Lighters Sold On Amazon For About $12 Have No Child Lock, And The Seller Is Ignoring The Government’s Request To Recall Them

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A hand holding a lit lighter with bright sparks against a dark background.

A cheap lighter in your kitchen drawer or camping box may be a bigger problem than it looks. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is warning people to stop using Fire Blaze multipurpose lighters, sold on Amazon for about $12, because they lack the child-resistant feature that federal law requires. The warning, numbered 27-075 and … Read more

Bose Is Recalling 634,759 Speaker Battery Packs That Can Melt Or Catch Fire, But The Speaker Itself Still Works Plugged In

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An oval grey portable speaker sitting on a clean white surface.

If you have a Bose S1 Pro speaker in the garage, the church basement or the back of the family truck, it is worth a look before the next gathering. Bose is recalling about 634,759 lithium-ion battery packs in the U.S. because they can melt, smoke or catch fire. The recall covers battery packs for … Read more

Picker Spends $100 At A Private Estate Sale And Finds Over $2,000 Worth Of Stuff, But Someone Swiped An Over $80 John Deere Tractor Off His Pile In Under A Minute

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A table crowded with used pots, pans and kitchenware laid out for sale at an estate sale.

A reseller from North Idaho walked into a privately run estate sale with a plan, a stack of boxes and a very short list of what he was willing to pay. He walked out with a pile he values at more than $2,000, and a story about a tractor that vanished while his back was … Read more

Reseller Of Almost 20 Years Warns A November 26 Ebay Policy Change Lets Its Computers Check Every Listing And Picture, While The Old Promise To Message Sellers About Big Changes Seems Gone

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A woman standing beside a cardboard box on a table while packing an online order for shipping.

If you sell on eBay, even just to clear out the garage, a date is coming up that is worth circling. On November 26, eBay is changing its privacy policy, and a reseller who has been on the site for almost 20 years says the new wording deserves a careful read. His name is Damian, … Read more

Thrifter Leaves Everything Behind At A San Diego Goodwill Except One Wallet, Thinks A Prada Nylon Bag Is Just A Makeup Bag, Then Realizes It Is A Purse

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Black designer handbag held over a shopping cart in a thrift store, beside a pink leather satchel with a gold clasp

Some thrift finds get away from you in the aisle and haunt you in the car. For one San Diego thrifter, the story is happier, because she went public with the near miss and the good stuff she did bring home. @hiladailythrift posted a reel with a bold instruction: “Run don’t walk to your local … Read more

Last Year’s Record 202.9 Million Shoppers Spent An Average Of $337.86 Over Black Friday Weekend, And The FTC Says A Crossed Out Price Should Be One The Store Really Charged

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Colorful shopping bags packed closely together, evoking Black Friday weekend spending.

Last year, a record 202.9 million Americans went shopping between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday. According to the National Retail Federation, the shoppers who made a purchase spent an average of $337.86 over the weekend. That is a lot of people and a lot of money, and this year the sales are expected to start early … Read more

Better Business Bureau Reports 10 Scam Reports In A Single Week Before Black Friday, With Fake Retailer Texts Promising Gift Cards Or Claiming Your Order Is Defective

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A hand holding a smartphone that shows a text message conversation.

Your phone buzzes with a text. It says a store you shop at has a gift card waiting for you, and all you have to do is tap the link. Stop right there. The Better Business Bureau serving South Texas says that kind of message is showing up early this year. The bureau received 10 … Read more

Goodwill Shopper Keeps Pushing Five Hangers At A Time Toward Her, Then Accuses Her Of Shoving Clothes In Her Face When She Was Not Even Touching Her

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Hands pushing hangers along a crowded thrift store clothing rack, beside a rack of orange and black patterned tops on white hangers

Thrift stores have a reputation for treasure, but anyone who has worked a crowded rack on a Saturday knows they can also be a contact sport. One Goodwill shopper just proved it with a reel that has plenty of people nodding along. @threemore_find opens her post with a warning: “Goodwill is NOT for the weak.” … Read more

ThredUp CEO Calls Rival Resale Apps Irrational For Spending Up To $500 Million On Marketing And Order Subsidies While Its Own Revenue Rose 7%

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Shoppers browsing rows of clothing on hangers in a thrift store.

When the boss of a big secondhand clothing company looks at the competition and says the spending “seems wholly irrational,” people in the resale world pay attention. That is what ThredUp CEO James Reinhart said on the company’s third quarter earnings call this month, and the numbers are in ThredUp’s third quarter earnings release filed … Read more

Holiday Gift Budgets Drop 21% To About $880 As Families Cut Back, And NerdWallet Warns Buy Now Pay Later Plans Can Hurt Come January

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A shopper at a laptop holding a credit card and phone while buying online.

Santa’s budget is shrinking. NerdWallet’s 2026 Holiday Spending Report finds that shoppers who buy gifts expect to spend $879 on average, about $880, which is down 21% from $1,107 last year. NerdWallet personal finance expert Kim Palmer says the reason is plain: prices have gone up in many categories, and families are pulling back. She … Read more