Gifts Bought Before November 1 May Fall Under The Standard 30 Day Return Window That Ends Before Christmas, While Amazon Lets Holiday Purchases Go Back Until January 31

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Four brown wrapped gift boxes on a white surface.

You finished your holiday shopping early and felt great about it. You may want to check the calendar, because that early-bird gift could have a return window that closes before Christmas morning. According to finance professor James Malm of the College of Charleston, gifts bought before November 1 may fall under a store’s standard 30-day … Read more

Google Shuts Down A Backdoor Preinstalled On More Than 1.3 Million Cheap Android TV Boxes, And Says The Maker Built It On Purpose To Run Ad Fraud

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A black Android media streaming box sitting on a gray tile surface.

That cheap Android TV box you bought to stream shows might have arrived with a stowaway. Google says it has shut down a backdoor that came preinstalled on more than 1.3 million inexpensive Android TV set-top boxes. The company’s security researchers say this was not an accident or a hacker slipping in later. They say … Read more

Seller Warns Vinted Quietly Changed Packaging Rules, So If A Courier Crushes An Unpadded Package The Buyer Gets A Full Refund, Keeps Your Item, And You Don’t Get Paid

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A tape dispenser with clear packing tape for sealing parcels.

Resellers, listen up. A seller on Instagram says Vinted has quietly changed its packaging rules, and the new version puts the risk of a crushed parcel squarely on you. Seller @the_fostered_closet_co says that if a courier crushes an unpadded package and the buyer opens a dispute, the buyer gets a full refund, keeps your item … Read more

Amazon Is Letting Some Shoppers Text Its Alexa Shopping Agent To Buy Things, Reorder Past Orders And Set Price Drop Alerts, But Only By Invitation For Now

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A smartphone next to a cylinder smart speaker on a wooden table.

If texting is how you talk to the kids, the grandkids and the pharmacy, Amazon now wants it to be how you shop too. The company has started letting some customers text its Alexa for Shopping assistant to buy things, reorder old purchases and set price drop alerts. The catch is that it is invitation … Read more

Canning Mom Digs Into Her Basement Emergency Pantry After A Warning To Stock Up And Finds 22 Cases, A Pile Of Nails And Cabinets She Never Opened In Five Years

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A wooden shelf in an old basement root cellar lined with jars of preserved food.

Most of us have a basement corner we avoid. @cara.annejones, a homesteader who built her following on canning, finally walked into hers with a camera and a plan. She had heard a new warning telling Americans to keep food and essentials on hand, and she decided it was the perfect excuse to see what her … Read more

Goodwill Bins Shopper Pays $6.69 For A Filthy Le Creuset Dutch Oven, Finds The Lid In Another Bin, Then Scrubs It Up To Sell For $100 Or More

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Left: a thrifter holding a dirty Dutch oven over a store bin. Right: a red Dutch oven holding a loaf of bread.

Sometimes the best finds look like the worst. A thrifter digging through the bins at Goodwill pulled out a Le Creuset Dutch oven that was crusted with gunk. Most shoppers would have tossed it right back. This one paid about $6.69 for it, and then got lucky twice. The creator behind @j_t_thrifts says they found … Read more

Mom Clears Over Half Of Her Family’s Garage With Four Hours Until The Junk Removal Truck Shows Up, Rescues Buzz Lightyear, And Gets Chased By A Grasshopper

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Left: a mom standing in front of a cluttered garage she is decluttering. Right: a garage packed with tools and boxes.

Most of us have a spot in the house that stresses us out the moment we open the door. For a mom who posts as @heyhannahlee, that spot was the garage, and she decided it was time to do something about it. Her goal was simple and fierce. “I am determined to have a garage … Read more

Estate Sale Owner Is Asked To Sell A Whole Box Of Golf Balls And A Club, Drops From $150 To $80, And The Buyer Only Has $50 Cash To His Name

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Left: an estate sale owner standing in a house holding items. Right: a golf club next to a golf ball on a grassy course.

Anyone who has ever haggled at a garage sale knows the dance. Someone offers too little, someone asks too much, and both sides pretend they are not watching the clock. A TikTok from an estate sale company owner shows that dance at its most awkward, over a box of golf balls and a club. The … Read more

Reseller Clears Out Walmart’s Gold Ring Clearance Then Heads To The Refinery, Ends Up With $3,000 Plus And The Groceries For The Family

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Left: a clearance jewelry case full of rings at a store. Right: a close-up of a gold ring on a white surface.

You are in the grocery aisle with a cart full of cereal and milk, and you wander past a clearance rack. Most of us glance, shrug and keep rolling. One reseller looked closer, spotted a pile of discounted gold rings, and turned a regular grocery run into something much bigger. The creator behind @hypedad_ says … Read more

Scammers Are Now Paying For Ads That Pose As Real Stores And Government Agencies, And The FTC Wants To Know If Platforms Should Vet Advertisers Before Ads Run

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A woman at a table looking at her phone while making a payment with a credit card.

That ad for a famous store’s “closing sale” may not be from the store at all. The Federal Trade Commission says scammers are paying to run ads that pose as well-known businesses and government agencies, and the agency is now asking whether the platforms that run those ads should have to vet advertisers before the … Read more