Tight Times Force Sentimental Sell-Offs

Says it violates 'murderabilia' rule

(NEWSER) - Jack Kevorkian's old assisted suicide van can't be sold on eBay, the company decided yesterday, because it's “murderabilia,” and hence violates eBay's policies. The 1968 Volkswagen van had drawn a high bid of $3,400 before the company pulled it down, telling the AP that it “does not allow the sale of items closely associated with notorious murders within the last 100 years.” More»

She's known for her business smarts, not her personality

(NEWSER) - Meg Whitman is in some ways the political polar opposite of Sarah Palin, writes Sara Libby. As she fights for the GOP nomination in the California governor's race, Whitman is relying on her smarts and her no-nonsense business acumen. The self-described "frumpy" dresser is "no 40-something pinup," and she "even behaves more like an insular CEO than like a politician," Libby writes for Slate . "Unlike Palin, she seems mortified by her own celebrity." More»

Man tries for third time to unload weird, expensive souvenir

(NEWSER) - In what can only be described as the deal of the century, eBay user dmorrill321, aka David Morrill, is currently selling an actual “60GB, perfect-condition” X-Box 360, signed by actual unemployed person Sarah Palin, for the low-low opening bid of $1,100,000—plus shipping and handling. It’s actually Morrill’s fourth attempt to list the thing; each of the previous three were taken down by eBay. More»

(NEWSER) - Just how bad has California’s budget crisis gotten? So bad that it’s holding what it’s calling the “Great California Garage Sale” this weekend, hoping to unload piles of junk and wasteful property that the state’s accrued over the years. Hundreds of items will be available, from BlackBerrys to desks to cars and CHiPs motorcycles. Arnold Schwarzenegger has even signed some of the items to drum up interest. More»

Experts struggle to pick future keepers from sea of merchandise

(NEWSER) - Collectors are sifting through a sea of Barack Obama memorabilia searching for items that will be the gems of the future instead of tomorrow's junk, the Washington Post reports. Vast quantities of knick-knacks, ranging from dancing presidential dolls to Obama mints, have left even experts stumped about what to buy. More»