In the blog age, many writers build their readerships by communicating with readers on a regular basis and with a constant stream of content. Traditional publishing requires coordinating a number of layers of bureaucracy such as an agent, a publishing house, and then distribution to media outlets and retail stores. All this creates more separation between author and reader, an impractical alternative to simply discovering stuff you enjoy using only a computer and a couch. If Terapeak is any indication, and it is, maybe we’ll all be packing digital books sooner than we thought.

The “Score of the Day” is a pair of $100 “Seven for All Mankind” jeans for little girls purchased for $1 and sold for………

 
Yes, you read that correctly. Some little girls are actually running around in $100 jeans.
 
I went to a yard sale this weekend where I purchased a pair of Seven for All Mankind jeans in a girl’s size 6. I only paid a dollar. They were cute and had a few sparkles on the pockets. A few of the rhinestones had fallen off – barely noticeable. To be honest, they looked like any other pair of jeans.
 
I looked them up on Terapeak. Wow! Instantly I realized that Seven for All Mankind jeans for little girls are super popular! As I continued my research, I discovered that only 34 pairs in a size 6 had closed in the last 90 days, and almost all of them had sold.
 
Because the jeans I had purchased had missing rhinestones, I listed them for $20 –about $10 less than the going rate for a used pair. Perhaps I should have listed them for $30. They sold less than 24 hours after I listed them. Unbelievable!
 
Note: There is a difference between “Seven” and “Seven for All Mankind.” Seven jeans were sold by Mervyn’s before Mervyn’s went under. Seven for All Mankind jeans are much more expensive. When I purchased the jeans, I thought they cost about $50 new. I was wrong. These jeans sell for $50 –during a 1/2 off sale!!! Wow!
 
I’m not sure if I will ever find these types of jeans again because I am not sure how many parents purchase $100 jeans for their kiddos. (I so want to go there…..but…. I’m not going to.) However, I definitely learned something!
 
Looking for shoes in hard-to-find sizes at a big discount? Check out bluefrogshoes.com. For eBay selling tips and tricks, check out my blog on a regularbasis as I live ….The eBay Life!
 
Have a great night!
 
Blogger Bio:

Miriam is an eBay PowerSeller from Northern California who sells name brand women’s shoes in hard-to-find sizes (narrow, wide, small, large womens shoes) at bluefrogshoes.com. She’s also an eBay instructor who teaches classes at Oroville Adult School which is located between Chico and Sacramento. And, she’s a yard sale fanatic! Her blog is dedicated to the people she meets, the items she purchases, and the situations she encounters as she lives “The eBay Life.“

Terapeak is like the Billboard of eBay thanks to its Hot Media search feature. Above is this month’s Top 5 Music list which you may find either outrageous or validating. That’s the beauty of this list, it’s based entirely on pure, unbridled sales without dwelling for a moment on what some hipster might consider “good.”
 
Rounding out the number five spot is arguably the most talented individual ever to wear a lampshade for a hat, the one and only Lady Gaga. She probably should have gone on Dr. Phil long ago but she sure can belt out a tune. In fourth, Susan Boyle is the 49 year old contest winner who dreamed big and put on a jaw-dropping performance for British television. She sang her way to stardom without the typical sexuality angle played by most. Seriously, like none whatsoever.
 
Kidz Bop Kids sing their little hearts out in 3^rd, and if that surprises you keep in mind that child singers have had a firm place in our world since The Jackson 5. The boys from Sgt. Pepper’s are staying legendary in the number two spot and it should also be noted that they never drop below the top five. So if you ever swing by and don’t see The Beatles on our list you should look up – the sky might be falling.
 
Finally at number one is the incorrigible Eminem. You may find his subject matter to be in the absolute poorest of taste, but you can’t deny his success. Retail store sales are one thing, but eBay is the biggest, broadest online marketplace on the planet and Terapeak is the score keeper. Items that are in high demand here are truly selling above the rest.
 
Tera-Speak: We want to know your Top 5 artists, leave a comment with your list!

Android has finally conquered the smartphone market in the United States. Smartphones running Google’s Android operating system accounted for one-third of all smartphones purchased in the April-June period. Terapeak Market Research confirms this and drills deeper into the smartphone market.
 
The average eBay sale price for an Android phone is $305 dollars and the rate of successful sales is 70%. Compare this to the average price of a Blackberry device, $103 dollars with a successful sales rate of only 33.5%, and it’s easy to see how Android has edged its way to the top. The graph below compares the sales trends of the two brands over a 90 day period.
 
Terapeak can also provide insight into consumer interest. By examining the top searches on eBay we find that the iPhone is the third most-popular search overall. Despite this high ranking, Apple still lags behind Android and Blackberry in phone sales. But with eBay and every brick and mortar electronics retailer selling premium-priced iPhone accessories by the truckload, and the booming app store, it’s clear that Apple is interested in more than just selling phones.

The highest-paid professional athletes of today earn more than the GDPs of some countries, but what is their resale value? Certainly in these high-profile lines of work one’s salary should reflect their value both on and off the field of play – that’s where Terapeak can show a lot.
 
The best way to judge a player’s marketability is to look at the amount of merchandise they’re selling. We’ve taken the ten highest-paid athletes and compared their massive salaries to the total value of their swag that has sold on eBay over the last year using Terapeak’s 365 days of data search function. You might be quite shocked at who isn’t earning their keep.

At least we can say the top dog is worth his salt. Tiger Woods is both the best paid and best-selling athlete in the world. Not bad considering he did a belly flop into a PR nightmare a year ago. Even more surprising are the lackluster sales from boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. Despite being the acclaimed king of pay per views, the welterweight moves very little merchandise. But what can you expect when you have to compete without a jersey and wearing impractical shoes.

After an incredibly successful 7 year career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James announced he would be changing teams. On July 1^st James effectively became unemployed and held millions of basketball fans in suspense while he deliberated over which team – of the handful that were courting him – he would move to. On July 8^th people finally got their answer, James will join the Miami Heat for the 2010-11 season.

 
For us, the effect of the decision is just as interesting as the decision itself. So how has the team change affected merchandise sales? Above is a trend of all the Lebron James eBay listings over the last 30 days – taken from Terapeak Marketplace Research. All seems normal until the day the news breaks and listings more than double in the aftermath.
 
It’s fascinating to watch the market after a major event – and as the NBA raked in about $4 billion dollars this year – it’s safe to say this is big. In less than a decade LeBron has become one of the most prominent players of his time – and he is certainly among the biggest player franchises.
 
According to Terapeak, eBay has sold nearly $5 million dollars worth of LeBron James merchandise over the last year. That’s a whole lot of jerseys, hats, and action figures. A trading card from 2003, James’ rookie year, sold one week ago for $30,000 dollars. Not bad for a little piece of cardboard.

The 2010 World Cup is entering its final round, and the hot topic of the tournament has nothing to do with the players. The Vuvuzela is a long plastic horn that has been the cause of some serious waves. It produces a loud, monotone sound that is a big part of any South African soccer match.
 
Above is the sales trend for the Vuvuzela – taken from Terapeak eBay Market Research. The tournament’s June 11th start date has understandably caused sales to sky-rocket. In late 2009, FIFA – the governing body in professional soccer – considered a ban on the Vuvuzela for the forthcoming World Cup, they called it a potential weapon for soccer hooligans (rowdy, violent fans). The ban was never passed.
 
There are legitimate concerns surrounding the instrument, as it can cause permanent hearing loss if blown close to someone’s ears. One South African columnist even described it as “the horn from hell.” Nevertheless, the Vuvuzela is considered essential to the South African soccer experience.

Many c oaches and players have complained that the noise caused by the thousands of fans blowing their horns wreaks havoc on team concentration; the sound is very similar to a giant swarm of bees. It’s understandable, when a match lasts for 90 minutes or longer we imagine that anyone would want the controversial horn to buzz off.

Terapeak is the reigning king of averages, and we love to scour eBay for quirky items. A million-dollar lunch isn’t the craziest listing ever – that prestigious honor is saved for things like a UFO detector or a ghost in a jar – but it’s definitely ridiculous.

The meal includes more than just a free appetizer; billionaire investor Warren Buffet will dine with the winner – who wishes to remain anonymous. The proceeds from the sale will be donated to the Glide Foundation – which provides social services to the homeless in San Francisco.

Robert Chatwani – director of global citizenship for eBay – confirmed this as the largest single auction for charity that’s been held on eBay.

It’s not difficult to imagine why people are dying to get face time with Buffet – he’s the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and one of the world’s most successful investors. Previous lunch dates with the mogul have gone for $1.68 and $2.11 million dollars.

One has to wonder about the etiquette for tipping on a lunch tab like this. Even staying conservative at 10% means you’re looking at the value of a small house – we doubt the waiter will be donating that kind of gratuity.