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Tag archives for ebay

5 Creative Ways to be Frugal in 2011

4
Apr
posted by Mr.404               filed under Lists

With the world still reeling from the effects of the global economic recession, 2011 is a year when many people are looking for ways to save a little extra money by being thrifty.  Being frugal does not mean you have to live like a hermit however!  In contrast, living frugally means spending your money more intelligently and fortunately there are a number of ways to save by using your income more wisely which you may not be aware of:

Listia – Savings and Recycling

A fantastic website making waves at the moment is Listia which has taken the idea of buying, selling and giving away used items online and refined it to make it better than eBay or Craigslist by making everything free.

Listia works on a system of credits (you receive 400 free) when you sign up, no cash is involved, only credits. The more stuff you give away, the more stuff you can get for free. The idea is to get rid of the stuff you no longer want, like old VHS tapes, cell phones, or toys; and as you give that stuff away on Listia, you get credits. Use those credits to get stuff you want, like a new iphone, video games, or clothes. The entire system is done on a auction basis, which allows people to give their stuff to those who really want it, and not just craigslist people who take everything you set on the curb.

This system effectively cuts out the “bid snipers” and others who bid on multiple items simultaneously as they have nothing to lose.  As soon as a bid is won the credits are deducted directly from the winners account so participants cannot simply cut and run on less attractive items as so often occurs on eBay and other online marketplaces.

If you are really looking to save some money on everyday items and maybe have some old items which are no longer useful to you but could be valuable to someone else, Listia is a website where you can find some unbelievable deals on the everyday things that everyone uses and needs in an infrastructure which protects you from cheats. The great thing about Listia, it will never cost you any more, it’s 100% free to use. If you have something to give away, then you can get something in return.

For more information, here is how Listia works.

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One of the Largest eBay Scams Finally Comes to an End

24
Feb
posted by Mr.404               filed under Business, Technology

After a three year investigation and countless complaints, a south Florida man will spend 5 1/2 years behind bars for running one of the largest eBay scams in the history of eBay. The details of the massive operation include, hundreds of auction accounts, multiple identities and constantly changing PO Boxes.

In 2006, Jonathan Harkness bid and won a flashlight from an eBay seller. He sent $90 via money order, however, to his disappointment he never received his high tech flashlight. He was ripped off like so many other non suspecting users of eBay.

In 2007, Harkness wrote his congressman, describing the scam and alerting him that this may be part of a bigger scam. Rep. Adam Smith urged the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to investigate.

After a long three year investigation, Nilton Rossoni, 50, a Brazilian businessman with multiple aliases living in South Florida, was sentenced to 5 ½ years in federal prison for running one of the biggest eBay scams in history.

Rossoni was convicted of hauling in $717,000 from more than 5,500 eBay buyers, by creating at least 260 different eBay accounts, and using dozens of e-mail addresses with Yahoo, Google and AOL, as well as nearly 60 private postal boxes. It’s possible that Rossoni actually scammed even more users, utilizing sites other than eBay, however, the prosecution was able to gather enough evidence to get a strong conviction in this case.

This scam took place between 2003 – 2008 while he sold hundreds of different items. He maintained a strong reputation by fabricating fake buyer feedback that was positive. He also insisted on money orders or cash, and asked users not to send money via Paypal.

It’s now 2010 and people are more educated and understand Paypal helps prevent fraud. When you send cash to someone you have never met, you are taking quite a leap of faith. Be sure to always use Paypal or a similar service when sending money to someone online.

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