run Club that enrolls 3 people in the month of December will have their name placed in a raffle.

Each time you enroll three your name will be entered into the raffle again. For example if you enroll 6 people in December you would have two chances in the raffle, 9 would give you three chances and so forth.

End the year with a Home Run for your Efusjon business, let's knock the cover off the ball!

eBay set for Xmas rush

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:38:00 -0500

On-line auction house Ebay was expecting early bird shoppers to steal a march on the Christmas shopping rush by flocking to the website on Sunday.

Many internet retailers are expecting their busiest day of trading on Monday but Ebay was bracing itself for a surge of 5 million visitors on Sunday.

As Sunday is usually the site's busiest day of the week the trading surge is coming a day early for Ebay, said a spokeswoman.

The site is predicting a rise on last year's 4.5 million customers on the same day last year with 14 gifts bought every second. source>>>

Save Big On Cyber Monday

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:15:00 -0500

his past Friday was the U.S. holiday known as Black Friday. It's the ritual where we all get up at 3am, grab a coffee and some donuts and head to a store to wait out in the cold for the one flat panel television they have in stock for $99. Tomorrow brings the next big shopping day -- this time it's Cyber Monday and it will be held online.

Here are my top picks for places to find the best deals. As always, never ever make a purchase online without first checking if there is a coupon or cash back available. To do this, go to Google and enter the merchant's name and the word coupon (e.g. Best Buy coupon). Also make sure to read the reviews of the products you are considering. I like to always check Amazon for any products I buy as there are normally a good amount of reviews for nearly any product.

Bing Shopping
While I haven't found any real reason to switch to Bing for general searches, Bing Shopping is a great way to get paid for shopping at a variety of popular online merchants. Bing is running a "gold rush" through December 2nd. The gold rush offers increased cash back amounts -- for example, Dell is offering 20%, eBay 10%, HP 20% and Footlocker is offering 25% cash back. Always read the details to make sure your purchases qualify for the cash back reward. If you find a deal on Bing Shopping, make sure to setup a cash back account first and then shop so that you receive the cash back amount.

Fatwallet and Slickdeals
These two forums are my favorite for finding deals. Both Fatwallet and Slickdeals offer forums that are loaded with super deal hunters that post the best deals from across the web. You can also request help in finding a deal. While both sites have other content, I find the forums to be the best place to start. Fatwallet also offers cashback on about 200 stores so make sure you signup for a Fatwallet account. What's great is that the purchase still goes through the merchant's site just like a normal purchase.

Coupon Sites
There are a variety of coupon sites that are providing lists for Cyber Monday sales. CyberMonday.net displays a variety of deals plus coupons for stores including Walmart and BestBuy. RetailMeNot has a listing of coupons for over 200 stores.

Always remember that just because a site says that the product is on sale, doesn't mean it really is. Check prices before making any purchase to make sure it is a deal. Also, if it's your first time shopping at a merchant, make sure that you check their ratings for shipping, returns and customer service. source>>>

Signed copies of Sarah Palin's new book "Going Rogue" showing up on eBay

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:27:00 -0500

Signed copies of Sarah Palin's new book "Going Rogue" have already started to appear on the popular auction website "eBay."

Autographed copies we found are fetching as low as $51 and as high as one "buy it now" for $150.

And some wanting to prove the signatures authenticity are bundling it with a photo taken while the book was being signed.

So if you missed your chance to get a signed copy on your own, you may find your copy online. But remember if a deal is too good to be true, it probably is.

source>>>

"Power of 3" Challenge: Here are three simple steps you can follow to get off to a fast start

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:25:00 -0500

"Power of 3" Challenge: Here are three simple steps you can follow to get off to a fast start in Efusjon:

Step 1: Develop a deep-seeded belief in the Efusjon product by drinking it daily. Remember, people buy belief!

Step 2: Create a sense of urgency to immediately get your 3 and make yourself an Executive within hours or days. Congratulations! You have now earned $225 in Associate Product Volume Bonuses that will be paid to you the following week and you have a 115% return on your initial investment.

Step 3: You are also able serve as the Coach/Trainer for the 3 people that you personally sponsor into the club. For each of these 3 people that you help get to Executive within 30 days from the date they join, you will receive a $200 Coaching Product Volume Bonus paid the following week. Simply put, if you help each of your 3 personally enrolled members reach Executive within 30 days, you will receive a total of $600 in Coaching Product Volume Bonuses and you now also qualify to receive 100% of the money due to you in monthly matrix residual income ($5.10/month for direct distributors and $1.50/month for overlap distributors).

Following the above 3 steps will have made you $825 in total Product Volume Bonuses, and you will also be receiving $60 in monthly matrix residual income starting the following month. How powerful that all of this money is paid to you off of only having 12 people in your matrix (3 + 9 = 12)

http://www2.seemymatrix.com/forums/index.php/topic,350.0.html

Teamplayer: Once who unites others toward a shared destiny

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:30:00 -0500

One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team, but one man cannot make a team. Kareem Abdul-Jabbor http://twitter.com/efusjonmmi

Teamplayer: Once who unites others toward a shared destiny through information & ideas, empowering others & developing trust. D Kinlaw http://twitter.com/efusjonmmi

The greatest danger a team faces isn't that it won't become successful, but that it will, and then cease to improve. Mark Sanborn http://twitter.com/efusjonmmi

The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team. John Wooden
http://twitter.com/efusjonmmi

500 Homerun Club & Efusjon Invite you to come hit a home run

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:28:00 -0500

Welcome to the 500 Home Run Club®, LLC, the exclusively authorized, internationally recognized organization founded to celebrate the awe inspiring achievements of the greatest home run hitters in baseball history. The club operates with the endorsement and support of both Major League Baseball and the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Changes coming to eBay Radio next month

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:58:00 -0500

Jim "Uncle Griff" Griffith announced today on his Facebook that changes were coming to eBay Radio next month. Listeners will only have access to the live show through a private eBay group, he said. Griff is eBay's Dean of Education, author of the Official eBay Bible, and one of eBay's earliest employees. He hosts eBay Radio, which is billed as "eBays' official talk show with expert guests, news direct from eBay and of course your call ins produced by wsRadio.com."

According to Griff's announcement, "We'll be announcing more during the week but one of the biggest changes will be access to the live show. Starting Nov 3rd, the link to all eBay Radio shows will only be available from the eBay Radio Group."

Currently eBay promotes the show on its announcement board. In addition, WSRadio, which broadcasts the show, also promotes the show on its website, but Griff does not say why those two entities will stop linking to the program.

However, in the comments, he writes, "We funnel listener traffic through eBay Radio's Group so we can measure the audience participation by user id... or we kill eBay Radio. Those were my choices. What would YOU have chosen?"

eBay has been trimming costs in many areas and has eliminated its "Pinks" forum moderators, as well as ceasing publication of its longtime eBay Chatter newsletter blog. Could it be more cost-cutting by eBay? Or do they simply want to control who listens to the show by forcing them to access it through the eBay Group? (Why would they want to measure audience participation by user id?)

PayPal also has a radio program on WSRadio, hosted by Jason Miner, and billed as "The official show of PayPal. Supporting PayPal users while covering the latest news and developments from "The Global Leader of Online Payment Solutions." (Link) No word on whether any changes are pending to PayPal Radio, or to the eBay Town Hall meetings that are also hosted on WSRadio. source>>>

From carry-on to eBay: The journey of airport security booty

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:43:00 -0500

A 20-inch machete from Costa Rica. New power drills with the tags still hanging. A pile of brass knuckles and nunchucks. Tubs of golf clubs, baseball bats and 10-pound exercise weights.
An Atlanta TSA officer holds up some prohibited knives surrendered by passengers over the last month.

An Atlanta TSA officer holds up some prohibited knives surrendered by passengers over the last month.
more photos »

These objects -- collected at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport security checkpoints -- are among millions of items confiscated by the Transportation Security Administration from travelers' carry-on bags each year.

After the U.S. government expanded the list of items prohibited on airplanes in response to the attacks of September 11, 2001, air travelers have few options but to surrender their Swiss army knives, cake cutters or whatever banned loot lies in their carry-on bags.

Between 2005 and 2006, TSA confiscated 13 million prohibited items, according to a TSA spokesman. On an average month, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the busiest airport in the world, takes 1,000 pounds of items from passengers.

Ever wonder where all the junk goes?

Guns and firearms -- which are permitted in a traveler's checked luggage but banned from carry-on bags -- are turned over to local law enforcement. The journey for shampoo and other liquids in containers larger than 3 ounces, which were banned on board in 2006 when terrorists attempted to use liquid explosives, is a short one. They are usually immediately disposed of through private waste contractors. Photo See what Atlanta's airport has collected in the last month »

But the remaining items that possess some value -- knives, corkscrews, electric saws, meat cleavers and wrenches -- are donated to state surplus agencies. They go up for sale at warehouse auctions, retail stores and online Web sites such as eBay, and states keep the profits. Thrifty citizens can expect to buy the goods for cheap -- often just a fraction of the retail price.

"It's not slowing down," said Gary Thornton, program coordinator for the Division of Surplus Property in Kentucky. "We figured the program would last for a few years and property would stop coming in because people should know better, but it hasn't."
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Thornton's agency collects leftover contraband items from various airports in Florida, Ohio and Kentucky. State agencies and youth organizations such as the Boy Scouts of America get dibs, for just a few dollars per item, on the 10,000 pounds of airport contents brought to the state each month. The unsold items go on to eBay, where the public can pick up knives and Leatherman multitools, usually for 50 percent off the retail price.

For several months, Thornton recalls receiving hundreds of miniature baseball bats from Louisville International Airport in Kentucky. They found a nice home for the bats at the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory.

TSA reports that bats, clubs, knives and blades remain the most popular contraband items passengers try to take onto airplanes without realizing they are illegal. Prior to 2007, cigarette lighters were illegal. Security officers were gathering 22,000 lighters each day before TSA decided to lift the ban so officers could focus on finding more dangerous items.

TSA doesn't profit from any of the collected items, officials said. Travelers have the option to save their prohibited items by transferring the object to their checked luggage or placing it in their car. Passengers can mail the objects back to themselves if there is a post office nearby. But 90 percent of passengers, who are in a rush to catch a flight or don't want the hassle of leaving the security line, just give the items up, says Shekia Gay, a TSA security officer in Atlanta.

He said most passengers he encounters are very understanding about leaving behind their belongings, because they know the rules are meant to keep the public safe.

But sometimes surrendering items can result in tears. Gay said once a female passenger came through with a set of expensive kitchen knives that was a wedding present.

"She was very upset and distressed," he said. "Her husband had to calm her down, and we kept telling her this is what we have to do."

Eight years after September 11, travelers continue to bring banned items through the airport security checkpoints, despite continuous efforts by the TSA and airports to publicize what items aren't allowed. With more than 2 million passengers screened by TSA on any given day, officers say they are bound to collect prohibited possessions, said Jon Allen, a TSA spokesman.

"A lot of the things prohibited at checkpoints are allowed to go into checked bags," he said. "If there are items people really need, like a baseball bat or power tools, they can put it in their suitcase and it will still make the trip."

Even items that seem obvious to avoid are brought into security checkpoints. A few years ago, Allen said, a traveler tried to bring two gallons of gasoline because he was concerned his car would run out of gas en route from his home airport. Six months ago, a kitchen sink was found in one man's bag in a Washington airport.

The gasoline was disposed of. The kitchen sink was put up for sale.

Shane Bailey, director of the Surplus Property Division in Alabama, says he has seen some unusual items -- most notably, a samurai sword -- in the six years his agency has been taking TSA's airport junk.

The division picks up leftover booty from Orlando International Airport in Florida. Disney World's home airport yields plenty of fake pirate swords, and the TSA does not allow replica weapons, or even decorative belt buckles shaped like guns or plastic toys, to go aboard. Bailey said the swords are donated to nonprofits working with underprivileged children.

On occasion, Alabama airport junk sifters will find family heirlooms or valuable memorabilia. The Alabama surplus staff once discovered a knife engraved with the New York Fire Department logo and a serial number. They tracked down the rightful owner and shipped it back to New York, free of charge.

"If there is a way to get the special items back to someone, we'll go that extra mile," he said.
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But some travel critics and passengers say taking their stuff is obnoxious and does little to deter terrorist threats. Eric Weiner, a columnist for WorldHum.com, a Web site about the travel experience, says he thinks collecting junk from passengers just provides an illusion of security.

"TSA knows collecting peanut butter and nail clippers is not really going to prevent a terrorist attack," Weiner said. "It might catch some very stupid terrorist, but not the smart ones." source>>>

founders of Skype file a copyright suit against eBay Inc.

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:30:00 -0500

A company owned by the founders of Skype filed a copyright suit against eBay Inc. and a group of investors that plan to buy Skype from eBay, a move that could complicate the recent $2 billion deal.

View Full Image
From left, Skype founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis with Mike Volpi, at a 2007 conference. Mr. Volpi, an executive who until recently worked with the duo, was among the defendants named in Wednesday's suit.
Bloomberg News

From left, Skype founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis with Mike Volpi, at a 2007 conference. Mr. Volpi, an executive who until recently worked with the duo, was among the defendants named in Wednesday's suit.
From left, Skype founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis with Mike Volpi, at a 2007 conference. Mr. Volpi, an executive who until recently worked with the duo, was among the defendants named in Wednesday's suit.
From left, Skype founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis with Mike Volpi, at a 2007 conference. Mr. Volpi, an executive who until recently worked with the duo, was among the defendants named in Wednesday's suit.

The suit, filed Wednesday in the Northern California U.S. District Court, extends the drama behind eBay's tumultuous relationship with Skype.

Skype's founders, Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom, left Skype in 2007, two years after eBay bought the online communications provider. Their company, Joltid Ltd., has been embroiled in an intellectual property dispute with Skype since March, putting a cloud over eBay's efforts to unload Skype.

At the heart of the dispute is a peer-to-peer technology called "global index" that is owned by Joltid. That technology is also used at the core of Skype's software, which routes calls over the Internet instead of traditional phone lines.

* Read the Skype lawsuit document

Joltid terminated Skype's license for that software in March, and the two companies have since been involved in a suit about that termination in a U.K. court.

Joltid's suit Wednesday seeks an injunction against Skype and damages for copyright infringements. It also seeks profits that Skype has made while using the technology in breach of its license. The suit claims that it believes damages "are amassing at a rate of more than $75 million daily."

The suit claims that since at least 2007, Skype used the global index software "in manners unauthorized by Joltid," such as making the software available to third parties, as well as copying and altering it.

An eBay spokesman said the San Jose, Calif., company "hadn't seen the complaint, and will be reviewing it accordingly."

EBay has acknowledged the fight with Joltid could affect Skype's operation, and possibly closure of its sale. In a regulatory filing, eBay said consummation of the sale was subject to there being no changes in Skype that have an adverse effect on the company, as well as consent from the buyers on the settlement of pending litigation.

The U.S. suit escalates Joltid's attack on Skype by naming as defendants all of the investors that earlier this month announced a deal to buy a majority of Skype.

Those investors include private-equity firm Silver Lake, venture-capital firms Index Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz, and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. The suit alleges that the investors were aware of Skype's copyright violation when they were negotiating their deal.

Andreessen Horowitz declined to comment. The other investors named in the suit didn't immediately return requests for comment.

In a statement, a Joltid spokesman said the company would "vigorously enforce its copyrights and other intellectual property rights in all of the technologies it has innovated."

Wednesday's suit also names as a defendant Mike Volpi, a general partner at Index Ventures who previously served as chief executive of Joost, another company owned by Skype's founders. Last week, Joost said it had removed Mr. Volpi from its board of directors and was conducting an investigation into his actions during his tenure there.

Mr. Volpi didn't respond to a request for comment.

In a regulatory filing on July 29, eBay said it was "confident of its legal position" in the U.K. suit with Joltid and that it had begun to develop alternative software. source>>>

eBay Auction To Be Scarlett Johansson's 'Iron Man 2' Premiere Date?

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:24:00 -0500

Sure, a better question is probably: Who wouldn't want to be Scarlett Johansson's date for the "Iron Man 2" premiere?

For everyone who would want to accompany the Black Widow's alter ego, however, an upcoming eBay auction could give you the chance. An ambassador for international charity Oxfam America, Johansson is putting a pair of tickets to the Los Angeles premiere of "Iron Man 2," as well as a meet-and-greet session.

The auction kicks off Thursday, September 17, at 10 PM EST on eBay. Bids can be submitted at www.ebay.com/oxfam through 10 PM EST, September 24. SOURCE>>>

China's Alibaba To Invade U.S.

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:26:00 -0500

Chinese firm Alibaba will launch a US B2B e-commerce platform in the US by the end of the year, CEO Jack Ma said at a business conference yesterday.

That means new competition for Amazon (AMZN), eBay (EBAY), and Walmart (WMT), which make a significant amount of money from third-party sales.

Alibaba launched its platform in Europe earlier this month in a bid to expand internationally.

The platform is currently in a testing phase, but will be based off of the Ali Express site that is currently live.

Alibaba has demonstrated it knows how to operate an e-commerce service open to third-parties. The company earned $250 million in revenue during the first half of this year, so some may view it as a more dangerous threat than Walmart even despite Walmart's brand recognition in the US.

Alibaba also operates China's largest auction site Taobao. It could potentially launch an auction business as well, in a direct threat to eBay's marketplace.

Currently Amazon has about a 14% share of the US e-commerce market with eBay following at 6%. source>>>

Beatles-Inspired Xbox 360 Going For $7,400 On eBay

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:02:00 -0500

Just a quick update Beatlemaniacs. On Tuesday, I told you about Harmonix auctioning off custom made Xbox 360s inspired by The Beatles: Rock Band on eBay. At the time, the bid was a hefty $780. Today, the first of the 50 limited edition 360s is going for a whopping $7,400!

I'd say that paying that much for a video game console is just outrageous, but since that the proceeds are going to help Doctors Without Borders, I'm all for it. There's still a week left in the auction, so be sure to check back in a few days to see what kind of scratch this baby generates.

Anyone here feel like chipping in and entering a bid of $7,501? I have a dollar. source>>>

eBay Scammer Gets 1 Year In Slammer

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 16:14:00 -0500

ochanan Levitansky didn't just swindle hundreds of thousands of dollars from eBay customers -- he undermined the public's faith in a vital institution.

So argued a prosecutor in federal court Wednesday. The judge saw it the prosecutor's way.

Levitansky, a 22-year-old New Haven man, spent most of his life studying to be a rabbi before he changed career paths and opened an electronics business on eBay. He pleaded guilty in May to defrauding over a thousand eBay customers by selling them Bluetooth headsets and cell phones that he never intended to deliver.

He pocketed $237,257 from his customers. He also made them "less likely to trust the Internet," argued Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Chang.

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Chang (pictured) spoke Wednesday morning at Levitansky's sentencing hearing in U.S. District Court in New Haven.

Senior U.S. District Judge Peter C. Dorsey appeared to agree with his argument.
Dorsey argued that restitution would not be enough punishment for a man who "undermined the confidence and trust" of his customers.

Dorsey sentenced Levitanksy to 12 months and one day in prison, followed by 150 hours of community service and three years' supervised release. He ordered him to repay $237,257, which he owes to eBay.

Levitansky took customers' money and "walked away" from the business, Chang said. He blew the money on trips to Las Vegas, Atlantic City and Europe, according to the government prosecutors.

"It was a stupid thing to do, and Mr. Levitansky still is not sure exactly why he did it," wrote his public defender, Sarah A. L. Merriam, in a sentencing memo.

Levitansky, who lives on Crescent Street with his parents, showed up in court in a pinstriped gray suit, a white tie and a yarmulke. He unfolded a piece of paper and delivered a brief, one-minute speech of repentance before the judge.

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"What I did was wrong," said Levitansky (pictured). He said he had learned a lesson, to "think before I act." He vowed to dig out of his debt.

"I will stand up, make my victim whole, and become a better person for it," Levitansky said.

Career Change

Merriam gave several defenses of her client.

In a sentencing memo, she argued that his unusual background made him unequipped for the business world. Levitansky was raised in an Orthodox Jewish family in the Beaver Hills neighborhood. His parents put him through years of religious day camps, summer camps, then a Talmudical seminary in California, all in hopes that he would become a rabbi. Following his parents' wishes after high school, he volunteered alongside a rabbi doing community outreach in Florida, then attended another Talmudic seminary in New York run by the Chabad movement.

The young man didn't take to the line of work, however.

"Mr. Levitansky did not want to become a rabbi," wrote Merriam. At age 18, he withdrew from the seminary. In 2007, he started his own business, Bluetooth Kings LLC.

He didn't start out intending to scam anyone, Merriam argued: Levitansky just got in over his head. By May 2008, the orders were rolling in with such volume that the young man couldn't handle it.

"Things quickly got out of hand, and Mr. Levitansky became completely overwhelmed," Merriam wrote. "As a young man who had been raised with the idea that he would one day become a rabbi, Yochi Levitansky was ill-prepared for the challenges of running a business on his own."

The impact of the fraud was softened, she argued, by eBay's insurance policies. When he failed to make deliveries, Levitansky knew eBay would pay the customers back.

"He knew he would owe money to eBay, and he figured he would sort that out with the company," she wrote.

Levitansky tried to do so -- he even paid back $30,000 in listing fees, but when he couldn't pay the rest of the $237,257, the case landed in criminal court.

In defense of her client, Merriam said the case was "solely about money." She said the case was really a civil matter, and that the debt owed to eBay was a drop in the bucket compared to the company's profits. She argued that the behavior was extremely out-of-the-ordinary for the young man, who has no prior criminal record and comes from a supportive, educated family.

Merriam said her client intends to fully pay the company back -- he already got a job as a maintenance worker, fixing sinks to dig out of debt. Levitansky can pay it back quicker if he can stay employed instead of going to prison, she argued. She urged the judge for probation instead of prison, arguing that the quarter-million dollar restitution would be sufficient punishment.

Chang didn't agree.

The case was about much more than money, he argued -- it's about the foundation of the Internet marketplace.

As more people turn to the Internet to buy goods, they need to be able to have faith that anonymous sellers won't rip them off, Chang argued. Though the customers Levitansky swindled have mostly been repaid by eBay, he said, "they will have the memory of being defrauded."

The scheme not only damaged eBay, he said. It damaged the Internet.

Levitansky came from a good family and got a good education, Chang added: "He really knew better."

Dorsey said while a longer prison sentence wasn't necessary, Levitansky does need some prison time to teach him respect for the law and to deter him from repeating the crime.

"That's a lot of money," the judge said of the swindled $237,257. He called the defendant "well short of Bernie Madoff, but somewhat tracking in that same direction."

He ordered Levitansky to surrender to prison on Oct. 16, and to pay back $300 per week in restitution once he's employed.

After receiving his sentence, Levitansky lit a cigarette on the courthouse steps.

"No comment," he said. source>>>

Woman recovers magic violin from eBay

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 16:10:00 -0500

At the age of eight, I told my friends that my violin, Max, was magic. Now that I'm 50, I still think he's a very special fiddle.

The whole thing started 30 years ago. I lived in Chicago and came home one day to find my apartment had been broken into. Only one thing was missing: Max.

Max got his name because when I started playing, our family lived in St. Louis and I named him in honor of Max Rabinowitz, concertmaster of the St. Louis Symphony. However, the inside label identifies him as: model Nicolo Amati, made by Adolph Adler, Dresden, 1923.

As a kid, I kept Max polished and cleaned. I had a special cloth to wrap him in and one for wiping him down. If it were possible, I probably would have fed him cookies and milk.

I became a high school orchestra nerd, and proud of it. I practiced three hours a day during the school year and up to six hours a day during summer vacation. Max and I also played in the St. Louis Youth Orchestra, the University City Symphony, and any other group I could audition my way into.

When I moved to Chicago, my parents really objected. So when the theft occurred, I didn't tell them. I figured it would kill them or they would kill me.

I stood outside speaking to the police officer and when he said I would probably never see Max again, I sank onto the steps and just cried. I don't know if people understand that a violin can become like your second voice, an extension of everything you're about. When they stole it, they might as well have cut off my arm. Max had been a friend for 14 years, and then someone just decided to take him. I honestly felt lost.

Whether I continued professionally or not, I had to have a violin. So I scraped together $125 and bought a cheap violin and bow. I did manage to play backup fiddle with a country western band at the Grand Ole Opry and joined a group called The Way Orchestra for awhile.

But life goes on. I married, moved to Florida, divorced, and raised two kids. Then, I was in a car wreck and severely injured both wrists. Even a year later, while playing at a friend's wedding, my wrists ached so much that I finished her songs on one finger. I thought my playing days were over.

For 10 years, I put the violin away and avoided even listening to violin music. I couldn't hear it without tearing up.

Then, I had this idea for a short story about a concert violinist who investigates the death of his brother. I wrote it up for Coach's Midnight Diner where the story won an Editor's Choice Award. But while writing it, I listened to hours of violin music to set the mood. When I finished the story, I couldn't resist. I pulled out the fiddle and tried to play. My wrists didn't hurt: at least not for about 20 minutes.

Practicing 15 minutes at a time, I worked up to a full hour, then another. Gradually, I picked up performing and teaching jobs in town and currently work as the violin and viola teacher for Miller's Music in Bonita Springs.

After a year of practicing, I could out-play my instrument and needed to find something else. I couldn't help but think how cool it would be to have Max back.

I told this to a friend at Christianwriters.com, who suggested Googling Max's label info. I didn't explain how many times I had already tried that and came up empty. I just excused myself from the conversation and did it. And there was Max, for sale on eBay. My jaw hit the floor!

I tried to contact the seller; no answer. I called the Cook County Police Department to get a copy of the theft report, but they said such reports are only held for seven years and then destroyed. So I wound up waiting for the end of the bidding to try and swipe the violin, but the price became too high and I had to bow out. I was sick!

The next day, the man with the winning bid e-mailed me. It turned out to be an online acquaintance, someone I've never met face-to-face, Daniel Eaton of Atlanta, Ga. He heard about the bidding, bought the violin, and asked for my address so he could give it to the seller. You could have knocked me over with a feather!

I took Max to local luthier William Fleischer, who declared Max's condition to be very good over-all but retained some slight damage from lack of maintenance. There is a hairline crack on Max's front piece and, to repair it, the front will have to come off. That, along with a few other items, will bring the repair to just over $500. I'm saving my money.

Since learning of the fracture, I'm not playing Max, but even with it, his tone sounded awesome. I can't wait. If anyone can make him as good as new, it's Mr. Fleischer.

A number of other violinists tell me Max is a like a mini-Red Violin. He hasn't been on a worldwide odyssey like the violin in that movie, but he's certainly wound up right where he's supposed to be.

All I know is that I've wanted to bring Max home for over half my life. Now that it's happened, I'm so thankful. It really is a miracle. source>>>

Craigslist, eBay become interior design muses

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:32:00 -0500

After hours of scouring through the cheap and the ugly on Craigslist, interior designer MaryBeth Wilson found gold: two French-carved chairs with matching ottomans for $750.

All they needed was a good steam clean, and she had a pair of nearly perfect, antique chairs worth about $3,000 and a happy, budget-conscious client.

"You look through a lot of junk on Craigslist," Wilson said, "but you can get some great deals."

Interior designers nationwide are increasingly turning to unique, low-cost and unexpected sources -- including Craigslist, estate sales and Target Corp. -- to create high design on a dime and generate business as recession-weary homeowners scale back their decor ambitions. The result: less expensive and eco-friendly rooms that reflect their owners' personalities rather than cloning catalog or magazine pictures.

Call it creative survival.

Designers are working on smaller projects this year including consultation services like paint selection and reupholstering, according to a recent survey by trade group American Society of Interior Designers. Requests for interior design and decorating services dipped nationwide by almost 2 percent since last August, according to contractor-search site ServiceMagic.com.

Manhattan designer Annemarie diSalvo, for example, says some of her more money-minded clients are eschewing Italian and German fabric companies and opting for cheaper, domestic ones. One client fell for a striped, foreign-made fabric for her drapes, but she didn't love the price: $180 a yard. Using the swatch as inspiration, diSalvo found an almost identical pattern for $38 a yard from Pennsylvania-based Stout Textiles and Trimmings.

"We saved her about $6,000," she said.

Of course, not all interior design clients are going for low-cost options. Many high-end homeowners want luxury and they can afford it, designers say. And some design firms expect to book their best year ever riding on the renovation plans of the rich.

In the lower income brackets, however, austerity is en vogue.

Los Angeles designer Kerrie Kelly has been treasure-hunting in her clients' own homes to save them a buck.

"I've been in people's attics saying, 'Can we use this?'," Kelly said with a laugh.

She's reupholstered Grandma's old sitting chair, turned dining room tables into desks and rescued dusty artwork from the rafters. The old pieces not only find new uses, but they retain meaning and homeowners are happy to highlight family possessions.

Kerrie also takes advantage of big box stores like Target and Home Goods to fill in gaps where she would have normally bought designer pieces for several years ago. She loves the bedding selections at Home Goods and swears by Thomas O'Brien's plush towels at Target.

Target homed in on affordable decor by high designers 10 years ago starting with Michael Graves. Since then, the retailer has expanded its selection, offering drapes, bedding, lamps, side tables from big names such as Victoria Hagan, Rachel Ashwell, and most recently, Christiane Lemieux. Target also features limited time collections from designers such as Dror Benshetrit, who introduced his line of bedding and decorative accessories last June.

"To have a vibe of a New York designer sitting in your local Target, that reaches a totally different market," Kelly said.

Second-hand furnishings are becoming stylish too. San Francisco designer Shannon Kirby trolls auctions, flea markets and estate sales for her clients.

Among her estate finds: A pristine, room-sized Persian rug for $3,000, which would normally run about $15,000. And at the local flea market, Kirby paid $75 for a French-carved game table with a scratched top. She had it refinished for $200, and estimates it's now worth about $2,000.

Kirby is also a big eBay fan. She picked up Scalamandre fabrics for $40 a yard, versus the retail price of about $300 a yard. She also bought three vintage Tiffany & Co. plates for $20 a piece to accessorize a client's new kitchen, but she estimates they're worth a lot more.

"There's a lot out there to save money no matter the budget," Kirby said. "Even high-end clients don't mind a bargain."

Another benefit of thrift? Environmentally friendly decor. Reusing and recycling furniture and accessories is one of the easiest ways to be green. On top of that, old furniture no longer emits toxic chemicals into the air like their brand new counterparts.

It's not clear whether this trend toward frugality will outlast the recession. Already, the worst seems to be over as clients who were gun-shy earlier this winter about embarking on major remodels started to call firms this spring to book projects.

"About half our projects are smaller scale," said diSalvo in Manhattan. "But the other half are bigger, trophy projects, ones we'll be on for two years."
source>>>

'Aliens' Attack In Today's eBay Prop-Watch

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:11:00 -0500

Wow. Have I got one cool eBay Prop-Watch for you today. Fans of James Cameron and "Aliens" will want to pay extra attention, as this concerns you specifically. It's rather expensive -- though not ridiculously so -- and available for local pick-up only in Indiana, but the right fan will jump on this rare offering regardless of expense or distance.

"Aliens" was recently named the number one greatest movie sequel by Empire Online. It was a potent follow-up to Ridley Scott's 1979 original, giving fans more in just about every way, especially when it came to the titular aliens. The item up for auction in today's Prop-Watch is actually a promotional item more than it is a prop... but what a promotional item it is for you alien lovers.

That thing stands 7 1/2 feet tall. It's an original in-store "Aliens" display from 1986. It isn't exactly in pristine condition -- there are multiple cracks in the body of the beast and the tail is gone completely -- but are you really going to complain when 7 1/2 feet of "Aliens" awesome is standing in front of you? Just be prepared to make the trip to Indiana or hire a mover. And prepare for the opening bid of $999 to rise, because my guess is that it will. source>>>

Subway Scrabble game pieces sell for $100 on eBay

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:09:00 -0500

Subway Scrabble game pieces have found their way onto eBay. Subway customers are awarded game pieces when making qualified purchases at Subway restaurants. Some game pieces award instant prizes, others must be entered onto a virtual game board.

Here is where the game gets interesting. Players may only need 1 or 2 game pieces to win big. They may look to eBay or Craigslist to buy the needed winning game pieces.

How much are these little scraps of paper selling for on eBay? This listing was for 112 game pieces with 26 food prizes. The winning bidder paid $99.99! Imagine, making just under 100 bucks for selling a bunch of pieces of paper that was stuck to your drink cup at a fast food restaurant.

All you Subway addicts - start saving your game pieces and then list them as a batch on eBay. You can also sell Box Tops for Education from cereal boxes on eBay for cash. Visit the eBay Coach blog for more creative ways to make money on eBay. source>>>