Haiti Relief
Everyone is lending a hand for Haiti right now, the eBay community included. Since the devastating earthquake just over two weeks ago, eBay-related charity auctions have raised over $1m for organizations like Save the Children, The American Red Cross, and other nonprofits involved in the Haiti earthquake relief effort. Through eBay's Giving Works program, sellers can commit to donating a percentage of their listing's final sale price to the nonprofit of their choice. Over 48,000 live listings from over 8,00 sellers, supporting 45 nonprofits that are assisting with the relief effort are available for purchase on eBay. Buyers can seek out these items or donate directly to the relief efforts through PayPal. Even Hollywood has gotten into the act, with celebrities including Ben Stiller, Conan O'Brien, Scarlett Johansson, Zoe Saldana, Ashley Judd, Stephen Colbert and many more auctioning personalized products and experiences with sales to behefit Haiti.
The eBay Stats: Over $1m has been donated through the eBay community to date; Stephen Colbert's interview table from the Colbert Report sold for $14,401 to benefit the American Red Cross (after 80 bids); Four Tickets to Opening Night of Scarlett Johansson's A View from the Bridge sold for $5,100 (after 74 bids)
On Our Shopping List: Avatar star Zoe Saldana's VIP NY Fashion Week experience, with sales benefitting Architecture for Humanity; a StillerStrong headband signed by a very busy (but still charitable Conan O'Brien, left), also benefitting Architecture for Humanity and sold through Ben Stiller's Stillerstrong campaign.
The Oscar Race on eBay
With the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards behind us, the spotlight has turned to the Academy Awards race. While the nominations won't be announced until Tuesday, there are some films that are rumored Best Picture contenders that are already available on DVD. Among them: The Hurt Locker, Up, Inglourious Basterds, and District 9. (With the Best Picture category expanded to include 10 films this year, there are bound to be more action-oriented, blockbusters in the mix compared to previous years.) If you aren't caught up on your movies, buy them now and set up at-home screenings. The aforementioned films, ranked by number of listings, stack up interestingly below…maybe District 9 has more of a chance than we thought!
The eBay Stats: In the past week, there have been approximately 665 listings for District 9 ($6,532 in total sales), 494 listings for Up ($5,999 in total sales), 296 listings for The Hurt Locker ($5.976 in total sales) and 75 listings for Inglourious Basterds ($786 in total sales).
On Our Shopping List: Bulking up our movie collection with DVDs of District 9, Up, The Hurt Locker and Inglourious Basterds
Ke$ha
Bratty and bawdy pop starlet Ke$ha is all over the airwaves. Her song “Tik Tok” highlights her drawl-like hip hop voice and sassy, party-girl lyrics. Truth be told, the song is catchy and Ke$ha is resonating with both the tween, teen, and club sets. The Jersey Shore kids for sure love the “party all night” message that Ke$ha is sending. With Gaga, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and so many strong female stars dominating the industry this year, Ke$ha is in good company.
The eBay Stats: Ke$ha's debut album, "Animal," was released in early January. In the past 30 days, there have been approximately 1,018 Ke$ha-related items available for sale on eBay and $2,340 in total sales.
On Our Shopping List: A Ke$ha signed guitar (buy it now price, $499.99); a Ke$ha "Animal" CD
**Images of Brad Pitt and Ke$ha from PR Photos.**
Karen Bard is eBay's Pop Culture Expert.
