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eBay snags a startup that helps you try clothes on virtually
Buying clothes online while you're lazing around in your underwear is a wonderful thing, but the tricky part is figuring out if that ironic t-shirt really flatters your figure. That's why eBay just bought a company called PhiSix -- the team's tech turns patterns and pictures of clothing into 3D models you can virtually try on. Those clothing models get draped on a virtual avatar (instead of your own body) so you get a sense of how the actual articles fit and move. If you punch in a few basic measurements, it'll even spit out size recommendations tailored to your frame. The company eventually plans to extend those virtual dressing rooms beyond its own site to third-party retailers that use its enterprise service, so it may not be long before you can model that pair of Spanx you've been eyeing up. eBay wants to try bringing the experience to brick-and-mortar stores too, but modeling outfits in scenarios like "walking down the street or hitting a golf club" seems a little much when you can just try everything on yourself.
Never fear, Flappy Bird is still available -- on eBay, for a thousand bucks
Less than a day after the explosively popular game Flappy Bird vanished from the App Store and Google Play, it's become available on eBay -- for hundreds of dollars. Lucky owners of the Flappy Bird app have put their phones and tablets up for bidding, with prices ranging from $460 for a black iPhone 4s with an "updated" version of the game to $1,000 for a Galaxy Tab 3 with the app pre-installed. It's unclear if any devices have sold, though there are a few bids in the running. Maybe wait a day or two before pulling the trigger, though; some say this is all a huge publicity stunt and the app will be back up soon, while others say the developer is avoiding being sued by other game makers. You could also check out Flappy Bird clones such as Ironpants. It's free; it offers similar gameplay, if you can live without the bird character; and it doesn't require remembering your eBay password.
NES World Championship cart auction ignites sales rush
Last week a tremendously rare Nintendo World Championship cartridge appeared on eBay, immediately sparking a bidding frenzy. Despite its torn label and crude ink scrawl reading "Mario," the auction has now ended at a top bid of $99,902. While that number is impressive, you should always view any eBay auction with such an astronomically high final bid as suspect until cash has exchanged hands. There are even reports from users on the Nintendo Age forums that the winning bidder has already retracted his offer. Normally that would be the end of this story, but that massive price point has drawn a number of other Nintendo World Championship cartridges out of hiding. As Ars Technica reports, one such cartridge in even better condition than the torn label cart on eBay went for $17,500 only yesterday. Two more cartridges, one gray and one gold, are currently racking up bids on the auction site. The former stands at $10,100 with five days remaining in its auction, while the latter has attracted $33,600 with eight days to go. That's a surprisingly large number of cartridges to simultaneously hit eBay, given that only 116 World Championship cartridges are known to exist. As a result, collectors are beginning to suspect that there may be more World Championship cartridges in the wild than previously thought. The rules of supply and demand dictate that this should lower the price of future auctions, but as Price Charting points out, that questionable $99,902 bid for the torn label cartridge may instill in the public the idea that World Championship cartridges are worth nearly $100,000, artificially boosting the game's value. Update: Destructoid contacted the seller of the torn label cartridge who confirms the aforementioned reports that the winning bidder has backed out. [Image: eBay]
Rare NES game sells for nearly $100,000, even rarer one appears online
Remember the ratty copy of Nintendo World Championships that popped up on eBay earlier this week? After a fast and furious auction, the ultra-rare cartridge sold for a staggering $99,902. Naturally, such eye-watering figures have prompted two more collectors to sell their prized possessions online. First up, there's a mint-condition grey edition with an intact label, but if you're not fussed about stickers, then there's the even rarer gold edition up for grabs. Considering that only 26 of the 116 cartridges were gold, produced specifically for Nintendo Power prize winners, it's an even rarer find for the 8-bit enthusiast. If you missed out on a chance to bid for the original and want a do-over, then perhaps this is your lucky day. [Image credit: mtnlife, eBay] [Thanks, Danny]
1 of the 116 copies of Nintendo World Championship is up on eBay
A copy of rarest-of-the-rare NES game Nintendo World Championship is going for sale on eBay, and despite it having a ripped label and "Mario" written on it in ballpoint pen, the current highest bid is a whopping $5,500. That's because the cartridge is one of only 116 made for the 1990 nationwide NES tournament of the same name - and far fewer of those 116 are even accounted for. It's a game that's popped up on auctions before: One went for $15,000 several years ago. If you think that's crazy money, we'll raise you to $33,433.30; that's how much a complete-as-complete-can-be edition of Air Raid, an Atari 2600 rarity, went for 14 months ago. [Image Source: muresan on eBay]
One of the rarest games in the world just landed on eBay
If you'd seen this ratty-looking NES cartridge at a yard sale, you'd be forgiven for not giving it a second glance. If you'd paid a few bucks to take it home, however, then congratulations: you just won the admiration of every gamer in the world. The 1990 Nintendo World Championship toured the US with a custom game that asked players to beat levels from Super Mario Bros., Rad Racer and Tetris in less than seven minutes. Just 116 of these carts were produced, each one going to finalists and competition winners -- making it one of the rarest Nintendo titles ever made. Now, this not-so-gorgeous-looking copy, where some misguided fool decided that scrawling "Mario" in ballpoint was an adequate replacement for the torn label, is available on eBay. The starting price is $5,000, less than half of the $11,500 someone paid for one in 2011, but you'd better hurry up and sell those organs, as the auction's due to finish in less than 48 hours. [Image credit: mursean, eBay ]
This $6,500 robotic lady should be the only iPhone dock on your holiday wish list
iPhone docks come in all shapes and sizes, but this is probably the first such device that you might need to take out a bank loan for. It's described simply as "Robot Girl," but its basic nickname belies how ridiculously ostentatious it really is. Standing more than 46 inches tall, the creepy statue was created by sculptor Mark Robert Ricci, and it's now for sale on eBay. Aside from sporting a built-in iPhone dock, the statue also includes hidden Bluetooth speakers and color-changing LEDs. Oh, and the robotic female even nods to the beat of whatever music you play, because why not? The unnamed lass sports a futuristic pistol on a lawman's belt with a buckle labeled "Texas Ranger" for good measure. The body is largely fiberglass with a steel structure underneath. Currently, the auction sits at US$6,500 with a total of zero bids, but with more than five days of bidding left, it just might get swooped up in the Black Friday shopping frenzy. You can check out a few additional details on the auction page or simply gawk at the video above and figure out who you can borrow $6,500 from.
There are 8,000 Xbox One listings on eBay, 12,000 sold since Nov. 1
Users on eBay have sold 12,000 Xbox One consoles since November 1, with 7,000 of those sales during launch weekend, November 22 - 24. There are currently 8,000 Xbox One listings on eBay, the site says. Generally these consoles sell for more than the retail price of $500 because that's how this resale thing works. Microsoft sold 1 million Xbox Ones in the console's first 24 hours – and now we know at least 12,000 of those have already been recycled in the second-hand market.
Epic auctions 3 signed Lancers to aid Insomniac intern after hit-and-run
Insomniac Games interning artist Ana Kessel recently lost her leg in a hit-and-run accident, and Epic Games has stepped up to help raise money for her medical bills. Epic is auctioning three signed replica Lancers from Gears of War on Ebay, with all proceeds going to Kessel's recovery fund. Epic has put up a replica original Lancer, a retro Lancer and a gold retro Lancer on Ebay, each signed. They'll be available for bidding through November 22. "All proceeds from this auction will be going to help with Ana Kessel's medical bills," the Lancer descriptions read. "She was an intern at Insomniac Games, a local video game company here in the triangle area, who was recently involved in a hit-and-run accident while on her scooter. She has been in the hospital since Monday, and had to have one of her legs amputated. Without having medical insurance, the financial burden will be immense, which is why I am auctioning off a few pieces of memorabilia from our video game."
Who in their right mind would pay $9,000 for an iPod autographed by Steve Jobs?
How much is an old, dirty, used 30GB iPod worth? What about an old, dirty, used 30GB iPod with a somewhat questionable Steve Jobs signature on the back? According to eBay, it's worth about US$9,000. Well, at least that's how much the seller is asking for what appears to be a fifth-generation iPod with a bit of purple Sharpie marker on the back. The seller -- who has a 100 percent feedback rating over 2,836 transactions -- offers no proof that the signature is the real deal, other than writing "AUTHENTIC" in all-caps in the item description. The auction is open for offers as well, though the five prices that have been proposed thus far have been shot down. If you're looking for a gift for the Apple fan who has everything, this might do the trick, though figuring out whether the Apple co-founder ever actually touched the device is probably more trouble than it's worth.
Another white Xbox One being auctioned for charity, this time in the US
Microsoft is auctioning a white Xbox One in the US, and the bidding at the time of writing is at a whopping $11,100. As Major Nelson revealed, the proceeds are going to the Wounded Warrior Project, which supports men and women injured in service of their country. The bidding ends on November 18, at 5.42PM PT (8.42PM ET). Microsoft will hope its auction isn't plagued by the suspicious bidding UK charity GamesAid had to endure earlier this month. That auction, also for a white Xbox One, had to be pulled after a flurry of astronomic bids, leading to GamesAid selling the console at a set price of £5000 (around $8,000.) This time around, Microsoft is using auction management service Kompolt to pre-qualify any bids over $3,000. The white edition Xbox One is normally reserved for Microsoft IEB employees, so you won't find it at retail stores when the console launches next week on November 22. If you have money to burn and a generous heart (and really like the color white), you may like to know the winning bidder also gets a one year Xbox Live Gold subscription, and copies of Forza 5, Ryse, Dead Rising 3, Killer Instinct, and Crimson Dragon.
Xbox One pre-orders arrive ahead of Target (update: day one patch is already live)
If you were impressed by the flood of Xbox One information unleashed today or Microsoft's 12-minute demo video and just have to have one first, there may be a way. eBay seller priceless228 claims a mistake by Target sent this Standard Edition console their way weeks ahead of the official November 22nd launch date, and now they're auctioning it off in order to create products for special education students (isn't that nice?). The starting bid is $999 and there's a buy it now offer for a cool $10k, but there's one reason we'd advise patience among even deep-pocketed early adopters: the day one update. As described to us by senior director of product management Albert Penello, it's required to do things like play games, use apps or do... pretty much anything. That leaves a high likelihood that even if this is real, the auction doesn't get yanked and it does arrive, you'll have a VCR-sized brick (plus Kinect 2.0) laying around until closer to the launch date -- and probably explains why its current owner hasn't plugged the system in. Of course, maybe some of you won't have to wait, another system has already popped up on Twitter, posted by former Minnesota Golden Gophers WR Connor John Cosgrove. Update: The question of whether or not it was a sensible purchase will have to wait until another day -- the seller has removed the listing. Still, if you picked Target for your pre-order location, it might be a good idea to check the front porch for an unexpected delivery. At least one other early unit has popped up from YouTuber MoonlightSwami, who also got his today from Target. Better still, he's already downloaded the 500MB day one update and is giving the system a spin right now. Check out the highlights here.
White Xbox One sells for £5,000 at relisted charity auction
A limited-edition white Xbox One console has sold for an astounding £5,000 (approximately $8,000) at auction following an intense bidding war that resulted in the console being pulled and relisted. Originally put up for sale earlier this week, the console was donated to charity by an anonymous Microsoft employee, and is emblazoned with a unique Gamertag and the text "I Made This." The console's original auction was yanked after sellers noted "suspicious activity" among bidders, resulting in a secure buy-it-now relisting that subsequently sold for its £5,000 asking price. Proceeds for the auction benefit GamesAid, a UK-based charity that helps disadvantaged and disabled children.
Celebrate N7 Day with signed, original Salarian concept art
What better way to celebrate the annual Mass Effect celebration known as N7 Day than by purchasing a piece of art used in the creation of your favorite virtual space epic? A quick trip to eBay will reveal a signed, original portrait of a Salarian. Not just any alien doodle, this image was created by BioWare artist Matt Rhodes as concept art used in the creation of the overly-logical extraterrestrial race. The current high-bid for the sketch stands at $207.50, with nearly 72 hours left before bidding draws to a close. All proceeds from this auction are earmarked to benefit Child's Play, a charity that helps ease the suffering of sick children by outfitting hospitals with entertaining, therapeutic gaming hardware.
eBay introduces celebrity-curated collections, expands same-day delivery
Starting today, eBay is introducing a new feature designed to streamline your shopping experience: curated collections. Basically, curators handpick products from eBay's database and arrange them into collections; as part of the initial push, the company is including a few relatively big names among its list of "expert curators" like Solange Knowles, Pharrell Williams and Kelly Oxford, with the best of the best featured on the new eBay Today page. You'll also be able to customize your profile by following your favorite collections, users and interests. Additionally, eBay announced in-store pickup for select retailers (only Toys R Us and Best Buy to start) and the expansion of its same-day delivery service, eBay Now, to 25 markets by the end of 2014, including Chicago, Dallas and London. And if you're as busy as a bee, you'll be happy to know that scheduled delivery is coming at some point in the near future. For more info, check out the press release after the break.
eBay buys Shutl, plans for same-day delivery in 25 cities by the end of 2014
While eBay's same-day shipping is a beautiful thing for impulse buyers, its expansion has been slow. The company is speeding things up today by acquiring Shutl, a British startup focused on quick e-commerce deliveries. The deal will help eBay bring its speedy eBay Now service to a total of 25 cities in 2014, including London. Customers won't have to wait to take advantage of the site's growing ambitions, however. eBay Now is launching in Chicago today, and Dallas in the near future; the firm has also introduced product curators and collections to help web visitors who want expert shopping advice.
Apple's e-commerce chief leaves for eBay
It's beginning to look like Apple's executive offices have a revolving door at the entrance. The company recently announced that Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts will be heading to Apple to be the new senior VP of Retail and Online Stores; now AllThingsD reports that the man who was responsible for design, product management and development of Apple's e-commerce platform, RJ Pittman, is moving to eBay. Sources told AllThingsD that the timing of Ahrendts' hiring and the departure of Pittman was entirely coincidental. Pittman will be going into a new position at eBay as the chief product officer of eBay Marketplaces. eBay Marketplaces President Devin Wenig said that the hire highlights eBay's efforts to improve the design of the platform across desktop and mobile devices, noting that, "We're placing a lot of emphasis on the user experiences, and so this feels like a natural evolution." Pittman, who will report to Wenig starting next month, said "I loved what I was doing at Apple; it's a great company ... but eBay is on a completely different level by an order of magnitude when it comes to e-commerce." It's not the first big move for Pittman; just three years ago, Pittman defected to Apple from Google, where he held the position of director of Product Management.
Did you know that the iPhone 2G is a collector's item?
When it comes to mobile gadgets, most tech junkies only care about the latest and greatest. If it's not cutting-edge, you might as well not bother, right? Well, not quite. It seems that the original, non-3G iPhone (commonly referred to as the iPhone 2G) has risen sharply in value after becoming obsolete. In fact, if you have a mint specimen you're willing to part with, you might be looking at US$1,000 or more. Ever the pulse on current gadget values, the eBay "Completed Listings" page for the iPhone 2G is somewhat jaw-dropping. First, you have folks asking $5,000 or more for unopened units, which never sell. But there are several examples of "new" iPhones with open boxes going for north of $600, with sealed boxes successfully selling for as much as $1,999. Unfortunately, these lofty figures are reserved for the cream of the crop, and if your device is in "Used" condition you can expect less than $100 for it. Still, it's extremely rare for a years-old phone to actually rise in value later in life. I mean, when was the last time you heard of someone paying $2,000 for a brand-new Motorola RAZR flip phone?
eBay's new Utah data center goes green so you never have to stop bidding
Big data is big money, so when the power goes out and data centers go offline, companies like eBay stand to hemorrhage revenue. Which is why the mega auction e-tailer's been hard at work setting up a "greener" data center in South Jordan, Utah to avoid costly and unpredictable blackouts. The now operational site incorporates thirty fuel cells developed by Bloom Energy, a company with roots in NASA's Mars program, that turn natural gas into electricity via an electro-chemical process. What's more, eBay, using recovered energy generation technology provided by Ormat, is also attempting to offset its carbon footprint by harvesting the "heat waste" generated from natural gas pipelines and turning that into energy for its Utah site. Barring any unforeseen power failures, the company's green data center won't ever have to rely on the local grid. And that independence should ensure eBay users keep bidding and buying and filling the company's coffers.
eBay launches click and collect for UK retailers, one-hour deliveries in London
Love to eBay, but not a fan of waiting? Then Devin Wenig -- the auction site's president -- has some good news for you today. At a London press conference, he's just announced the firm is launching "click and connect," a service that (as you might have guessed) lets you purchase from large high-street retailers, and pick your item up in-store in the UK. For those merchants that don't have a physical presence, a collaboration with British store Argos will mean they can deliver items through the chain's infrastructure, offering another delivery channel. Initially Wenig advises that 150 Argos stores will have an "eBay collection point" with more locations likely to follow. There's no word so far on costs to the seller (or buyer), but when you simply just gotta have it... Update: Oh, and just like that, if collect in store wasn't convenient enough, Wenig has just announced that eBay now, its one hour delivery service will be coming to Europe, starting in London early next year.
