2008 Woodie Awards
Ebay all the way
Mike Fruzzetti
Issue date: 9/29/04 Section: Opinion
Before the large Internet craze, people that were looking to purchase clothes, electronics, entertainment and other products, were forced to venture to the local shopping center or mall.
Well in the 21st century, everyone with an Internet connection and those who take the "bargain shopper" approach, have a new and profound method of shopping.
If you are looking for a CD, a pair of shoes, a garden hose, an automobile, a redneck family, this is the place to go.
No, I'm not talking about traveling to your local Wal-Mart, but the online site where you can find almost anything imaginable - Ebay. Not only can you buy anything under the sun but the products are always cheaper than what you would normally spend at a store.
For example, I purchased a pair of cashmere socks at the mall just the other day. I really liked the socks and decided that I would like to buy another pair, but I certainly didn't want to pay another $25.
On Ebay a person was selling the same exact pair of socks, yet the price was only $10.
Elated by my new shopping experience, I began searching for products that were being sold at a cheaper price. During my searches, I came across some rather interesting auctions that posed one question in my head. What were they thinking!
One "Ebay-er" was selling a hospital body bag, which is a rather odd item to list, but that wasn't what made this auction interesting; it was the description.
This person describes this multi-purpose body bag as a great storage device that can hold linens, blankets, camping supplies and many other items. He then tells the potential buyer that the bag is made from thick vinyl, which can easily carry "even the biggest body away!" Wow, for only $79 I can have my very own body bag!
I next came across a very interesting new diet pill, which claims to be the best way to lose "tons" of weight.
The seller explains how the diet pill works and how much weight you can lose. An average user of the product can lose up to 20 pounds after two weeks, but wait! There is fine print at the bottom of the listing that supplies the usage breakdown.