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 December 14, 2012
Searches for the new iPad mini topped our list last week, presumably because folks finally decided to up and buy them as gifts or for themselves this Christmas. When it was first announced in late October this year, the media seemed pretty skeptical about whether people would want to buy it. Smaller than an iPad, larger than an iPod, it didn’t seem to fit any exact need. But Apple rightly judged the market’s appetite for a tablet computer that was about the size of a Kindle Fire HD or Nexus 7, and sales (judging solely from our search results, mind you) are skyrocketing. Click on the photo below to see our search results for the iPad mini.
Another electronic gaming device jumped to the front of the search party. Nintendo garnered a couple of top spots in last week’s searches. We found people seeking the Nintendo WII U gaming console, as well as for a specific game, Dance Party 4.
Searches for real people don’t usually pop up on our list at this time of year, as people are thinking more of Santa and elves. But this year Johnny Manziel surfaced as one of the most searched terms, which seemed surprising until we realized he is the Heisman Trophy winner for 2012. The Heisman Trophy is given to the most outstanding player in collegiate football. A quick search revealed numerous items associated with Johnny, from signed jerseys to trading cards and much more. Let’s hope Johnny has as interesting a career as 2007 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow.
And as we near Christmas and the holiday season, we see many more Christmas-related items pop up on the list. Searches for outdoor nativity scenes and christmas ornaments topped our list; a specific type of decoration folks searched for was the christopher radko ornaments, like this one:
Christopher Radko ornaments are famous for their intricacy, beauty, and design. Legend has it that Christopher started his business with a crash – of the family Christmas tree, that is. Apparently, one thousand of his family’s vintage ornaments were lost in the crash, and the only way to replace them was to recreate them himself. He started his business in 1985, and has been very successful since. Sometimes chaos is necessary for change and rebirth.
In some cases, however, the old way is the best way and there is no need for change. That’s what many eBay shoppers must have thought when they searched for 1966 Oldsmobile 88. We found this classic:
Here we have a piece of full-sized Detroit iron. These were the days when GM had an unspoken echelon of what car had the most class: Chevy, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick, and, finally, Cadillac. The Olds was your middle ground, classy yet sporty. Under the hood, you’ve got a 425 SuperRocket. You won’t get good gas mileage with this engine, but you will go fast.
Selected high-value items listed or sold on eBay 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.
2011 Audi R8 4.2l – $119,995
2011 HAAS VF4SS VERTICAL MACHINING CENTER – FEED CUTTING TIME “333″ HOURS! – $73,995
Turbomeca Arriel 1B Turbine Engine off Eurocopter AS350BA Helicopter 641 shaftHP – $55,000
2001 Sull Air 1600 Diesel Air Compressor – $41,900
$20 1905 TECHNICOLOR GOLD CERTIFICATE CGA 67 FLAWLESS MONEY – $27,877
ERGOLINE Open Sun 1050 Open Air Tanning Bed 38692 – $22,888
Fix it Felix Jr. . . Arcade Video Game . from Disney Movie Wreck it Ralph – $20,000 (see the eBay story about this item here)
8 BCS National Championship Game Tickets 1/7 VIP FIELD SIDELINE SEATS – $17,200
theres nothing quite like the old detroit iron of the 60s and early 70s. this olds is a road couch. comfortable as heck and smooth riding and fast.
If you park this next to a smart car you can really see just how big cars were then. with the new, efficient v8 engines and transmissions that have been coming out lately, you would think that car companies could make at least 1 big car on this scale today. id buy one.
What a wonderful story! I so enjoyed reading it and learned a lot!
This was pretty cool. i did not know eBay did breakdowns like this. Defiantly have to start buying and selling on here more!
Yes after the mid 80′s I would say the auto industry went downhill ! Cadillacs trademark, would be fins, Pontiac, the point in front, Oldsmobile for front grilles and the rocket engines, Buick for the side vent-ports along hood / fenders, and Chevrolet was the bread and butter car, however, meant performance. These were cars that, you knew the make and model of, and it could not be mistaken for another car. The auto industry went down when it allowed foreign cars in the U.S. ! I at least bought American in the past, never foreign !
These Olds were heavy and had a relatively low hp motor. Thats why we called them sleds. But still a part of GM nostalgia when the race for performance started.
Brad, the closest to what that ’66 Olds 88 is now a Chrysler 300/Dodge Charger. They are shorter, but either with the Hemi V8 should fit your needs. BTW, GM is building a Camaro sedan and will release it in a couple of years.
This car got no worse (also- no better) MPG than did comparable cars of the time.
But HEY!- It has a HEART, that no Kia, Toyota, or other “Generic Appliance Car” will ever have.