Auctions
World's Rarest Items: From Comics to Blue Jeans
Filed under: Shopping, Weird & Wonderful, Auctions
When art thieves pull off a daring heist, we're once again reminded of all the valuable treasures locked away in dusty university and museum vaults. This time around it appears that burglars were after ancient Chinese jade, and they must have been very motivated indeed, striking twice in two weeks at two separate universities in the UK.
Our colleagues at Luxist.com takes a peek inside the world of the uncommon and elusive. From wine, coins and jewels to jeans, pets and food -- they reveal the world's rarest items in each of 18 categories. Click through the gallery to see which prized possessions made the list -- and what makes them so special.
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Our colleagues at Luxist.com takes a peek inside the world of the uncommon and elusive. From wine, coins and jewels to jeans, pets and food -- they reveal the world's rarest items in each of 18 categories. Click through the gallery to see which prized possessions made the list -- and what makes them so special.
CLICK ON PHOTO TO LAUNCH WORLD'S RAREST ITEMS GALLERY
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Online Auctions: Bargain Addicts Beware!
Filed under: Buyer Beware, Credit Cards, Fraud, Identity Theft, Shopping, Technology, Auctions
Internet bidding sites have been spreading like forest mushrooms after a warm rain in late May recently. E-Bay has almost become an afterthought.It all began when people decided, for example, that to sell a car as a trade-in when buying a spanking new vehicle is shortsighted. The dealer offers you a price. That price will, in the best of cases, cut into the new car's price but, eventually, you'll find out that car dealers aren't in the business for your beautiful (insert colour here) eyes.
This realization (and not only about cars) has led to all kinds of lists and sites that let you sell your older product (or buy one) for prices considerably more to your liking. You're not supporting a dealer's overhead, after all (this brings us back to cars, but only because they're such an easy example).
But the lengths some of the bidding sites go to these days must raise an eyebrow or two.
Protecting Yourself on Penny Auction Sites
Filed under: Buyer Beware, Consumer Complaints, Fraud, Shopping, Auctions
Swipebids.com promised almost unheard of discounts on iPods, TVs, kitchen appliances, computers and gift cards, but all it ended up doing was swiping bidders' money.They were an Alberta-based penny auction site investigated and subsequently shutdown by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission amid evidence of fraud. Like other penny auction destinations, Swipe Bids invited customers to buy bids in multiples of ten or more for between $0.50 and a $1.00 each. Those bids are typically used to try and win the auction item and each one brings the item's price up by a penny. On legitimate penny auction sites, like Quibids.com, any unused bids are banked on your account until you use them for the next auction.
Related Links:
- Banned: Stuff You Can't Sell on Ebay
- Senate Suggests Nixing the Penny
- Could This Be the End of Our Penny?
News Flash: The Bank Isn't Your Enemy
Filed under: Debt, Shopping, Auctions, Mortgages
Can the bank be a friend to someone in a difficult time?"I'm not sure if a bank can be your friend," says Rob Livingston, President of Capital One Canada. "But a bank can really help someone who has credit issues if the person who has the issues reaches out to the bank and clearly explains their situation."
Livingston explained that a lack of communication with the bank is one of the most common mistakes customers make. It's sad because in a lot of cases, explaining your situation to the bank can help alleviate stress and get the bank working with you on a solution.
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eBay Lesson #2: Price, Presentation, Persistence
Filed under: Employment & Careers, Entrepreneurship, Auctions, Small Business
Not many people are brave enough to leave their financial service sector careers to pursue a life in online sales, but Myriam Barreiro did just that, with spectacular results. (Later on she tells us how she did it.)Click here to read 'eBay Lesson #1' by Kate McCaffery.
eBay Canada's Entrepreneur of the Year used to work as a senior analyst in the technology department at one of Canada's big banks.
"It was a good, solid career job and I'm sure I could of continued on being successful, but I didn't like what I was doing," she says.
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Flipping Foreclosed Homes for Fast Cash with Spike TV's 'Flip Men'
Filed under: Buyer Beware, Entrepreneurship, House & Home, Investing, Real Estate, Television, Auctions, Small Business, Mortgages, Your Home
The bank trustee arrives on the courthouse steps and throws out an opening bid for what you hope was that abandoned write-off of a property you drove by only hours, or maybe minutes, earlier. There's no telling what's inside, from bio-hazards or meth labs to grow-ops or squatters -- you never know what you're going to get.This is a reality Utah's Mike Baird and Doug Clark face everyday, buying foreclosed homes sight-unseen, rehabbing them to their former livable glory and then hopefully flipping them for a hefty profit. As the stars of Spike TV's newest show Flip Men they have a combined 18 years of experience between them, but at one time flipping real estate was the furthest thing from their minds.
"Prior to meeting Mike, I had only purchased the house I live in. I knew nothing about real estate. I worked as a commercial airline pilot, so absolutely the farthest thing from real estate. The only thing I knew was I'd fly over it," says Clark.
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Related Links
eBay Lesson #1: Personal Service
Filed under: Employment & Careers, Entrepreneurship, Auctions, Small Business
eBay Canada has a neat awards program they run every year to recognize some of their most successful sellers. This year, the Entrepreneur of the Year awards were expanded to include two other categories, including the Service-preneur of the Year and Newcomer of the Year.Click here to read 'ebay Lesson #2' by Kate McCaffery.
Their stories are impressive (in just three short years the entrepreneur award winner, Myriam Barreiro of Toronto grew her business from scratch, into a business with projected revenue of nearly $1-million this year.)
The kudos are great for the winners – home-based business owners generally don't get many opportunities to revel in accolades from their peers – and we benefit by talking to the winners, who generously share what they've done to grow their businesses into the success stories that they are today.
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Fee Fighters Helps Merchants Take the Fight to Credit Card Companies
Filed under: Buyer Beware, Economizer, Banks, Credit Cards, Entrepreneurship, Fraud, Technology, Auctions, Small Business
Every time you take out that rewards card the merchant behind the counter is probably smiling through gritted teeth.This is because rewards carry processing fees of 3 to 3.5%, as opposed to the typical 2% on credit cards without all the bells and whistles. Thanks to the current interchange fees in this country, among the highest in the industrialized world, for every item a retailer sells 3 to 3.5% of the total take on that item must go to the credit card companies the moment a rewards card is used.
"As a consumer, if you have any type of points program, flight program, rewards program, cash back or gas program on your credit card that's great for you, -- it makes sense, I have lots of those cards in my wallet --but who do you think is paying for those flights and for those points and for that cash back?" asks Marcus Dagenais, VP of business development for Fee Fighters Canada, a web company hoping to even the playing field for the merchant when it comes to exorbitant credit card processing fees. After all, interchange fees are paid by the retailer and passed to the card issuing banks to pay for those rewards.
With these fees so high, merchants are forced to pass on the cost to the consumer through retail markups. With close to 50% of the credit card market made up of rewards cards, consumers are being hit more than ever before.
Is Your Antique Trash or Treasure?
Filed under: Auctions
The very moment you find that antique tea service tucked away in your attic, illusions of fabulous wealth take hold.Who knew your great grandmother hid this rare treasure all those years ago? Maybe a famous artist painted it on his death bed in the 19th century, or perhaps a royal used it when entertaining dignitaries.
Or maybe you've watched too many episodes of Antiques Roadshow and it's just junk from your attic.
How do you know if you've got something special on your hands? And if so, what should you do with it?
For starters, you can take your antiques to Toronto's Gardiner Museum for an antiques identification clinic on Tuesday April 12 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Charles Mason, chief curator at the museum, Bill Klime of Waddington's auction house and Peter Kaellgren, retired ROM curator, will be on hand to identify antiques (except for toys, coins and a few other items).
Investing Alternatives: From Monroe to Superman
Filed under: Investing, Weird & Wonderful, Auctions
Investing for most of us is a choice between real estate, stocks and bonds. But it doesn't have to be that limited: we can broaden our horizons and think about alternatives, like wines, antiques or cars, that appreciate in value over the years and will always be valuable to collectors.
But do your research, in the same way that you would research a mutual fund company or a property. If you enjoy discovering up-and-coming stars of the art world, or attending auctions, this type of investing should prove particularly fulfilling. And if you get good at it, well, it beats the pants off pouring through boring old company reports.
Browse through our gallery of investments that James Bond might make, the next time you've got a lump sum you're wondering how to invest.
But do your research, in the same way that you would research a mutual fund company or a property. If you enjoy discovering up-and-coming stars of the art world, or attending auctions, this type of investing should prove particularly fulfilling. And if you get good at it, well, it beats the pants off pouring through boring old company reports.
Browse through our gallery of investments that James Bond might make, the next time you've got a lump sum you're wondering how to invest.
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