Charles Rao emigrated from Italy to Harlem in New York City. At that time, the neighborhood was primarily an Italian community. He opened Rao’s restaurant in 1896 and ran it until his death in 1909. Over the next hundred years, the place has become a world-class hotspot for fine cuisine.

Bids for the reservation start at $5,000 and benefit the National Italian American Foundation for educational purposes, including grants to study Italian history, culture, or language.

What’s so special about this place anyway?  You may have seen it in the D.O.A. (Death of Autotune) video that Jay-Z shot at the restaurant in 2009. There is also a Law & Order episode inspired by the difficulty at securing a reservation. But chances are you haven’t eaten there, it’s one of the most exclusive restaurants in the world.

One of the reasons that it’s so hard to get a table is that there are only ten and there’s only one seating per even. Another reason is that locals have been given standing reservations during the century it’s been open, many of which are still around today. In 1977, its place in culinary history was cemented by New York Times food critic Mimi Sheraton who gave them a half-page, three-star review which made it  nearly impossible to get a reservation.

The eatery’s modest website states “For reservations, call: 212-722-6709,” and offers a concession–have a drink at the bar–for those who can’t get a table. You can call (212) 722-6709 and try your hand at being one of the lucky few to get a reservation on their own. Most callers are told that they’re booked for the year and not taking any reservations right now.

Myself, I’ll be ordering a jar of their sauce, boiling my own noodles, and seeing what all the fuss is about.

Recently, I saw a still-living B.B. King, who suffers from arthritis and other medical conditions that affect his ability to play; nevertheless, he remained seated while he offered his traditional blues-crossover sets as if it were 1990. Of all the members of the archetypal rock band, the vocalist is perhaps the most transient. Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page will continue to play guitar past traditional ages of retirement, but a vocalist can only suck down cigarettes and scream out rock tunes with any credibility for a relatively shorter period. If you go see Robert Plant live, you’ll see a much more subdued set than Led Zeppelin concertgoers were entertained with in the early 70’s.

When I heard the news that rock vocalist Ronnie James Dio had died of stomach cancer earlier this month, my heart went out to his family and loyal fans. It’s a rough way to go, reminding us that fading away can be more painful than merely losing the spotlight as one ages.

No doubt, however, others were privately rejoicing, as the market for Dio memorabillia has exploded. This is common when celebrities die, as Zippycart eCommerce news reports. Auctions on eBay for a variety of related articles, many autographed by the rock star. Because he will not be around to sign any more items, it’s no surprise that their value has instantly risen with the news of his passing.

The most expensive items are autographed guitars, which are always a hot-ticket item even if the person signing did not play guitar. Complete sets of autographs from the post-Ozzy Black Sabbath lineup will also no doubt fetch a small fortune. Photographs and box sets make popular items for autographing, as do concert tickets/programs or shirts from their many years of touring. The article mentioned above reports that over a thousand items including “Ronnie James Dio” in the auction title have recently been added as of May 18, with many more lacking this specificity no doubt being added since then.

Dio will be best remembered for being Ozzy Osbourne’s replacement as the vocalist and frontman of metal pioneers Black Sabbath. He also was the first to popularize the “devil horns” gesture, extending the index and little fingers, which is now as ubiquitous as a raised cigarette lighter among concertgoers across all genres. Dio’s legacy also includes his work with other lesser-known metal bands, and his solo career with his own eponymous group, Dio.

Profiting on the death of celebrities can seem distasteful, as our culture tens to regard death as a sad and sacred event. I believe, however, that there’s a profound respect among the resurgence of interest found after celebrity deaths. Every person, famous or otherwise, will die someday. For every person who decides to hold onto an item until death increases its value, there is another who benefits from purchasing an item to help them remember a fallen hero.

Though many Texans burned their Black Sabbath items when Ozzy Osbourne was banned from playing in Texas for disrespecting the Alamo, there is likely a gold mine of Black Sabbath and Dio goods in garages and boxes across the state. Interested in getting rid of your Dio-related stuff? Contact an Easysale representative today to find out if your forgotten treasure can make a mourning fan happy and earn some cash for you.

But for Morace Park, of Essex, England, $5.68 (£3.20 for him) has netted him well over a 300,000% return on his meager investment. It started with eBay, the world’s online marketplace, and a listing labelled “an old film” which was the inadequate description of the aged, olive green film canister he purchased for dirt cheap. Inside was a 35mm nitrate film with the title “Charlie Chaplin in Zepped.”

Charlie Chaplin films are always great collectors items, and one in this condition begs the question–did the seller even examine what he had listed? Adding to its value is the fact that the film is a World War I relic, as it’s a previously uncirculated (among collectors) propaganda film for the war effort. Initial reports from the Daily Mail (UK) last year estimated that the film “could be worth up to £40,000″ (~$57,348 USD), but this is a conservative estimate as experts continue to understand its rarity and historical significance.

It’s lucky for Mr. Park that his neighbor, John Dyer, is the former head of education for the British Board of Film Classification. Together, the two have embarked on a journey to understand this piece of history.

The film, which could easily be mistaken for a Monty Python sequence according to the Guardian (UK), is not even seven minutes long. It includes shots of Chaplin along with previously unseen footage of Zeppelin bombing attacks. The Guardian speculates that Chaplin’s position as a humorist could be juxtaposed with the powerful images of warfare in order to reduce the public fear of their destructive potential.

Chaplin, who was criticized for his own lack of military service in World War I, was embroiled in contract and salary disputes which led to a lot of patchwork films in an effort to blend new and old material to create new works. It’s uncertain how much of the film consists of previously unarchived footage of the man many consider the father of cinematic humor.

According to The Star (Canada), an academic film publication out of Russia reported that the film was likely destroyed. Another article posts that the film was en route to Egypt for exposition many years ago. How it ended up on eBay for a microfraction of its worth is completely unknown.

Filmmaker Hammad Khan is making a documentary out of the quest to investigate the film’s origin and worth and the purchaser and his neighbor had started a blog which describes the genesis of their journey: “We think we might have made THE cinematic find of the last 100 years. It’s something we feel compelled to get to the bottom of. And quick.” The blog, which may have moved or been abandoned, describes the difficulty of performing normal household tasks such as washing dishes with such a monumental mystery on their hands.

On May 23 of this year, the Mirror (UK) reported that the 46-year-old father of three from Henham, Essex was offered £900,000 (almost $1.3 million USD) by a private collector for the film, which he’s in “no rush” to sell. He describes his quest as “like the search for the Holy Grail.”

It’s not just an app for beginners, though; eBay’s suite of mobile apps are tailored for advanced users as well. One great resource is eBay’s research feature. Sellers can analyze sales trends of similar items to see what sells and for what price. Knowing when to go fixed price and when to let buyers scramble to outbid one another in a live action is part of what differentiates casual eBayers from those who know the business well.

This is one reason why it’s still a great idea to consider using Easysale to sell your used goods. Even though trends are making it easy to list items yourself, their comprehensive listing service includes professional photography and authorship of listings as well as other “trade secrets” used to maximize the final price. Considering they are working for a percentage of the sale price of your items, they have a vested interest in knowing how to make the most of your used items.

Still, iPhone users interested in trying out eBay should give the selling tool a shot. Listing items is supposed to be a snap (see demo video below) and you can track listings and activity directly from its interface.

For a limited time, the eBay mobile site is reporting that users will have their scheduled listing fee waived and four free photos are included with out any additional charge. Integration with Paypal is another great feature.

Other mobile apps available from eBay have been targeted towards buyers, such as the daily deal and buyer alerts. Besides making things easier and reducing eBay’s learning curve, these apps also help connect people’s eBay activity with their social networks.

You may have to see this to understand how simple it is. I’m impressed at how the features are integrated without unnecessary complexity. For now, it’s only available in the U.S. app store, and the same goes for the deal described above.

Doing business as “Scoolsout,” the student-led initiative happened in collaboration with the school district’s technology director and the ”Steps to Success” program. The project also gained the attention of a scholarship contest sponsored by SkillsUSA; Thompson took first place and netted a cool $5,000.

According to Missouri licensing laws, it can cost up to $25 per item to recycle electronics, a hefty cost when one considers the frequent equipment turnover for school districts. Additionally, some of the proceeds of the initiative go to fund the Steps to Success program. Leadership and job readiness training is provided to participating students. Students graduate from the program trained on cutting-edge internet business.

Students are responsible for posting items, creating listings, collecting funds, running the office, ordering supplies, customer service, and the timely shipping of goods. So far, the program has made $13,000, as reported in the Shoreview Press. All in all, it’s hard work, and accolades are well-deserved for participating students who gain work experience before finishing high school.

Plans are in the works to expand the program and contract the services to other surrounding schools, which should prove lucrative as new computers are on the way to area middle schools.

Easysale, a full-service eBay consignment store in the Dallas metroplex is proud to offer similar fundraising for qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofits. This is a great way to raise money all year for your school, church, synagogue or other nonprofit. Simply ask your network of supporters to gather unwanted items valued at $50 or more.

Easysale is dedicated to helping non-profits raise funds more efficiently. With our competitive fee structure, the seller/donor receives the proceeds from the sale of their items, with 60% of the proceeds going to the seller/donor.

You can track your auction online (that’s part of the fun) and 100% of the final selling price is deductible for income tax purposes as a charitable donation. Ask about how you can get telephone scripts, contact letters, and template e-mails to reach out to existing donors.  Check out our For Charities page for more information.

And if you’re looking to consolidate your own business assets, consider making money off your upgrade by consulting Easysale’s staff. They are experienced in handling business liquidations, head on over to our For Your Business to find out more.

My grandparents recently moved to New Mexico from California and they had to get rid of a lot of their belongings first.

First, they invited their children to come to their house and take anything they wanted. They wanted to make sure that anyone who had their eye on a piece of furniture or cherished heirloom need not wait until probate to inherit it. Unfortunately for them, no one came and no one expressed interest in any items that they were willing to part with.

If they were in the Dallas/Forth Worth metroplex, I would have recommended they come to Easysale. As an Easysale Ambassador, I would have earned a cool $30 myself for the referral. Because there aren’t any similar services in their old area, I asked them if they had ever considered listing their items on eBay.

My grandparents are pretty tech-savvy. They at least know how to operate a digital camera, upload images, and use eBay’s interface. Though they have never sold anything before, they have an okay reputation from making 4-5 purchases a year and promptly sending their payment. This is chump change in a market where people run entire businesses on eBay, shipping hundreds of goods a month in what amounts to a full-time job; still, the lack of negative feedback and longevity of their account should inspire some confidence.

Their impression was that unless you have a solid reputation, it’s not worth listing items for sale. This was something they picked up from talking to peers and also from their own buying habits. My grandfather pointed out that he doesn’t bother with auctions (preferring the buy it now button) and passes over cheaper items that lack the professional layout of established businesses.

People like him are fairly common in an arena that depends on trust and confidence to make up for the lack of brick-and-mortar reliability. The recent changes at eBay have made things even more difficult for amateur merchants to enter the fray, especially if lots of time passes between transactions.

Saying nothing of the professional appearance and dedicated response times, how much can a high reputation like one afforded by using Easysale actually affect the success of an online auction sale? A field experiment published in the Journal of Experimental Economics (“The value of reputation on eBay: A controlled experiment,” Vol. 9, #2, Jun 2006) confirms my grandfather’s suspicions, almost. A randomized and controlled field experiment compared sales of identical item batches between new seller identities compared with an established seller with high feedback points.

Predictably, the high-feedback user performed better. The study found a difference of 8.1% of the selling price in buyer’s willingness-to-pay.  Just another reason to trust your eBay listings to a professional!

One change

The descriptors will vary from category to category, but the Announcement on eBay’s Seller Information page states that up to six item conditions will be available. This is another response from eBay that was developed in close cooperation with buyer and seller feedback.

This is not just to improve buyer satisfaction, but also to drive more traffic to eBay from other sites that help consumers comparison shop online. The new conditions were developed with the idea of keeping things simple for buyers while still adding detail to item listings. It is interesting to note that not all categories will be affected. This is a good thing. Not everyone is a jeweler or collectible expert; short of waiting until PBS’s Antique’s Roadshow comes to town, your best guess will do for antiques where the “condition varies so dramatically.” Also exempt are event tickets, real estate, or gift certificates among others.

Those who list their own items for sale on eBay should be advised that this is not simply a usability upgrade. Using the new informative terms will be mandatory by July 27 but users are encouraged to begin compliance immediately. Check out the item condition lookup table to see if these details apply to your items for sale.

In some cases, items will be “automatically mapped” based on the previous descriptors, but users are encouraged to double check to ensure that their listings are accurate. Well-intentioned sellers will likely not be given the benefit of the doubt for too long if they fail to accurately use this new system.

This is just another reason why you should trust the qualified staff at Easysale to list your items for you. In addition to being up to date on all of eBay’s published changes, they’re also knowledgeable about “trade secrets” that lead to higher sales and more money for you! From pricing to item descriptions, the dedicated professionals at Easysale will do their very best to maximize the selling power of your items.  For those who want to do it on their own, eBay recommends the following “best practices”:

Best Practices

• Start using the new item condition values as soon as they are available.
• Ensure that your item description aligns with the item condition you specify—you cannot have contradictions between the two.
• Continue to fully describe the condition of your item in the body of your listing and make sure this description is consistent withthe new item condition value you choose.
• Continue to identify in your listing any defects or other information a buyer should know in order to make an informed decision.
• Provide plenty of photos that complement the item condition and description.

It may seem like a scene from a post-apocalyptic blockbuster, but this is daily life for the 100,000 employees of this recycling village in Guiyu, China. Most of the waste is from circuit boards, the toxicity of which is proportionate to their affordability in the United States.

If you recycle your electronics, you may take comfort to know that your electronics were safely recycled in much more modern facilities. Surely our waste isn’t in that pile in Southeast China, right? Unfortunately, much of that waste is from American homes. In addition, many of it was taken to facilities by well-intentioned consumers who believed they were doing the right thing by paying to have it recycled. Capitalism (more specifically, globalization) dictates that the cheapest and most profitable processes outcompete more expensive ones. As a result, it’s often cheaper for domestic recyclers to ship waste to China for “recycling.”

To say nothing of the environmental impact from the fuel of shipping tons of trash across the globe, recycling has a different meaning in developing nations. It’s a very toxic process to manually remove certain metals, and most ends up burned in makeshift campfires by workers for pennies a day. A lack of opportunity and education means that many of these workers don’t even know about the local prevalence of cancer or infant mortality. When people die of lead or mercury poisoning, the toxicity of their work environment is often not even considered.

It’s a troubling state of affairs, but ignorance is not bliss; in fact, the greatest obstacle to a sustainable future may be the denial afforded by trendy “Green” products or propaganda from the recycling industry that trades small change and satisfaction for guilt and certain trash. It’s an uphill battle to change public perception enough to demand that all recycling plants stop this exploitative practice in the name of cutting costs. Until then, responsible recycling may take more work on the consumer side.

People need to do their research to find out whether their local recycler exports waste. Better yet, people should buy products free from mercury and lead. A lot of European companies make lead-free electronics and have to deal with much stricter requirements on the manufacturing side of things. Until then, the best option for your used electronics may be ensuring that it ends up used in someone else’s home. If it has value, it can be sold on eBay, craigslist, or through local newspapers.

If the value is more than $50, it may be worth your time to check out an Easysale store, with 5 convenient locations in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. You’d be doing more to avoid the destruction of our planet, and you may make some fast cash without much effort. Just think, at a recycling plant, you have to pay them to take your e-waste. How awesome that you can save time, earn money, and do the right thing all at once!

eBay owns a minority stake in craigslist and has been involved in litigation with them over whether this venture is fair play. eBay sued first, arguing that their economic advantage was “unfairly diluted.” Craigslist countersued, arguing that eBay has unfairly competed and misappriorated proprietary information for Kijiji.

Perhaps in an effort to move past this, or maybe just appropriate branding, eBay is launching eBay classifieds in select cities in the United States. Some of their pitch seems to be directly related to how the service is superior to Craigslist, whose link-heavy, minimalist design has remained largely unchanged since the days of dial-up internet.

“All those links you see on some sites? You won’t encounter that clutter here.” Other advantages include being able to view seller history, hit tracking, “rapid response times” for customer support, and faster posting of ads.

Another notable difference is the moderation. What’s promised is a family-friendly experience. Craigslist, on the other hand, is consensus-moderated and has easily accessible adult sections for the raunchiest of merchandise. In many cases, functional prostitution occurs in their personal section. Personals were scrapped from the design of Kijiji, which again, will now be launched in the United States as eBay Classifieds.

One reason for Craigslist’s success has been their pricing. For the most part, Craigslist is free. There are only a few services in select cities that generate revenue for the San Francisco Bay Area corporation, specifically paid job ads in San Francisco, New York City, San Diego, Boston, Seattle, Chicago, Philadelphia, Portland, and Washington D.C. Also, brokers sponsoring apartment listings in New York City are required to pay $10. eBay Classifieds promises to be 100% free, and offers many of the same services that craigslist has–including housing for sale and rent, carpool listings, information for artists and musicians, lost & found listings, and more. In fact, only the rants & raves section (an explicit gallery of internet crackpottery) and the adult sections (including personals) are absent from the site, found at ebayclassifieds.com. Other advantages include the expanded pets section (including livestock and animal services) and legal advice.

According to Alexa.com at press time, Craigslist.org is the 6th most visited sites in the United States, immediately followed by Amazon and eBay. It’s no wonder that eBay is encroaching on the classifieds territory, as there’s plenty of money to go around. I spent the day browsing for housing on the classified site; yesterday, there were around 15-16 housing ads for the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Although that number is certainly dwarfed by the number available on Craigslist, eBay’s brightly-lit aesthetic lends itself well to promotion. Additionally, the clearly-defined fields for things like square footage and whether pets allowed will likely make searching for things more effective if the idea takes off.

Saul Hansell of the Bits (Business, Innovation, Technology, Society) section of the New York Times Online points out that eBay has an ”uphill battle”but has the advantage of a higher budget and more dedicated staff. Hansell points out the cleanliness of the interface as a potential advantage.

Stay tuned.

In spite of all that anticipation, toy crazes are remarkably short-lived. I recall fist-fights at the mall over Tickle-me-Elmo, shrieking Furbies, and kids mourning the death of their egg-shaped virtual pet keychains. But it wasn’t long before these toys were forgotten. Retailers make or break their yearly sales based on avoiding Turbo-Man-like shortages and an article in the North Jersey Register suggests that it’s now, not even at the mid-year point, when retailers really develop their strategy for craze-creation.

One such strategy is bringing back old toys. The article reminds us of ”Mighty Beanz” from 2003, which admittedly I must have missed. Harold Chizick of Spin Master explains his plan to reach “a whole new group of kids”: “These things have a natural life cycle,” adding that reintroducing old toys can revitalize demand after about six or seven years after the buying frenzy cools down.

The Mighty Beanz have “triggered a bidding war on eBay,” which makes me scratch my head and wonder what other toys will make a comeback. In some cases, the resale value of old toys can greatly exceed their original value; in Furby’s case, it brings up aging anxiety over the use of the term “vintage” to describe something ubiquitous in 1998.

Your empty nest may be a maturing investment. You may even be able to use disregarded previous presents to finance this year’s holidays. If you think that you may have the next-previous-big-thing, head on over to any one of easysale’s five locations and turn that trash into cash!

Remember that the item must be appraised for at least fifty dollars.  But if you don’t know how much an item is worth, that’s what our trained staff is for. For more information on what sells, please view our guidelines.