'Wii' Dethrones 'Elmo TMX' as Top eBay Search Term

If you want to know what’s on the minds of eBay buyers in the U.S., just check out the latest top search terms from across the marketplace. It really boils down to games, games, games. Some form of Nintendo Wii, Sony Playstation or Microsoft Xbox 360 hold spots Nos. 1-6 with Wii” ranking as the most searched term (as of Dec. 29). Music also appears to be on buyers’ minds with terms reated to Apple iPod taking spots 7 and 9, and Microsoft’s Zune music player, released mid November, at No. 18. Elmo TMX, the 10-year anniversary edition of Tickle Me Elmo, dropped to No. 6 after holding the top spot for several weeks.

E-Street Rocker's Gibson Guitar Brings $1,800

Rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia has a place in many hearts, and now it’s found its way into a lucky bidder’s hands. Steve Van Zandt, guitarist in Bruce Springsteen’s E-Street Band, auctioned a signed Gibson Firebird guitar and an Underground Garage pick, both of which were used on the band’s tour to promote its 2002 album “The Rising.” Little Steven’s listing, part of the “A Wiseguy New Year’s Eve in Times Square Charity Auction,” received 41 bids and closed at $1,802.77, about twice the price of Gibson guitars on eBay over the last two weeks. The winning bid was placed by eBay user "ngala." The charity auction benefited VH1’s Save the Music program and was managed by Auctionwire.

Unwanted Gifts Finding Homes

The act of regifting is becoming more accepted these days – in fact, 69% find it socially acceptable to pass along unwanted gifts, according to an eBay/Survey.com study that came out just before Christmas. That figure represents a 20 percent jump over the previous year’s “acceptance” rating. Some of the most popular items to regift include: knick-knacks (32 percent), bottles of wine or spirits (26 percent), DVDs, CDs or books (23 percent), bath products (22 percent) and finally, the ever-elusive fruitcake (17 percent).

Apparently, most regifters are playing their cards right: a whopping 85 percent say they have not been caught regifting, which may explain why its becoming so popular. Interestingly, grandma and grandpa are the least likely recipients of regifted items, while friends and co-workers were the most likely targets.

Vera Wang: Fashion Designer, Figure Skater

Clothing designer Vera Wang is world renown for her stunning dresses, bridal gowns and lovely eau de parfum, but few know Vera Wang, the figure skater. Back in 1968, Vera's prowess on ice got her profiled in Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd," a long-standing feature that highlights current amateur athletes' exceptional performances. This week, the magazine celebrates 50 years of "Faces," which has run 2,632 weeks and profiled 15,672 athletes, including hundreds of then-unknown, now-famous personalities such as Tiger Woods, Magic Johnson, Emmitt Smith, Jack Nicklaus, John McEnroe and even James Dean.

Turns out Vera, a freshman at Sarah Lawrence College in 1967, took the senior ladies' title with a near-perfect performance at the North Atlantic Figure Skating Championships, which ended up getting her featured in the Jan. 8, 1968, edition of S.I. At 18, she missed qualifying for the nationals by two spots, and by falling short, so too did her dream of the 1968 Olympics.

After that, Vera left New York City and traveled to Paris to "find herself." It was there that she ended up discovering her fascination with design and fashion, and it quickly became her full-blown love. Today, the likes of Mariah Carey, Jessica Simpson and Uma Thurman wear her gowns, and no red carpet event is absent her "look."

Now 57, does Vera miss the skating? She tells S.I., "My old coach Peter Dunfield recently said to me, 'Vera, don't you miss the wind in your face? And I said, 'I do. I miss it every day.' "

Sweet Item of the Week

While ‘80s music was best known for asymmetrical hair, puffy pants, and the spawning of the music video, many may not realize the role Fairlight CMI keyboards (i.e. synthesizers) played in generating much of the era’s most defining tunes. Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer,” Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” Herbie Hancock’s “Rocket,” and U2’s “Unforgettable Fire” were among the most notable numbers that used a Fairlight.

Earlier this week, a vintage Fairlight keyboard – signed by 44 big-name musicians, composers and producers – sold through eBay Giving Works for $100,000. Gracing the white keys were signatures from Bono, Stevie Wonder, Sir George Martin, Gabriel, Thomas Dolby, Elvis Costello, and Annie Lennox, to name a few.

While the keyboard has no "engine" and is not intended to be played, it is a collectors item as the Fairlights discontinued production in the late 80s. The charity auction, managed by AuctionCause, benefited WITNESS, which uses the power of video to expose human rights abuses.

Rejected NBA Balls Could Bounce Up In Value

DALLAS (Flashnews.com) – The NBA will be ditching its brand new balls come January 1 – and that means they could bounce up in value. At least that’s the way Rich Klein, a sports memorabilia expert for Beckett.com, sees it.

Since the composite basketballs were used for only a short time, Klein calls them the “New Coke of professional sports." Still, he predicts they could have tremendous value to collectors – especially if there’s proof the balls were actually used in NBA games. As an example, Klein cites the old red, white and blue basketballs used by the now-defunct American Basketball Association, which can sell for up to four figures these days.

Naturally, game-used balls have the most value but Klein predicts that even the composite balls sold in the average sporting goods store will eventually be valued collectibles. Even better for budding collectors: Klein says sporting goods stores are probably going to drop the price in order to get rid of them before the New Year – so it’s a buyer’s market.

Toy Story

With tech toys receiving the media hype and online buzz this holiday, it’s easy for parents to buy what’s hot for the kids and be done with it. Not so fast, says Marianne Szymanski, president of Toy Tips, which offers parents a guide to smart toy choices. While e-gadgets are fine, Marianne encourages parents to introduce technology in toys that will add value to a child’s play experience. The Blue Man Group Keyboard Experience (pictured), Kindermusik educational music toys and the Wild Planet Digital Spy Camera are three examples of fun and creative toys she has tested and highly recommends.

Also, toys that reinforce skills, like LEGO sets, K'Nex building sets and Play Doh 50^th Anniversary Rainbow packs (now how old do you feel that Play Doh is turning 50?) are always a favorite. Parents can’t go wrong with themes of pirates, princesses and mermaids, not all of which have to be licensed from Pirates of the Caribbean or Disney, she says. Classic board games, like Monopoly (now with modernized editions), Chutes & Ladders, Sorry, Clue, and others, all can be a family experience, and bring back some great childhood memories for the parents too. Alex Toys’ Games to Go also rated high in Toys Tips' thorough testing.

Regardless of what parents buy for their kids, seeing their eyes light up when they open their toys is fun; however, sometimes things get a little out of hand as they did for this little guy below with a Nintendo 64. We're all curious about this year's reaction when he got a Wii.

Pop Kernels

Heisman Highlights
While Heisman winner Troy Smith of Ohio State may have been this year’s top college football player, last year’s winner – Reggie Bush of USC – actually put up bigger sales figures on eBay. Over the course of the season, 3,700 Bush-related items sold on eBay at $52 each, while Smith sold a respectable 3,300 items at about $39 per, and Bush had about 50 percent more sales volume around the time of the Heisman announcement in early December.

Bowling for Tickets
BCS Championship Game tickets are the hot item of the past two weeks, averaging about $3300 per listing (note, that’s per listing, not per ticket), according to eBay Marketplace Research. The average listing is starting at $2200 and getting about 10 bids, and one block of 10 tickets sold for $16,000. Over the last 14 days, nearly 600 listings have successfully closed for the Ohio State-Florida match-up on Jan. 8 in Arizona.

Catch a Lift
Skiing and snowboarding is a whole lotta fun, but it sure can be expensive. Looks like smart slopers are finding nicely-priced lift tickets on eBay. According to eBay Pop data, over 300 tickets have sold in the past two weeks – a 107 percent jump -- at an average price of $42. A quick visit to Squaw Valley site shows discounted tickets starting at over twice that amount.

Taylor vs. Katharine, Part Deux
The top two American Idols from season five – Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee – are releasing CDs within a month or two of each other. Hicks’ CD, creatively titled “Taylor Hicks,” is out this week, while McPhee’s has been delayed until late January. Hicks still has the selling power when it comes to items related to him selling on eBay. Nearly 1,400 have sold over the last three months, 30 percent of which have been in the last two weeks around album and touring buzz. McPhee, on the other hand, has been sporadic on eBay, with only 250 items related to her selling on the site since early September.

Pop Kernels

Looks like Rocky Balboa’s red and yellow boxing robe, his gloves and several other items from the sets of the Rocky movies will be enshrined in the Smithsonian, alongside Dorothy’s ruby red slippers, Abraham Lincoln’s top hat and Thomas Edison’s light bulb, according to the AP. Even after 30 years since the first Rocky flick, over 2,000 related items sold on eBay over the past two weeks at about $25 a hit. Not bad, Sly. Mickey would be proud.

Those artists who hauled the most hardware at the Billboard Music Awards on Monday – Mary J. Blige (9 awards), rapper T.I. (5), R&B singers Chris Brown and Rihanna and rock bands Nickelback and The Fray (3 each) – all saw modest bumps in sales of their music on eBay the day after the show. Although former American Idol winner Carrie Underwood (5 awards) saw a drop, and Fergie (0 awards, 1 on-stage performance) saw a small increase in sales. Hard to know who was busier, the guy wheeling the awards to the winners dressing rooms or the guy bleeping out all the not-ready-for-prime time language.

Of the 10 teams in college football’s Bowl Championship Series, it’s Notre Dame who wins the eBay BCS standings with nearly 3,500 ND football related items selling over the past month. Ohio State is second at nearly 2,000 sold over that span, and Michigan is a distant third at 1,100. Fans of BCS first-timer Boise State need to get clicking as only 20 items BSU football items have sold on eBay over the past 30 days. Someone needs a pep rally!

Sony’s late October/early November PS3 television spot featuring the exploding Rubik’s Cube may have rekindled interest in the 1980s puzzle game. From Oct. 26 – Nov. 8, over 1,100 Rubik’s Cubes sold on eBay, up 60 percent from the previous two weeks. It may get another bump in popularity when Will Smith solves the Cube in his upcoming movie, “The Pursuit of Happyness," hitting theatres Dec. 15. After solving the Rubik's Cube, next challenge is learning to spell "happiness."