The Disney Joy Division T-shirt

Posted on January 28, 2012 by Joe MacFarland

Welcome back to the weekly search trends page.  The trends page was on a hiatus, but we brought it back for 2012.

On this page we catch up with and diagnose the search trends on eBay from the previous week. We get our information by matching the top 20 items spiking daily in search trends from eBay itself with other topics currently being searched on outside the eBay walls.

Top Search Trends: Week ending Friday January 27, 2012

The top trend this week was for a T-shirt with a mouse on it.  This was not just any mouse, of course, or it wouldn’t have topped our searches.  The shirt features the likeness of Disney’s famous Mickey Mouse.  We saw an increase in searches for Disney Joy Division, which led us to investigate a bit.  What we found was a surprising likeness of the Disney mouse on a T-shirt, which you can see here:

It turns out the name of this T-shirt was a bit of a PR nightmare for Disney, once fans of the band noticed and complained, so the company pulled the shirt from the shelves and its online store.  The reason for the controvery concerns the band Joy Division, which gets its name from a notorious historical reference, as well as the fact that the lead singer of the band committed suicide at a young age.  The juxtaposition of the notoriety and the suicide with the Disney mouse is not what one usually wants associated with a brand, no matter how well-meaning the intention. Disney’s mistake has the makings of an instant collectible but, if you are interested in purchasing the rare shirt, make sure you get the real thing.

Another series of searches will come as no surprise to parents everywhere.  We saw an increase in searches for Skylanders Ignitor, Skylanders Drill Sergeant, Skylanders Whirlwind, and so forth.  We discovered that Skylanders is a cross-platform video game with a twist: aside from buying the video game starter pack (which is easy to find), players buy stand-alone characters to make the game even more enjoyable.  Some of the stand-alone characters are very hard to find, while other characters have not even been released!  This game was a sleeper hit last Christmas, and parents are now struggling to find the right characters for their kids to augment their starter kit.  And eBay sellers have a hard time keeping up with the demand.

Skylander three-pack with Whirlwind, Double Trouble, and Drill Sergeant

We also saw a surge in searches for Joe Paterno memorial tickets, as people thought they could use the eBay platform to sell tickets to a free event.  eBay does not permit this practice, as outlined in the eBay tickets resale policy, which states: “Members are not allowed to sell tickets to events where all tickets are free to the public.”  The attempted sale of the tickets was not without controversy, a story nicely summarized here.

Finally and unsurprisingly, we saw a huge surge in searches for the two teams headed to the Super Bowl, the New York Giants and the New England Patriots.  If we had to guess, we would say most of these searches come from folks in the northeast region of the USA, as this looks to be an all New England states final.  We also saw an increase in searches for jerseys, from ones worn by Patriot quarterback Tom Brady to Giants quarterback Eli Manning and everyone in between.  (Editor’s note: we did see a lot of searches for San Francisco 49ers jerseys last Sunday; we guess most of them happened before the Niners’ overtime loss…. Next year!)

Selected high-value items listed or sold on the site this week:

Please note this a sample of high-value items on eBay.  This is by no means a comprehensive list, but it is a representative list.

2005 Chrysler 300 Series 300C (owned by President Barack Obama) – $1,000,000

2005 Beaver Patriot Thunder with 4 slides – $115,850

2010 Aston Martin DBS Volante – $190,100

Ancient three-eyed dZi bead with a special Motif – $26,000

2003 Sooner Aluminum 4 Horse Trailer with Living Quarters – $16,500

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Own a Las Vegas FM radio station

Posted on January 27, 2012 by eBay-Stories.com

In the age of the Internet, radio broadcast seems like an old-fashioned and outdated mode of communication.  For talk radio, why broadcast your message to a general audience when you can narrowcast your message to millions with a website targeted to just one demographic or interest?  Rather than listen to music radio, we have our MP3 players and tablet computers that hook into our receivers either at home or in the car, and we can tune into Pandora Radio or Spotify to choose what we want to hear, or get suggestions about what we might like to listen to.  And don’t even get us started with the music videos shared on YouTube, the music in our friends’ Facebook feeds, or musicians chatting with us directly via Twitter.  Even satellite radio is taking a slice of the pie.

And yet, radio stations continue to do pretty well.  According to data from the Radio Research Consortium, the collective number of people listening to radio over the public airwaves has leveled off, but has not yet declined.  And there are many people who continue to switch on the radio and tune into their favorite stations in their car on the way to work, or to be entertained while at work and at play.  Maybe if a new format, DJ, or talk radio host were to liven things up (think Howard Stern in the 1990s), people would tune in more to free radio, and switch away from other options.

Today’s remarkable listing allows the budding entrepreneur to do just that, by bidding on and getting to own a 100,000 watt FM commercial radio station in the Moapa/Las Vegas NV area

We have never seen a radio station up for auction, so it will be interesting to see what bid ends up winning.  In the listing description, though, the seller notes that the Buy It Now price is $8.9 million.  Since the bid is barely over $100K, there seems to be a long way to go.  But even priced at just under $9 million, the radio station may be a bargain.

In an interview with vegasinc.com, the seller, Scott Mahalick says “I got it for $22 million a few years ago and after the economy crashed, it’s now worth about $10 million.”  Asked why he would use eBay to sell his radio station he notes that “(i)t’s a little unconventional, but this is Vegas, so I thought I’d give it a try.” If nothing else, it gives us food for thought as to what we would do if we purchased the radio station, and what we would broadcast to the Las Vegas audience.

We know there is one person who would be happy to buy this, if he just had the money.  eBay’s very own radio broadcast personality Griff Griffith, whose eBay Radio show is on the air Tuesdays and Thursdays, confided to us at one point that he wished he could do his show all the time.  So, Griff, we recommend you buy the station and start broadcasting immediately – “Viva Las Vegas” would become “eBay Las Vegas” soon enough.

“Radio.”  This is the make-it-or-break-it word uttered by Tess McGill (played by Melanie Griffith) in the 1988 film comedy Working Girl.  A mere underling to the powerful exec Katherine Parker (Sigourney Weaver), Tess suggests radio as a money-saving alternative for a client interested in acquiring television stations.  Her idea sparks a dramatic series of events that lands her boss in trouble, scores her a corporate gig, and even delivers the handsome guy (Harrison Ford) to her doorstep.

The situation today remains the same: investing in radio is a bargain compared to investing in television and, if audience trends continue, the investment can be lucrative.  While we can’t speculate on the long-term value of this FM radio station, it would be a creative approach to diversifying your portfolio and give you the opportunity to program your favorite music or shows for the masses.

Even if you don’t bid on this listing, we suggest you “stay tuned” to how it goes.

 

**Remember, you can now follow eBay stories on Twitter.  Navigate to @eBayStories and click follow!

 

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Win Pamela Anderson’s Range Rover

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Joe MacFarland

We told you yesterday about how people sometimes are “discovered” by talent scouts, marketing executives, or others, and have their lives forever changed.  We let you know about Justin Bieber’s transformation from a 13-year-old YouTube video-uploader and pop star wannabe to a superstar celebrity.  Today, our focus turns to Pamela Anderson and the story of her discovery.

Pamela was discovered in a very public way at a Canadian football league game in 1989.  According to Pamela’s biography on Yahoo! Movies, “a network camera man, looking to kill a few seconds between quarters, scanned the crowd looking for someone to embarrass on the stadium’s giant JumboTron screen. In a remarkable twist of fate, he spotted the gorgeous 22-year-old Anderson in the bleachers, wearing a form fitting Labatt’s Beer T-shirt. Upon seeing her giant image on the screen, the crowd reportedly broke into a collective cheer louder than any ever heard for the B.C. Lions in their 41-year history.”  Savvy marketing executives at the Labatt Brewing Company quickly signed her on as a spokesperson.

Pamela’s career took off when she moved to the U.S. in 1990, especially after she appeared in various TV shows and gained recognition.  Arguably her most memorable role was as C.J. Parker on TV’s Baywatch, but she also starred in various movies including Barb Wire.  Her private life was also busy.  She was married three times, most notably to Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee, in 1995.  Even though the couple has been divorced for years, they remain friends, although they like to kid each other, as you will see below.

Today’s remarkable listing (for charity) is none other than Pamela Anderson’s 2007 White Land Rover Range Rover SC:

 

The auction is currently at $31,200 $32,100, although if the winning bid is over $50,000, Pamela agrees to hand over the keys in person.  Aside from that tempting offer, 100 percent of the proceeds benefit J/P Haitian Relief Organization, which is dedicated to saving lives and bringing sustainable programs to the Haitian people quickly and effectively.

On the auction description, Pamela lays out her reasoning for listing her car:

“At the anniversary of Haiti’s devastating earthquake.. With knowledge of how far they’ve come – but how much further they need to go..
Displaced Families, children..
All I had to do was look in my perfectly groomed driveway to see I do not need 2 vehicles..
I wanted to be able to share some of my comfort with those that have none…
I hope we can raise a lot of money for this Range Rover. It has served me well over the years. .
I few mild scratches in the driver’s side seat due to lending it to Tommy for a month while his impala was in the shop — wallet chains reek havoc on soft interiors…;)
Other than that the wear and tear of 2 little surfers- lots of sand and surf wax–it has survived- rescued animals, snowboard & surf trips- and a few moves…along the California coast..

It has been a joy and I feel blessed to have had it this long..
I know you will enjoy my favorite car –
And will be able to feel even better knowing that the money you spend -will go directly to Haiti  -  JP/HRO are incredibly successful at what they do. They can be trusted whole-heartedly…  Look at their Website…jphro.org
Thank you again for your support.
If it goes for over $50k- I’d be happy to meet you at the car and hand you the keys…”

It’s nice to see she is still able to taunt her ex-husband, albeit in the most kindly way.  The Range Rover is the same one that was featured on the cover of DUB magazine, pictured here.

If you can’t afford the Range Rover (or just don’t need it) you will be happy to know you can find this magazine one eBay; see it here.

Other interesting Pamela Anderson related items for sale on eBay:

  • The black leather motorcycle suit worn by Pamela Anderson Lee during the shooting of Barb Wire – see it here.
  • A Baywatch Lifeguard Playset with C.J. Parker – see it here.
  • Baywatch Season 1 DVD – search here (others seasons also available, but this season was the most memorable)
  • $25 Las Vegas Palms Casino Chip featuring a Pamela Anderson head shot – see it here.

 

**Remember, you can now follow eBay stories on Twitter.  Navigate to @eBayStories and click follow!

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A car signed by Justin Bieber

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Joe MacFarland

Lots of people harbor a secret hope that they will be “discovered” one day and become stars.  For some people, it actually happens.  These transformations, sometimes from rags to riches, provide us with interesting stories.  Take the example of actress and model Pamela Anderson, who was discovered in 1989 when her image was flashed across a video Jumbotron during a Canadian football game.  From that inauspicious beginning, she went on to become a spokeswoman for Labatt’s beer, eventually moving to the US to play various TV roles, including C.J. Parker on Baywatch.  Her career continues to grow and diversify.

Although the screen was much smaller, another superstar, Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber, was also discovered by accident.  According to Wikipedia, a marketing executive searching for another singer on YouTube clicked on one of Bieber’s 2007 videos by accident.  He was impressed with the then-13-year old’s talent, and proceeded to track him down.  After talking to his mom, Justin flew to the USA to record some demo tracks.  In a matter of months, Bieber was signed to a record label, and the rest is history.

Now Justin is giving back to his community.  Justin teamed up with a local car dealer from his hometown of Stratford, Canada, to autograph a 2012 Genesis Coupe 2.0T.  The proceeds of the sale of this car will be used to help rebuild the local skate park.

 

During a recent holiday visit to his hometown, Justin Bieber dropped into a local Hyundai dealership to autograph the red Hyundai Genesis Coupe.   According to thestar.com, the owner of the dealership, Frank Sandoval, said it was tricky to keep Justin’s visit under wraps: “There were only seven people here.  I had to keep it quiet.  This was very secretive.  I had to paper the windows, because of the paparazzi.  If they would have caught wind of what he was doing, this would have hit the media even before we went live.”  Mr. Sandoval went on to say that Justin spent about a half-hour at the dealership, had his picture taken, and signed the car.

It’s great to see Justin giving back to the community that launched his career.  Who would have imagined this outcome when his mom uploaded his first video to YouTube almost exactly five years ago (January 19, 2007), of a young Justin  singing “So Sick” by Ne-Yo?

According to this mashable.com infographic, Justin’s song “Baby” is YouTube’s most-viewed video of all time, with over 692 million views.  It also has 7 million comments and millions of likes and dislikes.  Take a look at this Google Chrome ad, below, which details the pop star’s rise to superstardom.  It is truly impressive, and puts the age of Internet discovery and celebrity into a unique perspective:

We are thrilled that Frank has decided to use eBay Motors to sell the car online; according to Terapeak.com data, this item joins over 3.9 million Justin Bieber-related items for sale on eBay in the last 90 days.

It definitely looks like eBay buyers and sellers have Bieber-fever!

Here are a select few of the many items available:

Justin Bieber 2.0 Panini Black Friday Trading Card – see it here.
Justin Bieber multi-Platinum Gold Record Award for My World – see it here.
Justin Bieber  signed 1st Edition book: “First Step 2 Forever: My Story” – see it here.

**Remember, you can now follow eBay stories on Twitter.  Navigate to @eBayStories and click follow!

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