Saturday, April 30, 2005

3 eBay execs to pay $3million lawsuit settlement

Mercury News reports that "three current and former eBay executives, including Chief Executive Meg Whitman, have agreed to pay $3 million to settle a lawsuit that they inappropriately accepted shares in scores of lucrative IPOs from investment-banking firm Goldman Sachs Group."

Whitman, along with eBay founder and Chairman Pierre Omidyar and former President Jeffrey Skoll, will pay the money into a fund controlled by the company. Goldman Sachs will also make a payment of $395,000, part of the settlement with eBay shareholders

The case concerns "spinning," the now-banned practice by which investment banking firms would dole out to favorite clients the lucrative opportunity to purchase shares in initial public offerings they were underwriting. The complaint alleges that Goldman allotted such opportunities to senior eBay executives in order to secure their position as eBay's investment banker, and that these executives should have offered that opportunity to eBay itself.

Friday, April 29, 2005

Pope Benedict Volkswagen sold on eBay Germany

Reuters reports that "a second hand car once said to be registered in the name of Joseph Kardinal Ratzinger -- the new Pope Benedict - is up for sale on eBay and the sky seems to be the limit when it comes to bidding."

The vehicle, a metallic gray 1999 Volkswagen Golf, went up for auction on the German site (www.ebay.de) at a minimum price of 9,900 euros ($12,790) on Wednesday and, just over 24 hours and more than 300 bids later, the price had hit one million euros ($1.3 million).

German Web Site n-tv.de identified the seller as Benjamin Halbe, 21, from the town of Olpe in Germany's Sauerland region, who said he bought the car from a local dealer in January.

"It drives like heaven," the site quoted Halbe as saying.

According to DW-World, "the former Cardinal Ratzinger's private secretary had long been a customer of the dealership and, although it is well known in church circles that the pope does not have a drivers license, it is believed the Golf was used to ferry the Holy Father-to-be around before at some point in 1999."

eBay.de describes the vehicle as a two liter petrol-powered manual, with 75,000 km (47,000 miles) on the clock since it was first registered in March 1999.

Friday, April 15, 2005

Pope's Communion Wafer auctioned on eBay

SIOUX CITY, Iowa A Communion wafer allegedly blessed by Pope John Paul that was sold on eBay didn't violate the online auction site's policies, according to an eBay spokeswoman.

The wafer, reportedly blessed by the late pope during a Mass in 1998, was offered on Saturday by a seller in Iowa town. It was sold for two-thousand dollars to a buyer in California.The description said the seller acquired the host by going twice for Communion.The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sioux City objected to sale of the Holy Eucharist.But an eBay spokeswoman said the sale was permissible because it wasn't illegal and didn't promote hatred toward Catholics. (AP)

Tuesday, April 12, 2005

2 Charged With Selling Stolen Items On eBay

  1. Aspyr to Release eBay Utility iSale Open this result in new window
    The Mac Observer - 1 hour, 22 minutes ago
    Aspyr Media on Tuesday announced that it will publish Equinux's eBay utility iSale in May. While the...
  2. eBay Charity Program Gets Major Upgrade Open this result in new window
    AuctionBytes - 2 hours, 49 minutes ago
    eBay is changing its Giving Works program for charity auctions, according to its partner MissionFish. eBay's program was initially launched in November 2003. According to MissionFish, eBay is taking the best parts of MissionFish and eBay and putting them together in a major upgrade for eBay Giving Works effective April 27.
  3. Market Pulse Announces its Hot Stock Alerts for Tuesday, April 12, 2005: SCNWF, XOM, MUSE, EBAY Open this result in new window
    pzone via Yahoo! Australia & NZ Finance - Apr 12 5:45 AM
    ATLANTA, April 12, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Market Pulse is pleased to introduce our featured stock, Stream Communications Network and Media, Inc. (OTCBB:SCNWF), to the investment community! Stream Communications is new to Market Pulse and is poised to become a significant player in the cable telecommunications industry! SCNWF had excellent news out in a press release before today's opening bell
  4. eBay Drop-Off Service and Boston Red Sox Team up for Charity Open this result in new window
    AuctionBytes - 2 hours, 49 minutes ago
    AuctionDrop is auctioning a collector's edition copy of the book "Zachary's Ball" on eBay for charity.
  5. iCollector Removes Gauguin Paintings from eBay Live Auctions Open this result in new window
    AuctionBytes - 2 hours, 49 minutes ago
    Two Gauguin paintings that were scheduled to be auctioned on eBay Live Auctions on April 23 were removed by iCollector on April 10. iCollector said the auction was removed at the request of the client.
  6. News: iSale eBay utility goes retail via Aspyr Open this result in new window
    MacCentral Online - 2 hours, 15 minutes ago
    Aspyr Media Inc. announced Tuesday they are brining Equinux's iSale software to retail store shelves in May, 2005. iSale is an eBay helper utility for Mac OS X that enables users to make and manage their own auctions on the popular service. Up to now, iSale has been sold as downloadable software only.
  7. Aspyr to market iSale eBay tool Open this result in new window
    MacNN - 2 hours, 42 minutes ago
    Aspyr announced today that it is bringing iSale, an eBay helper utility for Mac users by Equinux, to...
  8. The Ultimate $17,900,000 For-Sale-By-Owner Real Estate Listing is Now on eBay Open this result in new window
    [Press Release] PR Web via Yahoo! News - Apr 12 5:00 AM
    (PRWEB) April 12, 2005 -- Will Ebay Real Estate make major inroads into the real estate industry as it has in auto sales? Selling real estate is not quite as simple as selling an automobile. Autos can be purchased and delivered across the country. Houses are different.
  9. 2 Charged With Selling Stolen Items On eBay Open this result in new window
    The Milwaukee Channel - Apr 11 6:43 PM
    MILWAUKEE -- Two men have been charged in a burglary investigation that uncovered a meth lab on Milwaukee's south side. Police said Christopher Branch and Craig Matthews are accused of stealing items from a storage facility and then trying to sell them on eBay.
  10. Colorful Evidence of Ever-Lasting Life for Sale on eBay; You Be the Judge - True Story Comes Backed with Astounding Open this result in new window
    [Press Release] PR Web via Yahoo! News - Apr 12 4:00 AM
    (PRWEB) April 12, 2005 -- With a reputation as a painter of spirits and angels, near-death experiencer Peter Teekamp is auctioning coincidence on eBay. Convinced after a lifetime of connections, parallels and discoveries that his life's work was destined to make the point in a powerful way that we have all been here before. Teekamp believes the only way to illustrate that fact is with physical