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.
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.
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.
👱🏻♀️ 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.
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.
🪞 Got a smart mirror? I do, and this really doesn’t shock me, but it might you. That mirror might not just be giving you the latest cable news and weather. Turns out it’s probably logging your voice, analyzing your face and selling your data. If yours has a mic or camera, congrats! You might’ve installed a surveillance device over your sink. I’m actually glad the mirror’s watching, someone should see all this emotional growth.
TikTok’s new craze: A 9-year-old camera. Yep, the social media gods have crowned the Canon PowerShot ELPH 360 HS as the best point-and-shoot camera for that “perfectly imperfect” vibe. It was $360 new in 2016. Now it’s out of stock on Canon’s site, and used ones are selling for up to $600. Nostalgia always cashes in.
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Turn 10 seconds into $30K
Those short clips for TikTok? They’re super lucrative. Plus, Auntie Anne’s takes to the skies with new drone delivery, why Amazon is now selling used cars, and how one woman got a real engagement ring from her AI boyfriend.
🚗 Used car, add to cart: That’s right, Amazon Autos is now selling pre-owned rides. You’ll see the full price up front (no shady dealer math), get a Vehicle History Report, and you can return the car within three days or 300 miles. It’s rolling out in LA first, starting with used Hyundais. And yep, you can trade in your old beater, too.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
💸 $350M fake merch mess: A sports memorabilia dealer confessed on Facebook to selling over 4 million counterfeit items, then took his own life hours later. Brett Lemieux ran the MisterManCave site, allegedly faking holograms of Kobe, Jordan, Brady and more. The scam allegedly made $350 million.
Hacked, packed and resold: A startup called Farnsworth Intelligence is taking hacked data (yep, from infostealer malware) and selling it to divorce lawyers, debt collectors and your competitor’s sales team. Over 50 million computers’ worth of stolen info. Passwords, browsing habits, embarrassing accounts and more up for grabs for about $50 each. How is this legal?
Stolen data for sale
A startup is cashing in by selling your stolen data to debt collectors, lawyers, and rivals. It’s legal … sort of. Android phones detect earthquakes, Mark Zuckerberg expands his secret Hawaii compound, and cottage cheese has a viral moment.
🛻 I think he might be right: Waze’s cofounder thinks Gen Beta (those born from 2025 to around 2039) won’t ever touch a steering wheel. With Tesla and Waymo pushing robotaxis, Uri Levine says the future is all self-driving, and maybe mobile shoe stores. So yeah, traffic might just be a bunch of vans selling Crocs.
Big 23andMe lawsuit: More than two dozen states are trying to block the company from selling customer DNA. They’re arguing your genetic code belongs to you and shouldn’t be sold without clear consent (paywall link). 23andMe’s clapback? People agreed to it in the fine print. PSA: You can still delete your data. Here’s how. But it’s probably already been sold off to who knows who.
Cash in on your old cell phone: This tip will show you how to get the most money out of your old phone by selling it to reputable companies. Subscribe to Clark.com’s free newsletter to receive smart money tips every day.
🍪 93.7 billion cookies for sale: And nope, not the Girl Scouts kind. Hackers are selling browser cookies on the dark web, so they can access your accounts with no login needed. How’d they get them? Infostealer malware from shady downloads. Be careful what you click.