It’s anything but a success. Sales are gloomy. Apple’s still selling it. Why? Here’s my take in this short podcast.
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.
FDA chokes out Dechoker: A Colorado couple made $8.2 million selling “Dechoker,” a plunger-for-humans they claimed was FDA-approved. Spoiler: It wasn’t. The FDA told them to stop in 2023, but they kept selling on Amazon anyway. Now the feds have seized their cash. The Dechoker didn’t even clear airways, just mangled tongues, and it was more of a Tom and Jerry prop than lifesaving device. If you have one, throw it away.
👱🏻♀️ Your profile pic matters: On LinkedIn, you’re 14 times more likely to get noticed with a clear, well-lit headshot. Selling on Facebook Marketplace? Don’t look too serious, it scares buyers off. And on dating apps, 40% of people say a smile is the first thing they notice. Call me Cupid … that’s more right swipes for you. Btw, you can post a job for free on LinkedIn using this link.
🧰 Remember Facebook’s “Local Jobs”? Meta’s reviving the feature they axed in 2022, but now it’s tucked inside Marketplace, Groups and Pages, so people can find nearby work and message employers right in Messenger. You can expect to see it pop up this week. Basically Craigslist meets LinkedIn, but with more moms selling restored furniture.
🍥 Bun believable: What started as one woman selling her grandma’s cinnamon buns turned into Mav’s Top Buns, a New Jersey bakery that’s pulled in over $1 million and sold 500,000 buns in a year, all thanks to social media. No ads, no investors, just gooey carbs with a “bake it and post it” philosophy. This was a dangerous story to write at lunchtime.
🏝️ Paradise.ai: Here’s something to tell your friends that will make them say, “Wow, you’re so smart.” Tiny Anguilla (population 15,000) stumbled into a digital jackpot, owning the “.ai” domain every startup wants. In 2024 alone, those two letters brought in $39 million selling domain names to startups like Character.ai and Perplexity.ai. That’s nearly a quarter of the island’s government revenue. When in a gold rush, sell vowels.
📸 Back to basics: Kodak is doing something it hasn’t done in over a decade … selling its own film. Like, actual 35mm. Remember those yellow rolls in every junk drawer? Same stuff. Kodak’s cutting out the middleman to bring prices down. It’s a quiet comeback from a brand that basically shot every ’80s birthday party you’ve ever been to.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
Credit bureaus are selling you out
Drowning in junk mail? Credit bureaus sell your info to banks and insurers, fueling all those “pre-approved” offers. Here’s how to stop them for good.
She made $93K selling grocery lists online
One Ohio mom turned $45 into $93,000 on Etsy by selling simple printables. Here’s how you can start your own side hustle with templates people actually buy.
How to write a book with ChatGPT
ChatGPT can help you turn your knowledge into real income by publishing and selling books on Amazon. With the right topic, a little guidance, and free tools, you could earn thousands a year from what you already know. Here’s how to get started.
The airlines are selling you out
Forget peanuts. Airlines are quietly handing over five billion passenger records to the feds. Then, I talk to Brian, a grieving uncle who wants to name his pond on Google Maps after his niece but isn’t sure how to get started. Plus, the U.S. keeps TikTok alive, and one woman keeps getting tickets for cars she’s never even seen.
LUV hurts: Imagine checking the mail and finding 15 tickets from states you’ve never even driven through. That’s what happened to a California woman with the vanity plate “LUVSICK.” Turns out, a clothing brand was selling fake novelty plates that looked almost identical to hers. She lawyered up and got them pulled offline, but not before fighting every bogus ticket.
Facebook profits from sick ads
Social media’s dark side is growing. Reports show Meta profited from ads selling child-like sex dolls, even as scams and exploitation spread across its platforms. With billions in resources and AI tools, why is Big Tech still failing to stop it? Here’s what you need to know.
Ultrasounds for sale? People were selling them, along with positive pregnancy test photos, on the marketplace app Mercari. They went for about $14 a pop to fake pregnancies and extort men. Wild.
Selling online? Bring a bodyguard
A Florida man selling an iPhone met a “buyer” in person who pulled a gun, fired a shot into the ground, and stole the phone. Here’s how to stay safe, protect your money, and avoid dangerous situations when meeting buyers or sellers.
Is your data held hostage?
Trying to stop data brokers from selling your info? Good luck. George, your AI host, exposes how over 30 sketchy companies are hiding their opt-out pages from Google on purpose. Plus: Musk sues Apple over AI, job hunting goes retro, and Microsoft gives Excel a crystal ball it probably shouldn’t have.
🔑 Flip off: The Flipper Zero may look harmless, but hackers can clone key fob signals and unlock cars from brands like Ford, Audi, Subaru, Hyundai and Kia in seconds. A digital underground is selling this stealthy car-hacking software. “Flipper Boys” might become the next-gen Kia Boys by 2026. This isn’t some Hollywood heist. It’s happening in real driveways. Pro tip: Wrap your fob in aluminum foil or stash it in a signal-blocking pouch to keep the bad guys out.
T-Mobile caught creeping: T-Mobile got slammed with a $92M fine for selling real-time location data without consent. Their legal defense? Basically “We did it, but like, who’s counting?” Judges were not amused. The FCC calls it a massive privacy failure. Verizon and AT&T (pending cases for $104.2M in fines) better start sweating, this was just round one.
💸 PayPal passwords exposed: A hacker named Chucky_BF (cute, right?) is allegedly selling plaintext passwords for 15.8 million PayPal accounts for just $750. That’s a steal both metaphorically and literally. Experts suspect the info came from malware, not PayPal itself. But still go change your password. Right now, seriously. Add 2FA while you’re at it.