ebay

eBay puts up big cash for used phones ahead of Galaxy S III arrival

The housing market may never get back to where it was in the boom years, but even if you can't flip your condo it could be possible to flip your phone this month with some help from eBay.

eBay's Instant Sale site is offering some pretty big bucks for used flagship smartphones through the end of June, a promotion timed to coincide with the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S III later this week. For example, an iPhone 4 with 32GB in working condition could be worth as much as $300 -- that's $100 more than competing buyback site Gazelle is currently offering.

eBay is showing love to existing Android phone owners, too, with a used Galaxy S II fetching up to $220 and a Droid Razr Maxx worth as much as $250. If you're able to work it so you can get a subsidized price on your Samsung Galaxy S III, you could end up upgrading for a net cost of zero, or even make some money on the deal.

Here's some more example trade-in offers that eBay sent along: … Read more

Apple's original iPad with two dock connectors found on eBay

A mythical first-generation iPad surfaced on eBay this past week confirming rumors that the device may have originally intended to have two dock connectors, according to MacRumors.

"This is one of a VERY small amount of apple prototype devices and you rarely see these on eBay," the listing says. "This iPad has 16GBs of capacity, and is incredibly unique. For starters, it has 2 dock connectors."

When the iPad was first introduced in 2010, it came with one dock connector in portrait, or vertical, mode. But rumors floated that the device would have another dock connector in landscape, … Read more

Mobile carriers partner with FCC to battle cell phone theft

Almost everyone knows someone who has had their cell phone stolen. And most likely, there wasn't much that person could do about it. Some mobile carriers and the U.S. government are now trying to change that.

The Federal Communications Commission announced today that it is partnering with four major carriers to work toward curbing rampant cell phone theft, according to The New York Times. The plan is to jointly create a centralized database of lost or stolen cell phone information that will make it easy to track the devices and cutoff voice and data service.

"It's … Read more

Gazelle ups iPad 2 trade-in price, but better deals can be had

iPad 2 owners looking to unload their tablets will find some tempting offers online.

Online buying site Gazelle is now offering the following deals for iPad 2 owners aiming to cash in their tablets:

iPad 2 Wi-Fi (16GB) - $260 iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G (16GB) - $275 iPad 2 Wi-Fi (32GB) - $290 iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G (32GB) - $320 iPad 2 Wi-Fi (64GB) - $300 iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G (64GB) - $370 for AT&T and $450 for Verizon.

These prices are for iPad 2 tablets in "flawless" condition, meaning no noticeable defects or scratches, no … Read more

PayPal makes its way to brick-and-mortar stores

Shoppers will be able to use PayPal in more than 2,000 brick-and-mortar stores come March.

The e-commerce payment business, owned by eBay, started a preliminary run this week in 51 Home Depot stores in the San Francisco Bay Area, according to PayPal spokesman Anuj Nayar. By the end of the year, PayPal plans to add 20 more retailers and expand nationally.

"We are excited about our partnership with The Home Depot," Nayar said. "We will continue to be focused on delivering the best possible product experience for customers and retailers as we expand with The Home … Read more

How to sell your old gadgets

Score some new gadgets this holiday season? Great! What happens to your old gadgets now?

Keeping up with the latest and greatest tech gadgets doesn't come cheap. To offset the cost of your new acquisition(s), consider selling your old gadgets. You might be surprised at the interest your old gadgets receive. Other benefits of selling your old gadgets include decluttering your home and keeping waste out of landfills.

Here are some tips on selling your used gadgets and what to do with them if you can't sell them:

Removing personal data from your gadgets Before you get … Read more

Amazon to update Kindle Fire software

HP open sources WebOS as the fire sale on the TouchPad burns out in minutes; Apple announces that 100 million apps have been downloaded from the Mac App Store; and Amazon promises a software update to the Kindle Fire to alleviate some of the user interface issues.

Links from Monday's episode of Loaded:

Amazon Kindle Fire update coming soon HP TouchPad fire sales HP open sources WebOS Android Market's new filtering Mac App Store reaches 100 million downloads Intel forecasts hit by hard drive shortages Samsung to sell 300 million handsets Apple MacBook Airs to dominate ultrabooks Subscribe:&… Read more

How to avoid sites selling counterfeit items

It's getting to be a Cyber Monday tradition: as the biggest online-shopping day of the year approaches, the U.S. government seizes Web domains it suspects are selling counterfeit products. CNET's Edward Moyer explains in a post that this year's takedown netted more than 130 such sites.

That's nearly double the number of domains seized by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement division of the Department of Homeland Security on the eve of 2010's Cyber Monday. Still, determining just how prevalent counterfeit product sales are online is not easy.… Read more

Internet sales tax fight returns to Congress

eBay is preparing to amplify its attack on a proposed law that would usher in sales taxes on Internet shopping, CNET has learned.

The online auctioneer plans to tell a congressional panel considering the legislation tomorrow that the measure would merely consolidate the market power of Amazon.com and the largest big box retailers while putting eBay's small sellers out of business.

In fact, says Tod Cohen, eBay's deputy general counsel, online retailers with less than $10 million in sales--eBay sellers, in other words--have seen their share of electronic commerce fall from 31 percent in 2008 to 19 … Read more