TV & Music TechnoGeek: November 2014

November 3, 2014

Computer Auctions And Why eBay May Not Be Your Only Option

Name the first online auction site that comes to your mind. Can you even think of any besides eBay? For most of us it’s the only online auction site that matters, but if you’re browsing through eBay to find great deals on computers, you may be better off using an alternative auction platform.
Why look somewhere other than eBay?

Less competition when placing bids.
Less dependence on PayPal.
Avoid common eBay scams.

If you need a very specific item and price isn’t a top concern, by all means keep using eBay. The site is so massively international that you won’t find a better selection of items anywhere else. However, if you’re curious to see what’s out there besides eBay, you won’t regret checking out these sites.

Dell Auction

Dell is a popular brand if you don’t care about building your own computers. Purchasing their computers at retail price can drain your wallet pretty fast, especially if you customize your order, but you can save a lot of money by going through Dell Auction instead.
With Dell Auction, you can bid on refurbished Dell laptops and desktops that have been restored to fit Dell’s quality specifications. It doesn’t cost anything to place bids and each purchase comes with a 30-day satisfaction return policy.
As you might expect, the selection here is somewhat small since they only serve up Dell products. However, I’ve seen a number of great laptops and desktop systems priced under $200 so there’s a lot of money to be saved here. Listed prices do not include shipping.
Regional Availability: United States.

uBid

Though uBid has expanded to include many different auction item categories, they’ve always had a strong root in computers and computer-related products. Here you’ll find plenty of affordable equipment from top-name brands like Dell, Lenovo, HP, and even Apple.
Like eBay, uBid has two types of product listings: Auction and Buy Now. At the time of writing, I see dozens of awesome computer auctions that are about to end between $100 and $200. The Buy Now products are just as affordable but typically limited to 1 stock.
If you’re looking to buy a computer at auction, you really can’t pass up uBid. The combination of price and variety is unmatched by any other site.
Regional Availability: United States.

Public Surplus

Public Surplus is a place where public agencies can put up surplus merchandise (otherwise known as overstock) for sale at super cheap prices. All sellers on Public Surplus are required to register and pay regular fees, meaning this site isn’t an open auction where anyone can sell anything they want.
You’ll find a lot of variety in items but each item won’t have too many stocked, so if you lose an auction you likely won’t have another chance. The good thing is that not many people know about Public Surplus, making it easier to grab that particular item that caught your eye.
Regional Availability: United States and Canada.

Liquidation

Like Public Surplus, Liquidation is a place where overstock is auctioned off at incredibly cheap prices, except Liquidation’s range stretches all over the globe. There are dozens of computer systems on sale at any given time, sourced mostly from the United States but able to be shipped to most countries.
Liquidation has a clean website layout that makes it easy to find what you want at a price within your budget. Items are graded on conditions like New, Used, Refurbished, Returned, or even Salvaged. The selection is somewhat small but it’s the perfect place to find those once-in-a-blue-moon deals.
Regional Availability: International.

Conclusion

The next time you need to buy a cheap computer, consider buying from an online auction site that isn’t eBay. You’ll run into fewer auction snipers, the products tend to be more reliable, and you’ll be distancing yourself from those common eBay scams.
If you really don’t like eBay and want to know what else is out there, check out these awesome eBay alternatives.
Know of any other computer auction sites? It’d be great to hear about them. Please share with us in the comments!

Source: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/computer-auctions-ebay-may-option/

Fed Up With eBay? Here Are Some Worthy (And Cheaper) Alternatives For Sellers

When you want to sell your excess junk online, where do you go? For most people, the one and only answer is eBay. With millions of daily users, it only seems logical to use the number one popular online auction site when you have online selling needs. But what about all of the alternatives that are arguably better?
“Why fix something that isn’t broken, Joel?” you might ask. Or more poignantly, “Why use a different site when eBay suits me just fine?” Well, if you enjoy using eBay, then I suppose there’s no reason to switch. However, over the years, many users have grown fed up with eBay’s services. If you’re one of those users, then have no fear. The eBay alternative are pretty good.
If you have stuff you need to sell and you need it done online, check out the following sites. Some of them may surprise you.

Craigslist

Here’s an alternative that may seem like common sense: Craigslist. Founded in 1995, Craigslist acts as an online community where users can post classified ads. In the last 17 years, Craigslist has become so popular that it now serves over 700 localized versions of its site in over 70 countries. If you need a broad audience, here you go.
Craigslist is completely free. You do not pay any service fees or charges for posting your listings. Payment and transactions are dealt with face-to-face between parties, so there is no mediator escrow-type service; be careful that you aren’t scammed. The interface is somewhat outdated and as far as I know there isn’t a way to judge a user’s trustworthiness (like with eBay’s rating system).
But everything considered, you keep 100% of the revenue when you finalize a transaction using Craigslist and its popularity guarantees that you won’t run out of buyers anytime soon.

Ealtbay

Ealtbay. Just take a look at this service’s name and you’ll see that its primary purpose is to be an alternative to eBay. But is it better than eBay? Check out their five reasons for existence and decide for yourself.

Ealtbay does not place bans on items that are perfectly legal to be sold.
Ealtbay lets you list items for free. Final fees on sold items are much lower than eBay.
Ealtbay does not force electronic payment methods (e.g., Paypal) on users. Whatever method the seller is comfortable with can be used.
Ealtbay allows feedback for both buyers and sellers, not just sellers.
Ealtbay does not force top-rated sellers to appear at the top of search results, allowing smaller-volume sellers more exposure.

The downside to Ealtbay is that their audience is nowhere near the size of eBay (which is understandable) and they have a primitive-looking interface that isn’t exactly beautiful (which is a definite negative). However, those five features above more than make up for any of Ealtbay’s shortcomings.

eBid

eBid is a promising alternative to eBay, boasting over 6 million item listings in nearly 13,000 categories. There are no listing fees here and the final fees are much lower than the fees over at eBay. Payment methods include Paypal, PPPay, Google Checkout, and Skrill. If you’re worried about eBid’s reliability as a service, be placated in knowing that eBid is a Google Shopping Marketplace Partner.
eBid’s selling features are that they provide a number of merchant programs (auctions, fixed-price transactions, and storefronts) as well as the ability to “ninja list” items, where you can bulk upload for low fees.

Etsy

Unlike eBay and clones of eBay, there are other online marketplaces that cater to a more niche audience. Marketplaces like Etsy, where the focus rests on hand-made or vintage items. It was established in 2005, which means it only had 7 years to become as big as it is now. Impressive, if you ask me.
Etsy boasts over 39 million unique visitors every month who browse the 800,000 available shops. As niche as Etsy might be, the audience size is nothing to sneeze at. In order to list on Etsy, each item will cost you $0.20 per stock and you’ll pay 3.5% of the final selling price in fees. Payment options include Paypal, Etsy’s direct checkout, or cheque.
For one-time junk selling, eBay is still the better option. But if you have hand-made crafts that you’d like to sell for profit, Etsy may be the place for you.

Freecycle

If you have items that you just want to get rid of (i.e., you don’t care about making a profit), you ought to check out Freecycle. It’s a worldwide community that aims to reduce global waste by connecting people who want to throw away goods to people who need those goods. In essence, people with excess give stuff to people in need for free. Free recycling. Get it? (Admittedly, it took me a while.)
Listings are completely free and there are no payment options because everything is free. Though Freecycle is a worldwide site, item exchanges are conducted locally so buyers can come pick up the items from the sellers without postage fees. If you need more room in your attic or garage, Freecycle can help you. If you want to make a profit, look elsewhere.

Ruby Lane

Ruby Lane is a niche online marketplace where people can buy and sell high-end antiques, art, and vintage collectibles. Here you’ll find thousands of independent shops, each run by individual sellers, from all over the world. Ever since their establishment in 1998, Ruby Lane has guaranteed quality, security, and excellence to their members.
Their shop format only allows selling items either at a certain price point or through the make-and-offer feature; there are no auctions. For sellers, Ruby Lane uses a unique pricing structure that includes a $0.30 listing fee per item, a once-per-month Advertising Fee of $20, and a once-per-month Maintenance Fee that depends on how many items you sell that month. Check out their massive list of reasons why you should sell on Ruby Lane.
So if you’re sick of eBay, then you owe it to yourself to check out one of these eBay alternative. Many are free. Some are great for one-time throwaways while others offer you the chance to build up a lucrative business. If you’ve used any of these services in the past, let us know what you thought of them in the comments!

Source: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/fed-up-with-ebay-here-are-some-worthy-and-cheaper-alternatives-for-sellers/

November 2, 2014

7 Awesome Foobar2000 Skins

admin Updated on Apr 4th, 2013

foobar2000 is the world’s most favorite audio player for Windows. Apart from playlists and other standard player functionality, it also packs-in a whole range of audio features and functions. Majority of Windows users who once used the native Windows Media Player and the popular WinAmp music player are now migrating to foobar2000.

The current version of foobar2000 supports all popular audio formats, including MP3, MP4, AAC, WMA, WAV, FLAC and more. Customizable keyboard shortcuts, gapless playback support, highly customizable user interface, and full unicode support are the main attractions of this free audio player.

The default UI of the player is very simple. Users who don’t like the default look of the player and would like to skin the best MP3 player in the World, can try out some pretty skins designed for foobar2000. As there are thousands of free skins available for foobar2000, it’s really a difficult job to find out the best available skins. To help you skin your foobar2000, we have compiled a list of better skins for foobar2000. Visit the download page to know about the installation instructions.

1. Vista Skin: