November 26, 2010
By the ZippyCart Shopping Cart Reviews Content Team

Hey does anyone have $1.2 Million we can borrow, oh and it has to be in cash, preferably big bills and no Canadian coins? Please and thanks. Not to mention we will need it by the next few hours because Sheryl Crow’s College Grove, Tennessee estate was up for auction!

The 48-year old, eco-friendly singer put her 17 room (including 5 bedrooms), 7 full baths, 6 car garage, 3 story- 10,264 sq. ft. mansion up for online auction, which ended at 6 pm CST, November 23. The final bid was only around $1,175,000, with the terms of the auction detailing the highest bidder must pay cash, and the deal had to close no later than January 14, 2011 (sure, fair enough).

The website listing names the estate the ‘Cross Creek Farm’ and has several pictures and videos of the 150 acre French style estate tucked in the middle of the countryside for potential buyers to peruse through. The unique feature of the farm is that it fully functions as a “Solar Farm” generating over 40 percent reduction in electric costs. The dwelling also boasts a 14 stall barn, an indoor riding arena, a salt water pool, a theatre, and music studio that also utilizes solar panelling to reduce energy costs so you can live the life, like Sheryl Crow!

If that isn’t enough room for you, there is also a 3 bedroom guesthouse to ‘squeeze’ your friends in.

Okay, so you can’t afford to get about $1.2 milllion in cash? Get some of your friends together, say about 8 of your closest and flossiest friends and each put in $150,000 to pick up a rock star’s home. Then in appropriate Oprah fashion you can say to your friends- ‘You get part of a home, you get part of a home, and you get part of a ho-oome!’ Living the dream, right? Just living the dream.

Honestly, reading some of the coverage on Sheryl Crow’s online auction, no one has yet to question the nature of the listing itself, by putting her name to the sale, it looks as if she is hastily selling the house. The singer originally listed it for $7.5 million back in May, and since it had no buyers, she is now letting it go for $6,325,000 less than she originally asked for. Come again? (That’s what she said).

Yes, a $6.3 Million loss is a big chunk of money, but supposing you are Sheryl Crow, it may not be too big of a fall back as the singer has built quite the career. Starting out as one of Michael Jackson’s backup singers on his Bad tour in the 80′s, she has climbed the charts, won 9 Grammys, and recorded her sixth album Detours and part of her seventh, 100 Miles from Memphis at the Cross Creek Farm estate. However, the last detail to the auction, bidding on the home closed since the reserve was not met, so as to not truly lose out in millions, Crow can add business savvy to her resume.

November 25, 2010
By the ZippyCart Shopping Cart Reviews Content Team

Before the bidding of Peter Eastgate’s 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event bracelet could even end, another former WSOP champion’s trophy bracelet has made its way to the online auction block.

On Sunday Paul “Eskimo” Clark’s 1999 WSOP bracelet was put up for auction on eBay. It’s one of three bracelets won by the champion poker player. One would assume that Clark was selling the priceless memento due to possible financial hardships, but taking a closer look at the seller, “anarcnub,” shows the dealer is located somewhere in Ireland, meaning Clark, who calls Las Vegas home, may likely have sold the bracelet to someone else already.

Bidding for the 1999 WSOP bracelet started at $1,000 and currently has two bidders playing a game of cyber tag. The last price check was at 2,076.39. The bracelet does have a reserve on it, meaning if it doesn’t sell for a certain (unstated) price it would be removed from the auction and stay with the owner. The reserve hasn’t been met yet, but that shouldn’t be any worry to the auctioneer, as there are still eight days of bidding left.

The 1999 bracelet is not quite as impressive as the WSOP bracelets of today. Back then they didn’t have diamond inlays and were simply engraved with the words “World Series of Poker” and the year of the championship. The gold bracelet weighs in at 117.1 grams. With current gold prices peaking at around $44.20 per gram, the bracelet should be valued  at around $5,175.

Of course this is small potatoes compared to Eastgate’s auction. The bidding for his 2008 WSOP bracelet, which ends this morning, is sitting at a staggering $100,100, with 30 people having already bid on the bracelet 87 times. Proceeds from the auction will go to the children’s charity, UNICEF.

November 24, 2010
By the ZippyCart Shopping Cart Reviews Content Team

“Toy modder” Kody Koala is auctioning off a one-of-a-kind “anatomical” Mega Man on eBay. Fans of everyone’s favorite blue robot have already driven the price up from $26 to over $200.

EBay has long been the go-to place for unique and celebrity items. With the upcoming holiday season, more and more shoppers are looking for big savings on name brands they recognize, or are working out a strategy to secure that sought-after gift for that special someone (it is almost Black Friday, after all). Kody’s hand-crafted Mega Man (made using “robot parts” to illustrate what lies just beneath his blue outer shell) represents a marked departure from that kind of deal-hunting.  People dive on specialty items like this because they know that they will have special significance for the person who is lucky enough to receive them.

People buying up these items themselves (often unfairly dubbed “nerds” or “geeks” – though we’re finding out that even beautiful people love to shop online) generally tend to add them to a carefully curated collection of similar items. Think of it like a museum of pop-culture, only in your basement…and your mom can’t buy a ticket. A model like this could easily find itself beside a mint-in-box Darth Vader or a replica Plasma Cutter. There’s a certain kind of thrill that comes from possessing a physical artifact of something that comes from a fictional world – and when one is constructed with this level of detail, it’s a special treat.

Artist Kody has commented that he built the model after being inspired by Jason Freeny, who does anatomical models of cartoon and videogame characters. He says that if there’s a lot of interest in models like this, he may release more material in the future. With 6 more days left to bid, and the price alright up to eight times its starting point, only time will tell.

November 22, 2010
By the ZippyCart Shopping Cart Reviews Content Team

There’s really nothing that says “I’ve put a lot of thought into this” like getting a gift card for the holidays. That sentiment increases when the gift card is for some place you’ve never heard of, or worse would not be caught dead in.  Fortunately there is a company that recognizes this frustration and gives card recipients the opportunity to capitalize on their misfortune.

Plastic Jungle, the provider of an online marketplace for trading and selling gift cards, recently announced that it has raised $10 million in its third round of funding led by Jafco Ventures.

The company allows users to sell their unwanted gift cards for up to 92 percent of the card’s value and get it back in cash. According to the website, the average payout for gift cards is around $96.

In order to qualify for a trade in, a card must have a minimum $25 balance.

The demand of a given card depends on the payout for said card. For example, Target gift cards will generally pay out 90 percent of it face value, whereas a Macy’s cards may go for 80 percent of its initial value.

Plastic Jungle says that it can save users an average of $68 if they purchased gift cards through its marketplace. By purchasing gift cards through the site, shoppers can save up to 30 percent on their next trip to the mall.

The marketplace even offers a variety of payout options. If cash seems a bit barbaric, Plastic Jungle can pay out in Facebook Credits or direct deposit to PayPal.

Other company investors include Shasta Ventures, Redpoint Ventures, Jafco Ventures, First Round Capital, Bay Partners, Harrison Metal and Western Technology Investment. To date, Plastic Jungle has raised a total of $23.4 million, which includes a $6 million round led by Shasta Ventures and a $7.4 million round led by Redpoint Ventures.

November 16, 2010
By the ZippyCart Shopping Cart Reviews Content Team

eBay wants to make your kids cry… tears of joy that is. The holidays are not dead thanks to eBay’s social media campaign Love to Give which aims to bring emotion back into the act of giving. The website began a campy six-week web series entitled ‘Unwrap Attack,’ the first of which was launched on Oct. 29, featuring The Daily Show’s comedian correspondent Samantha Bee as the star gift enthusiast. The webisode shows Bee watching humorous clips of children freaking out as they open their Christmas presents while she is readying her own gifts for the same reaction.

The theme of each series encourages eBay users to find the perfect gift for their child or loved one in order to invoke the Christmas Freakout. The Christmas Freakout was originally popularized by a YouTube video of two kids, Rachel and Brandon Kuzma, unwrapping their Nintendo 64 on Christmas in 1998. The video became a huge Internet sensation. The clip shows the two kids screaming hysterically, celebrating wildly, and even shedding a tear upon unwrapping the gaming system. If they were going wild over a Nintendo 64, imagine the reaction when kids and even adults are opening up the Kinect this year (ever see an adult scream or shed a tear for a new toy? It’s the best.).  BMW has bought the rights to the video for an undisclosed amount (somewhere near $50,000) and has featured it in its broadcasts. Now, eBay has followed with an estimated $15-$18 million budget for their Love to Give campaign which is divided between online ads, social media applications, and the ‘Unwrap Attack’ web series. eBay users can also submit their own videos of their gift recipients having a Christmas Freakout on lovetogive.ebay.com.

With such a large budget, eBay is putting a heavy effort to connect with their target audience (the 40 year old shopping enthusiast) with action to drive traffic back to the self-proclaimed “world’s largest marketplace for the holidays.” The campaign has already generated a positive response as it taps into the driving force of social shopping. Christopher Payne, vice president for the North American operations of eBay, based in San Jose, California, says social shoppers “like to hunt for an item, like to talk about it and like to share [...] social channels have become dominant.” Between applications on mobile devices and Facebook and a webisode on YouTube, eBay has fully covered their ground on social media. The company wants their customers to know eBay is the place to find the gift that will cause any person to shake, shriek, and celebrate uncontrollably. Ready those video cameras, this may be the one time of the year where its okay to laugh at crying children.

November 10, 2010
By the ZippyCart Shopping Cart Reviews Content Team

You may not be able to log on to Comic-Con’s site to buy tickets yet, but starting tomorrow you can go to ComicConnect and bid on two classic pieces of comic book history from Jerry Robinson’s  personal holdings. What’s up for bid? Nothing less than Robinson’s own work drawing the cover for Detective Comics #69 – the first appearance of “the Joker!”

The first "double guns" incarnation of the character.

Also up for grabs is the cover work for Superman #14, drawn by Fred Ray, featuring what is possibly one of the most iconic images of the character:

Actual item not in color

Comic dealers have noticed an uptick in purchases of classic, rare, and hard to find comics in the wake of the recent economic downturn. Ecommerce outlets like ComicConnect facilitate interaction between buyers, sellers, collectors, and fans of all types. The extremely fragmented, esoteric nature of the comic-book collecting community (and that demographic’s propensity towards computer skill – stereotypical or not) has helped drive this kind of online interaction.

As a commodity, a comic’s value is linked directly to its scarcity, instead of being tied to some other factor like the stock market and other traditional investment forms. Its possible that people are shifting their wealth into something they think that they can depend on (comics!) instead of relying on complex financial products.

Robinson, who is selling the artwork to provide a nest egg for his children, is definitely doing it for the money:

“I wish I was a millionaire who could afford to donate them to the Smithsonian or the Library of Congress, but I’m not.”

His decision to hang onto the pictures will definitely pay off. The Joker cover is expected to go for $400,000, while the Superman with eagle could fetch as much as a million dollars. That’s not bad for something that Robinson just brought home from work with him years ago:

“Nobody thought of the original art work as having any value…we used to just tape them up on the wall.”

November 9, 2010
By the ZippyCart Shopping Cart Reviews Content Team

Remembering the days of classic vinyl records, bucket seats, and an era moved by the sounds of the first time hearing Etta James silkily play through the speakers and the different emotions it ignited. Music moves people, the beat of a song can remind us of a love from many years ago, trigger nostalgia from a concert, or even benchmark a powerful moment in history. It can be a movement, a passion, the beat that keeps a foot tapping,

Beethoven made us smarter, Chuck Berry fathered Rock and Roll, The Beatles drove a musical revolution, and Jimi Hendrix changed the way a guitar was played. These great names played instruments and they played them well. Their beginnings come from that ignition of musical emotion and allowing that emotion to inspire them to learn an instrument. However, the musical movement is slowly fading to the background.

VH1 has spent 13 years on saving music education programs in public schools with their non-profit Save the Music Foundation. The past years have seen the diminishing of musical education due to budget cuts in a changing economy but what is really being removed is the outlet for students to express themselves, foster their creative minds, and the potential to develop a future innovative artist or even the next musical legend. VH1 has joined with online auction Charitybuzz.com to sell over 20 big artist items to raise money to help restore instrumental music education in public schools.

The website currently has Ringo Starr’s signed drumset for bid at $4,817.00, a VIP trip for VH1′s Diva’s Salute to the Troops 2010 at $750.00, and a meet and greet at a Reba McIntyre concert for $850.00 are just a few of the items being offered. The auction is live now until November 23rd and all the proceeds from the auction will benefit the foundation.

The foundation will continue to raise money with their annual Save the Music gala tonight with live performances with John Legend, John Mayer, Natasha Bedingfield and with appearances from many other big names in music. The gala will be hosted by LG Mobile Phones at The James New York hotel honoring musical legend Julie Andrews for her years of music education advocacy. The night will be full of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s music easily reminding people how music can shape and influence lives.

Sammy Sosa’s infamous corked bat has been sold at auction and will surprisingly stay in Chicago.

Former Chicago Cubs pitcher Mike Remlinger put the bat up for auction in October.  He said he picked the bat up off the field during the Tampa Bay Rays game in 2003.  Some said that the bat could bring around $50,000.

The bat, which shattered in two pieces when Sosa grounded out to second base in the first inning of the game on June 3, 2003, went on the online auction block through Schulte Auctions on Oct. 1, and started off with a bid of $5,050.  After the bat had failed to meet the minimum bid, it was purchased by the CEO of Harry Caray’s Restaurant Group, Grant DePorter, for $14,407 plus roughly $2,000 in commission to Schulte Auctions.

Sosa was shocked to hear that Remlinger had put the bat up for auction.

“If he needed the money, [Remlinger] should have just asked me for some money,” Sosa said Tuesday through his spokeswoman, Rebecca Polihronis.

Remlinger claims to have tried contacting Sosa during an interview on “The Waddle & Silvy Show” on ESPN 1000, saying “Whether he got the message or not I know that I made two calls at the least, I think it was three, but I know absolutely it was more than once.”  He goes on to say “It really doesn’t matter to me. What’s done is done. If he still wants to give me some money that would be fine.”

DePorter had used the secret bidder name of the 1908 Cub’s Owner Charles Murphy. 1908 was the last time the Cub’s won the World Series.

November 5, 2010
By the ZippyCart Shopping Cart Reviews Content Team

Those of us who live in Seattle are well aware of an incident that took place in late October, where the life of Sub Pop Vice President of Sales and Director of Marketing, Andy Kotowicz, was cut short due to a terrible car accident. The Sub Pop record label was founded in Seattle back in the late 1980′s, and quickly gained popularity as they signed now famous bands Soundgarden, Nirvana, and Mudhoney. Many associate Sub Pop with the grunge scene that was popularized in Seattle during the late 80′s and early 90′s, More recently Sub Pop has had popular bands like The Postal Service, The Shins, Wolf Parade, and Flight of the Conchords on their label. Sub Pop allowed Kotowicz the ability to get to know many musicians in the local independent music scene, including the guys from Pearl Jam, which is one of the most famous bands to ever come out of the area. Shortly after the news broke of the passing of Kotowicz, Pearl Jam jumped in to try and provide some support for the Andy Kotowicz family foundation, which will help to support his wife Jocelyn and 3-year old daughter Anna.

All the members of Pearl Jam signed a Fender Standard Telecaster FSR guitar in Butterscotch and put it up for auction. The online auction for the guitar started low at only $550 when it first debuted at CharityBuzz on November 2. Only a few days later, the auction has received 15 bids, and when last checked, the highest bid was $9,500 by bidder Terry Kwasniewski. This online auction still has a lot of time left, as it runs until November 23, which means that the Andy Kotowicz family foundation should receive a sizable donation when all is said and done. November is also a big month for Pearl Jam, as it was just announced that they would release a live compilation album titled Live on Ten Legs in celebration of their 20th anniversary in 2011. It will feature 18 Pearl Jam songs that were recorded from their 2003-2010 world tours.