eBay has become a pop culture barometer and mini stock market of product popularity. Sedna Communications owner and principal Dean Jutilla, former senior manager in eBay's communications department, provides insights and trend-spotting across many topics using both eBay marketplace data and findings from eBay Pop, produced by meta-shopping service Mpire.
Calypso crooner Jimmy Buffett (below) is also getting involved, to benefit charity, by auctioning his limited-edition Shellback guitar on eBay. Not only is the C.F. Martin guitar signed by Buffett, but also signed by all 21 of the 2007 SI swimsuit models. The famed six-string traveled with many string bikinis to photo shoots in 14 cities in four countries and is featured in Buffett’s "Getting the Picture" SI Swimsuit video. (Don't worry, this video does not feature Jimmy in a speedo.)
No doubt, NASCAR is incredibly popular nationwide with 13 million fans attending races at 22 tracks in 19 states. It's definitely gone down the track of big business. Even six years to the week after his death at the Daytona 500, Dale Earnhardt, Sr. items are still selling strong on eBay, a true testament to his legacy to the sport. Yet, with the start of a new season last Sunday (Feb. 18), items related to son Dale, Jr. (pictured) have been selling even hotter, nearly 7,500 over the last two weeks compared to 1,500 related to his father. By comparison, 4,500 items related to fellow driver Tony Stewart and 2,000 items related to last year's NASCAR champ Jimmie Johnson sold over the same period.
This year also is debuts the Car of Tomorrow, a newly revamped stock car that supposedly reduces costs, increases safety and promotes competitive racing. If you can't afford your own racing team, you may be interested in a die cast model one-tenth the original size. Not as fast as the real thing but much more economical to maintain.
Rhonda Byrne, author of controversial self-help book (and DVD), "The Secret," appears to have stuck a chord with people seeking a new approach in their lives -- but it's only been since she appeared on Oprah Feb. 8 that the book has really taken off on eBay. "The Secret" delves into the law of attraction, providing guidance on how one can manifest change and get what they want through positive thought. Apparently millions are hooked on the approach and are now taking it from head to heart.
Once Byrne appeared on Oprah, sales of "The Secret" hard-cover books, DVDs and audiobook CDs skyrocketed to nearly 3,800 across the marketplace, after selling just 50 per week since Thanksgiving. Now it's No. 1 on both the New York Times and USA Today Best-Selling Books lists, No. 7 on Half.com's Top 200 Books list, and has reportedly been selling out in stores. Currently, there are over 400 "The Secret" items available on eBay.
Whatever people find more helpful in the book or on DVD, the real bottomline secret is this: Get whatever you are hawking on Oprah.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- the seventh and final installment of the Harry Potter series that hits streets July 21 -- is being pre-sold at various stores and sites, including eBay. While just a few have sold over the past week at an average of $13 each, it's been the Death Hallows t-shirts that have actually sold more and, at $20 each, commanded a higher price.
While CPAs everywhere have begun hunkering down for yet another busy tax season, it appears many eBayers plan to go it alone. TurboTax tax preparation software jumped 81 percent between Feb. 6-12, no doubt inspired by receiving W2s in the mail recently. About 500 copies of 2006 software are selling weekly, at about $41 each. Apparently, buyers are eager to get started this year as the software is getting an average of 11 bids per item (by comparison, a black 4GB iPod nano is receiving 13).
Shoe Debut: Jordan XX2, D-Wade Converse, Nike AF25
Nike's Jordan Brand is rolling out the XX2 in stores Feb. 17 in celebration of 22 years of the Air Jordan shoe line. Also coming out about the same time are the Dwyane Wade Converse 2.0 (unrelated to Web 2.0) and the Nike AF25 Premium, setting up a three-horse race for hoopsters' attention and dollars.
Some of the XX2 shoes are already showing up on eBay, selling for an average price of $173 since Feb. 1, while the D-Wade (pictured) and Nike AF25s shoes have yet to appear on the site. To see the XX2 commercial spot, see the link below. Incidentally, this time last year, a full set all 21 previous Air Jordans, signed by Michael Jordan himself no less, went for $425,000.
The next dollar coin hits circulation on Feb. 15, closely timed with the observance of President's Day. These new coins will feature U.S. presidents -- four issued per year, from now through 2016, about the time we'll all be using debit cards in lieu of cash or change. The 2007 starting lineup will include George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, and in later years, even Richard Nixon. Presidents will grace each coin only one time, except for Grover Cleveland, who will be on two because he was the only president to serve nonconsecutive terms. To be eligible, a president must have been dead for at least two years.
There has been some talk of eliminating the paper dollar, which is very expensive to reprint, in favor of the more durable dollar coin. Yet, 3 in 4 Americans surveyed in an AP/Ipsos poll said they would not want the paper dollar eliminated, besides it's not as much fun to play serial number poker with coins. One successful coin introduction has been the 50-state quarter program. Since it began in 1999, it has introduced many people, including a younger generation, to collecting for the first time. Time will tell if the new dollar coin finds the same affinity, especially that Nixon dollar.
What also seems a tad strange is the snubbing of Mary J. Blige for Album of the Year nomination. Apparently Breakthrough wasn't able to do just that when it came to the Recording Academy despite eight other Grammy nominations, nine Billboard Music Awards, two American Music Awards and two BET Music Awards. Blige (left) ended up winning three Grammies, including best R&B album.
In a pre-Grammy survey by Harris Interactive, nearly 4 in 10 of the 8-18 year olds surveyed thought Justin Timberlake's album should win this year's top honors, while just 1 in 10 thought the Dixie Chicks' Taking the Long Way -- last night's actual winner -- should receive the nod.
Anna Nicole Smith Fascination Trending on eBay, Too
Everywhere you turn, there seems to be discussion and coverage about Anna Nicole Smith -- and from the way she lived her life, she probably wouldn't have wanted it any other way. And that buzz is even spilling over to eBay sales. Since she passed away Feb. 8, 4,500 items related to her have been sold on eBay after selling a scant 30-40 related items per week over the past month. For those keeping track at home, that's an astounding 13,000 percent increase, week over week. The average price jumped to $25 per item, nearly five times from previous weeks figures.
Miss Sixty designer Vicky Hassan feels the fashion trend to watch for during Fall 2007 is the 80's look. He predicts a move away from denim and into more elegant silk velvet. You have to believe denim is here to stay so we'll see. One person who's seeing a lot these week is eBay Style Director Constance White (pictured at left). She's been in the fashion industry for 15 years with stints at Elle, the New York Times and Women's Wear Daily, so she knows what she's talking about. Among Constance's many Fashion Week observations on her eBay blog.
Naturally, every event has its critics. A number of designers and glossy mag editors were quite critical in a New York Times article, saying that the 221 total shows running from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (yes, that's over 24 per day) is simply too much. In some cases, there are six shows scheduled at the same time at various New York hotels and venues. These editors, their writers, publicists, other designers, bloggers, sponsors, advertisers and others can only make it to just so many shows. But the show must go on (and this case, on and on and on).
If you've had a chance to dry off after Prince's Super Bowl XLI halftime performance, well, gas up the TiVO because The Police are opening Sunday's 49th Annual Grammy Awards. The trio has won five Grammies, and rumors are swirling that a U.S. and European tour is in the works. Believe it or not, "Roxanne" -- the band's huge single from the 70's, turns 30 this year. Also look for Smokey Robinson and Lionel Richie to keep the night young with their performances at the Grammies. To snap you out of your time warp, catch performances by Mary J. Blige, who won nine honors at the Billboard Music Awards in early December, Chris Brown, and Shakira, among others.
Football collectors wasted no time in snapping up Peyton Manning items after his MVP performance in Super Bowl XLI. The game ended at just before 10 pm ET in Miami, and over the following two hours -- between 10 pm and midnight -- over 1,220 Manning items sold, compared to 460 during the game itself. Even leading up to the game, Manning jersey sales were up 30 percent with over 1,800 selling at a average of $55 each. His 1998 rookie card has also been a hot item, with the average price of a graded card running about $57 and non-graded cards averaging about $14 each.
Anheuser-Busch, which produced two of the most "TiVo'd" ads during the game, has been getting its share of continued blogosphere buzz, according to one metrics firm. BuzzMetrics says the nine Bud/Bud Light commercials resulted in over 15 percent of the buzz volume, which measures the number of people blogging about a particular topic. The Nationwide Insurance ad, which featured Kevin Federline, received six percent; however, much of the buzz on KFed took place prior to the game as Nationwide released the spot early to extend the visibility. See the most popular Bud Light spot below.
appropriately gracing this year's edition, dubbed "The Music Issue." It features the swimsuit models with Gnarls Barkley, Aerosmith, Kayne West, Kenny Chesney and Panic! at the Disco, among others. 
his limited-edition Shellback guitar on eBay. Not only is the C.F. Martin guitar signed by Buffett, but also signed by all 21 of the 2007 SI swimsuit models. The famed six-string traveled with many string bikinis to photo shoots in 14 cities in four countries and is featured in Buffett’s "Getting the Picture" SI Swimsuit video. (Don't worry, this video does not feature Jimmy in a speedo.)
