DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Sellers on eBay are trying to auction off Silicon Valley Bank-branded merch, including a cardboard box for $201 and a wine cooler for $42
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Items featuring the Silicon Valley Bank logo were put up for auction on eBay over the weekend. They include a cardboard box for $201 and a wine tumbler for $42, per the listings. The items listed on eBay included a blue cardboard box with SVB's logo displayed on the front, which was priced at $201 at time of publication. It was listed on eBay on Saturday and the site showed there were five days left until the auction for the box closed. The seller said in the description they were "two pieces of genuine Silicon Valley Bank corporate swag."

☆ Want the Newest Girl Scout Cookie? Better Check eBay.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Suryatapa Bhattacharya | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Online-shopping chaos is taking a bite out of Girl Scout cookie sales. The new Raspberry Rally cookie, an online-only special, is near impossible to find. On eBay , sellers are hawking the $6 box for $100—or more. Other cookies, even fan favorites like Samoas, are in short supply for online buyers. Parents are annoyed and worried they have disappointed customers, and troops are scrambling to meet their sales goals as the annual Girl Scout cookie-sale season nears its end.

☆ There's a big Girl Scouts cookie shortage, and the group is frustrated with its main baker
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

This is the way the Girl Scout cookie crumbles. The inventory woes have caused a shortage of some cookie flavors that have sent Girl Scout cookie resale prices skyrocketing. Boxes of Girl Scout cookies typically go for $5 a pop. "We are extremely disappointed that LBB is again having challenges with managing their production," a Girl Scouts spokesperson told CNBC. The other 25% of Girl Scout councils are supplied by ABC Bakers, a smaller baking company that the Girl Scouts say has not had the same production issues as LBB.

☆ A 30-year-old property owner in Seattle is experimenting with short-term rentals and overcoming the 'Airbnbust' by setting up one-of-kind listings, including a 70s-themed 'Groovy Guest House'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Real estate investor Peter Keane-Rivera recently got into short-term vacation rentals. After nearly five and a half years of doing long-term rentals, Seattle-based property owner Peter Keane-Rivera is experimenting with short-term vacation rentals via Airbnb. "He said, 'you'll pretty much double the rent on a long-term rental unit if you convert it to a short-term vacation rental,'" Keane-Rivera, who works full-time at a large aerospace manufacturer in the Seattle area, told Insider. While that may have been true when his mentor was listing Airbnbs, vacation rental bookings started slowing down in 2022 and hosts started worrying about what was coined 'Airbnbust.' After looking through listings of other Airbnbs in the Seattle area and evaluating his competition, Keane-Rivera settled on creating a 70s-themed space.

☆ I tried the new Girl Scout cookies that are going for as much as $200 on eBay
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Nicolas Vega | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

When I first read about the new Girl Scout cookie flavor that was flying off digital shelves and selling for hundreds of dollars on eBay, I was skeptical. I like Girl Scout cookies as much as the next guy — my favorites are Trefoils and Lemon-Ups — but I couldn't imagine myself visiting the resale market to get my hands on a box. They're described as a "thin, crispy cookie infused with raspberry flavor, dipped in chocolaty coating." After tasting the Rallys for the first time, it was pretty evident why the Girl Scouts haven't been able to keep it in stock. The Girl Scouts organization itself has released a statement criticizing resellers for "looking to make a profit off of the name without supporting our mission and the largest girl-led entrepreneurship program in the world."

☆ The Southwest personal credit cards are offering a rare welcome bonus that includes a Companion Pass, but it's your last chance to apply
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Joseph Hostetler | Credit Cards Reporter | Read More | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

This is a great deal, but the promotional Companion Pass isn't quite as valuable as a standard Companion Pass. But through March 13, 2023, three of Southwest's best credit cards (the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card, Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card, and Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card) come with a welcome bonus that includes a promotional Companion Pass. Compare Southwest credit cards Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit CardSouthwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit CardSouthwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. The Southwest Companion Pass allows you to change your designated companion up to three times per calendar year. You can achieve the Southwest Companion Pass after earning 135,000 Southwest points in a calendar year.

☆ This Girl Scout cookie costs $100 a box. Here's why.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Bethany Biron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Girl Scout Raspberry Rally cookies are so in-demand that resellers are listing boxes on eBay at a significant upcharge. A Girl Scouts spokesperson did not provide information about a possible restock. Girl Scout Raspberry Rally cookies on eBay. And while it remains unclear if local troops will receive more boxes of Raspberry Rallys, the Girl Scouts spokesperson encouraged fans to keep buying. "Participating in the Girl Scout Cookie Program gives girls the opportunity to not only learn the valuable life skills of goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics, but to gain confidence and make new lifelong friends."

☆ Girl Scouts’ sold-out cookie is available on eBay. The Scouts are not pleased
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —The Raspberry Rally Girl Scouts cookie, a raspberry-flavored version of the beloved Thin Mint, was always supposed to be a limited edition item. The new Girl Scouts cookie sold out in hours. But profits from the resale market don’t go to Girl Scouts, which said it was “disappointed” that the products are now available through other vendors. “Girl Scouts of the USA, your local Girl Scout council, and our licensed cookie bakers cannot guarantee the freshness or integrity of cookies bought through unauthorized sites.” To buy cookies from Girl Scouts directly, customers should use the Cooke Finder on the Scouts’ website, Girl Scouts said. “We strongly support the entrepreneurial spirit of hardworking local Girl Scout troops and encourage cookie-seekers to also support their local Girl Scouts,” eBay said in a statement to CNN.

☆ Palantir to cut about 2% of employees, roughly 75 jobs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Palantir confirmed on Monday that it's cutting about 2% of its workforce as layoffs continue to hammer the tech industry. The layoffs will impact roughly 75 people based on the company's latest SEC report in December, which showed it had 3,838 employees. A spokesperson told CNBC that the company plans to continue hiring in areas of strategic importance. Palantir is the latest tech company to announce layoffs as the industry reckons with a slowdown following over a decade of unbridled growth. In January, Google revealed plans to lay off more than 12,000 workers, Microsoft announced plans to cut 10,000 employees and Salesforce said it planned to cut 7,000 jobs.

☆ I'm an OnlyFans creator who sells personal items like my underwear. Here's how I promote myself on Reddit and Twitter to find buyers.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Lola Christina Alao | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

She began selling personal items online on the side after people asked for them. At the strip club I was introduced to the concept of selling weird items online, and I found my first few clients. Blue has sold a variety of personal items. I've had a lot of luck with auctions on sites where selling personal items is allowed, and I do one almost daily. About 20% of my OnlyFans income comes from selling items, and the rest comes from images and videos.

☆ Chime is building its own version of ChatGPT to speed up its engineers' work. The fintech's CTO laid out his strategy and why he's not going with OpenAI's or Google's generative AI offerings.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Bianca Chan | Dakin Campbell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Chime is in the early stages of building its own private version of ChatGPT that is set to launch this year, Insider has learned. If done successfully, Chime would unlock a competitive advantage of launching new products and features faster and more cost efficiently. The bot uses generative AI, which refers to artificial intelligence that can produce content, from creating art to coding software for engineers. He declined to disclose hiring goals and the size of Chime's tech organization. Barrese said he sees the tech as an assistant to the engineers and said the AI won't replace engineers.

☆ Amazon faces lawsuit for selling products containing donkey meat
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Bethany Biron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A new lawsuit claims Amazon is breaking California law by selling products containing donkey meat. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyThe Center for Contemporary Equine Studies is suing Amazon for selling products containing donkey meat, despite efforts from advocacy groups to halt the practice. The lawsuit claims the e-commerce giant is illegally selling products that contain "ejiao" — a gelatin made from the skin of donkeys and used in various products like health supplements — in violation of California animal welfare law. The lawsuit comes after efforts led by advocacy groups to push Amazon to drop the products through campaigns and petitions, to no avail. While competitors like Walmart and eBay have pledged to remove products containing ejiao and prohibit future sales, according to Wired, Amazon has yet to nix the products, even as pressure mounts.

☆ Elon Musk accuses Ralph Nader of 'lying' over claims he took 'taxpayers to the cleaners' with Tesla
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk accused Ralph Nader of lying after claiming he took "taxpayers to the cleaners" with Tesla. Nader, 88, accused Musk of taking "taxpayers to the cleaners for his factories and for Starlink. Musk responded: "Ralph Nader, you are lying – shame on you! I personally provided almost all Tesla funding, based on my proceeds from PayPal." Musk added in his tweet to Nader that the "first meaningful government funding" Tesla received was in the second quarter of 2010.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Domino's Pizza, Lucid, Nvidia, Nikola and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Lucid Group — The electric vehicle maker tumbled more than 18% after posting fourth-quarter revenue that fell short of analysts' expectations. Mosaic Company — Shares of the fertilizer mineral company added 1.4% on Thursday after Mosaic's quarterly revenue came in higher than expected. The company generated $4.48 billion in revenue, while analysts surveyed by StreetAccount were expecting $4.17 billion revenue. Domino's Pizza , Papa John's International — The pizza chains fell 11% and 7.6%, respectively, after they reported mixed earnings. Nikola — Shares fell more than 7% after Nikola reported quarterly revenue that disappointed analyst expectations.

☆ Wall St set for higher open as Nvidia outweighs Fed jitters
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Johann M Cherian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Futures cut some gains after data showed the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week. "Markets are tracking the earnings reports overnight from Nvidia," said Robert Pavlik, senior portfolio manager at Dakota Wealth. ET, Dow e-minis were up 39 points, or 0.12%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 15 points, or 0.38%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 106.25 points, or 0.88%. Analysts polled by Reuters predict a correction within the next three months even though they expect the S&P 500 (.SPX) to climb 5% by year-end. Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) fell 4.4% after the vaccine maker reaffirmed its annual sales forecast of $5 billion for its COVID-19 vaccines despite its fourth-quarter sales exceeding estimates.

☆ Jim Cramer's top 10 things to watch in the stock market Thursday: Nvidia is AI, energy surprises, stocks up
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Jim Cramer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Shares of Club stock, which lost about 50% last year, jumped 10% early Thursday. Toll Brother s (TOL) sees price target hike at Raymond James to $67 per share from $61. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB.

☆ More than 2 million Cosori air fryers recalled after reports of the kitchen appliances 'catching fire, burning, melting'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A California company is recalling 2 million Cosori air fryers, US product safety officials announced Thursday. The recalled air fryers were reported as "catching fire, burning, melting." "Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled air fryers and contact Cosori to receive their choice of a free replacement air fryer or another Cosori product," the commission said. The agency said a "wire connection in the air fryers can overheat, posing fire and burn hazards." About 2 million of the air fryers have been sold in the US, while about 250,000 were sold in Canada and 21,000 in Mexico.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves premarket: Lucid, Nvidia, Dollar General, Sunrun and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Lucid Motors — The electric vehicle maker saw shares slide 14% premarket after reporting that fourth-quarter revenue fell short of expectations. eBay — The online auction platform fell 5% despite posting fourth-quarter earnings and revenue that topped analysts' estimates as gauged by Refinitiv. The company also forecast current quarter revenue of $600 million and $640 million, compared to estimates of $622 million. Bath & Body Works — Shares fell more than 4% after the company reported fourth-quarter earnings. Sunrun — The solar company rose 1.5% after its fourth-quarter earnings topped Wall Street's expectations.

☆ Morning Bid: Hang on a minute
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

And so a speech from New York Fed chief John Williams make give a better steer on current thinking. Markets are now priced for a Fed 'terminal rate' in the 5.25-5.50% range by July and no cut from there by year-end. European central bankers are also talking tough as the region's economies dodge recession and inflation stays high. But geopolitical concerns rankle again ahead of Friday's anniversary, with Russia unilaterally withdrawing from a key nuclear arms control treaty. As G20 finance chiefs meet in India, the world is watching closely the extent of the alliance between Beijing and Moscow.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves after hours: Nvidia, Etsy, Lucid, Bumble, Moderna and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Etsy posted revenue of $807 million, smashing estimates of $752 million, according to Refinitiv. The company also forecast current quarter revenue of $600 million and $640 million, compared to estimates of $622 million. eBay — The online auction platform reported fourth quarter earnings of $1.07 per share excluding items, on revenues of $2.51 billion. Bumble — The online dating site jumped nearly 5% after it reported better-than-expected fourth quarter earnings and revenue. Bumble posted revenue of $191 million, above the $186 million estimated by analysts polled by FactSet.

☆ Morning Bid: Not if or when but how fast?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Kai PfaffenbachA look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Anshuman Daga:Is it really good news? Probably yes, probably not. Fed funds futures traders are now pricing for the Fed's benchmark overnight interest rate to reach 5.36% in July and end the year at 5.18%. Asian stock markets floated in a sea of red on Wednesday following an ugly sell-off on Wall Street. Inflation data from Germany and Italy due later on Wednesday will offer clues on price pressures.

☆ How entrepreneurs can use livestream shopping to make thousands of dollars
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Live shopping in the US is expected to become a $25 billion market in 2023. Livestream shopping has been popular in China for over a decade, where the industry was estimated to be worth $305 billion in 2021, up from $63 billion in 2019, according to Coresight Research. Virgile Ollivier, a cofounder and the CEO of Livescale, told Insider livestream shopping would soon become just as important for brands as social-media marketing. Livestream-shopping platforms pick up where Instagram falls shortApps focused solely on livestream shopping show a disconnect on traditional social-media platforms. Most sellers livestream at least once a week, at the same time so their followers always know when to expect a show.

☆ Wall Street analysts are warning stocks are about to come crashing down
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Today's Fed minutes release should provide more insight on what's to come in March. So according to Wilson, stocks have entered this death zone after climbing too high too fast in hopes the Federal Reserve is about to pull back on its aggressive monetary policy. He's reiterated several times this year that the rally will lose steam, and he expects sticky inflation to push the Fed to hold interest rates higher for longer. The bank's analysts now see the Fed raising rates by 25 basis points in June, which would bring the terminal rate to a target range of 5.25-5.5%. "As [stocks] have reached even higher levels, there is now talk of a "no landing" scenario – whatever that means," Wilson noted.

☆ EBay forecasts first-quarter revenue above estimates
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 22 (Reuters) - Ecommerce company EBay Inc (EBAY.O) on Wednesday forecast first-quarter revenue above Wall Street estimates on hopes that cost-conscious shoppers would be attracted towards its used and refurbished product category in the face of a looming recession. Shares of the San Jose, California- based company rose nearly 2% in trading after the bell. The company forecast current-quarter revenue between $2.46 billion and $2.50 billion. However, gross merchandise volume (GMV), a widely watched figure for the e-commerce industry's performance, fell 12% to $18.2 billion in the fourth quarter. EBay posted revenue of $2.51 billion for the quarter ended Dec. 31, compared with analysts' estimate of $2.47 billion, according to Refinitiv IBES data.

☆ An ex-Instagram employee says Meta's 'impatience' has hurt its shopping efforts
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But as Instagram axes shopping products, ex-staffer Meghana Dhar points to Meta's "impatience." The moves have left many asking: What's going on with Instagram shopping? While at Instagram, Dhar worked on Instagram's early shopping features, from onboarding brands to getting John Mayer to host a live shopping event with laundry company The Laundress. But it's also had a tendency to launch and then axe shopping products, like Instagram (and Facebook) live shopping and affiliate marketing. Scaling back on shopping, for now, could also be a blessing in disguise for Meta, Dhar added.

Search resuls for: "EBAY"

25 mentions found