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ChatGPT, your secret eBay sidekick

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You know that thrill of finding something on eBay for way less than it should cost and the “Yes, I am the deal master” feeling? Here’s where ChatGPT or your favorite AI bot shines. It helps you find the hidden gems that no one else is seeing.

Most people search with the obvious keywords. “Vitamix blender.” “Apple Watch.” “Le Creuset pan.” “New iPhone.” But eBay is filled with sellers who spell things wrong, use weird titles or just aren’t great at listings.

One person might type “vitamx,” another might just say “blender my stupid ex left.” That’s gold if you know how to dig for it with a little help from ChatGPT.

💡 Start with a prompt like this

“Give me 20 alternate ways someone might list a Vitamix blender on eBay, including misspellings, abbreviations or vague descriptions.” You’ll get results like vitamx, vitamixx, high-speed kitchen blender, commercial smoothie maker and vtmx (yes, really).

Some sellers are super casual and just write “expensive blender I never used.” Others might list it under a brand nickname or a model number you’d never think to search for.

You want those listings. Less competition, better deals.

🛒 Copy-pasteable eBay search trick

(vitamix, vitamx, blender pro, smoothie maker, vmix) -parts -broken

What the heck does all that do?

The words in parentheses tell eBay: Look for any of these terms.
The minus signs? That’s where the magic happens. They remove listings with certain words.

So:
-parts = No spare parts or “just the lid” listings.
-broken = Keep the busted junk out of your search.

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Grime’s going down

🧽 Only tools that don’t mess around … unless it’s to clean one up.

Poof! An expandable wand (10% off) makes windshields shine.
Stick on these ceiling fan filters ($22) to catch dust for you.
Toss in some dryer balls (13% off) for softer, fresher laundry.
Scrub your cup’s crusty crevices with a brush set (17% off).
Keep your gear handy in this cleaning apron (8% off).

🐱 Fur be gone: Snag a steam brush ($26) to comb and de-shed your furry friend in one go. Your couch will thank you.

We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.

LinkedIn’s AI upgrade: Instead of guessing job titles or drowning in filters, LinkedIn lets you (if you’re paying for Premium) search in plain English. Meaning you can do stuff like “find fintech founders in Austin, Texas” or “find social media managers open to work.” Maybe this update can make the average LinkedIn person speak like a human. I’m looking at you, “thought leaders.”

$20,000

What some folks are dropping on hand-painted portraits. In an age where AI can remix your face in 0.5 seconds, more Americans are actually paying real humans to immortalize them the analog way. It’s slower, pricier and way more intimate. Also, no filters, just your raw, regal essence (and maybe your dog).

🛋️ Browsing Facebook Marketplace? You might’ve noticed the algorithm showing items that sold weeks ago. To see what’s actually available, go to Marketplace on desktop, search for what you want, and under Filters, set Date listed to Last 7 days. Oh, and folks, if a profile says it “joined in 2025,” that’s not a seller, it’s a setup.

📵 Make your iPhone less distracting: If social media keeps pulling you in, try this focus trick. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Color Filters, then toggle it on. Your screen will turn Grayscale, instantly dulling that dopamine hit. Best part? You’re not blocking apps, just making them a lot less tempting.

📎 PDF = Pretty Deceptive File: Think PDFs are safe because they’re “just documents”? Nope. A new tool kit called MatrixPDF lets hackers secretly bake malicious code, fake overlays or phishing traps into what look like normal, trusted PDFs. Paired with AI tools like SpamGPT, that same file you thought was harmless could be weaponized and distributed at scale. Most security filters don’t flag anything until after you click, so staying cautious is more important than ever.

😳 Stop spam in its tracks: Don’t just delete junk emails, report them. In Outlook, Gmail, Apple Mail or whatever you use, mark suspicious stuff as Spam or Junk. This trains your filters, so fewer shady messages sneak through. It’s one of the simplest ways to cut down phishing scams before they reach you. PSA: If you mark my newsletter as spam, you will never get another issue and you won’t be able to sign up again. That’s just the way it works.

Get better results on Facebook Marketplace: Tired of seeing stuff that sold weeks ago? Go to Marketplace > Filters > Sort by and choose Date listed: Newest first. Then under Filters > Date listed, toggle on Last 7 days. Oh, and if the seller’s profile says they joined in 2025, it’s probably a scam.

🎨 Can’t pay for Photoshop? GIMP is a free image editor that’s as close to Photoshop as you can get without paying. You can create images, logos, thumbnails or retouch photos. Plus, it’s got all the tools you need, like filters, layers, color tweaks, masking and more. Works on macOS, Windows and Linux, too.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Set your phone to gray scale to use it less. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Color Filters (iPhone) or Settings > Accessibility > Color and motion > Color correction (Android). Seriously, it works.

Trying to figure out who called you? Drop the digits into Facebook’s search bar and see what shows up. Use filters like Posts and Date Posted to narrow it down.

🛡️ Protect your kids on YouTube: Restricted Mode filters out videos flagged as mature (drugs, alcohol … stuff you don’t want them seeing). Click their Profile (top right) > scroll to Restricted Mode > toggle Activate Restricted Mode. Then hit Lock Restricted Mode on this browser. Bonus: It also hides comments.

Lies, but with filters: Misinformation is mutating harder than Chernobyl deer. AI-made photos, videos and text are now scary good, blurring reality at scale. Nobody knows what’s real … except that picture of aliens in the White House your uncle reposted, saying he told you so.

🩺 AI at your next doctor visit: I told you about this six months ago, and mainstream media is catching up. Doctors are starting to use ambient listening tech that records your conversations. It filters out small talk, then writes notes and updates medical records. Pretty handy, since paperwork can drop from 90 minutes to under 30 (paywall link). But uh, imagine if that data gets breached.

🔞 Forget the days of finding Dad’s Playboy under the bed: If you have teens, talk to them about this. Teens are romancing bots and AI on apps. Some bots have filters, others barely try. The risk isn’t just sexting, it’s warping emotional development in a world where your “girlfriend” never says no and always texts back. Speaking of … Years ago, a monk was selling flowers on the Playboy Mansion grounds, and no one but Hef could get him to leave. Turns out, only Hugh would prevent florist friars. (I saw you shake your head!)

🔞 Sick social media trend: Awful accounts are using AI filters to make the women in overly sexual TikTok and IG gym videos look as if they have Down syndrome. They’re adding captions like “Syndrome is down but your d is up.” Why? It goes viral, and they try to redirect people to adult sites. And yes, the original clips are stolen.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Got kids? Set up YouTube Kids with age filters and disable the search bar to avoid sketchy content.

Browse control: Google’s SafeSearch filters out explicit content from search results. But it’s not on by default for anyone over 13. Open Search Settings, click SafeSearch and check the setting you want to turn on. Pro tip: If your teen uses Chrome, you can manage it through Google Family Link.

🛍️ Don’t pay full price: When stores clear out their inventory at the end of each season, that’s your chance to save. Type “end of season clearance” into Amazon’s search bar and use the filters on the left to find what you need. And check out Amazon Outlet for overstocked and off-season deals.

We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.