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eBay

Man finds car stolen 42 years ago on eBay

Somebody call the Hollywood producers, we've got a feel-good blockbuster on our hands. Here's the pitch -- man loses his love, never gives up hope, and finds her online 42 years later. Yes, it's a true story, and yes, I think Tom Hanks would be perfect for the lead. I'll have my people Skype your people.

There is one wrinkle in this real-life plot line, though -- the lost love is a 1967 Austin Healey 3000. According to the Associated Press, the slick British car was stolen from Bob Russell's apartment near Philadelphia after he … Read more

How low can it go? eBay Motors hosts an auto 'tent sale'

To give online car shoppers a feel for the brick-and-mortar buying experience, eBay is teaming up with AutoNation to sell new vehicles using a modern take on a "tent sale" method.

Starting today at 9 a.m. PT, AutoNation will post a handful of new vehicles each day on eBay that initially bear the MSRP. However, each hour the price of the car will drop until someone clicks the "Buy It Now" button. The drop each hour will be "significant," said eBay in a statement," and there's no bottom floor or reserve … Read more

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

The 404 1,070: Where we fatten them up and move them out (podcast)

We've arrived at the last episode of The 404 Minority Report, so we have an extra long show for you today starting with a long overdue discussion about Mayor Bloomberg's proposed ban of 16 ounce sugary drinks in New York. He started with banning smoking in beaches and parks, then moved onto limiting trans fat in restaurant, and now he hopes to enact large-scale portion control of any sweet drinks more than16 ounces in bodegas and street carts.

No word yet on how this will affect Big Gulps at the 100 7-11 stores opening up in the city this year, but we have questions about who will enforce the laws, how it will (or won't) change dietary habits, and whether or not Joseph will still have access to his 25.4 ounce Gatorade.… Read more

eBay blows away Wall Street in Q1

One European economy (or more) may still blow up. Unemployment at home remains uncomfortably high. And housing - despite promises of light over the horizon - remains anyone's guess.

But none of that mattered at eBay's, where the company enjoyed a surprisingly strong first quarter on the strength of the company's Marketplace and PayPal businesses.

In the first quarter ended March 31, 2012, net income rose to $725 million, or 55 cents per share, against $619 million, or 47 cents per share in the same quarter one year ago. Sales increased 29% to $3.3 billion.

The … Read more

Pinterest buttons pop up on Amazon, eBay

Pinterest has now joined the ranks of Facebook, Twitter, and other hot social networks by appearing as a share button on popular Web sites.

Amazon and eBay buyers alike will now find a Pinterest button in fourth place next to e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter as one of their primary sharing options. Seeing the recent surge in power and popularity of Pinterest, retailers are naturally quick to jump on the bandwagon, encouraging users to repin their favorite products and pages.

The image sharing site recently jumped ahead of LinkedIn and Tumblr to become the third most popular social network, according to … Read more

Snag a car for half price on eBay

If you're looking for a good price on a new car, you'll want to start your search on eBay this week. AutoNation will be selling 29 vehicles for half their retail price on the auction Web site.

AutoNation Direct is the online sales arm of the AutoNation national auto dealership group. Until Friday, the company will post four vehicles on eBay each day on sale for half the MSRP. The vehicles range from budget-friendly commuter cars, such as a 2012 Ford Fusion Hybrid for only $16,385 to halo vehicles, including a the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro. The Camaro … 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

New iPad lights up trade-in services

Record numbers of iPad owners sold their devices yesterday following Apple's introduction of its next-generation model.

Today both eBay and Gazelle, online services that buy used tablets and other gadgets, reported a record influx of people selling their tablets, many of which were models less than a year old.

eBay says it had "more than" 20,000 trade-in offers for tablets yesterday, 89 percent of which were iPads. eBay says that 20,000 number represents a 10-fold increase in the volume of trade-ins the company pulled in the day before Apple's event. Perhaps more telling is … Read more