Cheney: Economic Stats Miss EBay Sales

[PylesMalfunction]

CINCINNATI - Indicators measure the nation's unemployment rate, consumer spending and other economic milestones, but Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) says it misses the hundreds of thousands who make money selling on eBay.

"That's a source that didn't even exist 10 years ago," Cheney told an audience in Ohio. "Four hundred thousand people make some money trading on eBay."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=694&ncid=703&e=7&u=/ap/20040909/ap_on_el_pr/cheney_ebay


That's why all the economic indicators suck so bad - they forgot to count the ebay sales! :eyes:

[hatrack]

1. Wait! We forgot to mention people who find change in pay phones!

And what about car detailing guys, who may be able to slip the odd quarter or stray bag of dope into their pockets?

And we shouldn't forget the vital Franklin Mint sector, a part of our economy that doesn't get nearly enough attention from the liberal business press!!

[PylesMalfunction]

14. They also forgot

about all the money people find when they look under couch cushions! :silly: I made at least $3 yesterday from that alone! Of course since it was all from my boyfriend, does that really count? :D

[skooooo]

24. I lost $30 in the bowling alley last month..

..did anyone find it?

[jmowreader]

32. Yeah, I bought beer with it.

Thanks, man. It was delicious.

[skooooo]

36. just as long as you reported it first..

[LynneSin]

98. I hope you returned those beer bottles - there a nickel for each one

in many states including my own - Delaware.

That's 30cents for every six-pack!!!

[smirkymonkey]

94. I hope you plan to declare it on this year's tax return.

wouldn't want to cheat the gubmint out of a penny for their endless wars.

[MidwestTransplant]

2. If you make a few hundred dollars a year on Ebay, you should count

as a manufacturing job I guess. Just like McDonalds employees.

[trogdor]

8. Naw. Retail Management

The kind of small businessperson who keeps this country going. Yeah...uh...right.

[jwirr]

90. And of course it should be understood

that you will NOT be getting any overtime - your the boss!

[seasat]

3. That is unbelievable.

Next he'll be wanting to count yard sales.

[hatrack]

7. Oh, yeah - yard sales! I forgot about those!

And what about small-town "antique" stores, and farm auctions?

[kysrsoze]

40. How bout the entrepreneurs in my neighborhood who dig through our garbage

They get all kinds of great stuff for FREE, like partial sandwiches, aluminum cans, used clothing, etc. The small businessman is flourishing!

[RevCheesehead]

4. Puh-leeze!

:puke:

[REVOLT823]

5. BWHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA! You have got to be

F***ing kidding me. My God, please let Dick keep opening his idiotic mouth, what an assinine statement.

[villager]

6. incredible...

In a country with a nominally free press, this would actually rebound against him...

[oldtime dfl_er]

9. oh no i forgot that my income has to be adjusted...

...for that DVD I sold on ebay for $3!

[Zynx]

10. I play blackjack for $. And poker.

And make a heck of a lot more than most of the people who work at Repub Wal-Mart, on average.

How should we count that?

[jwirr]

91. I think you would need to place that

under investments!

[rooboy]

11. And people who are selling their worldly possessions on their front lawn..

are candidates for entrepreneurial awards. What a dick.

[Zero Gravitas]

12. how DESPERATE is that?

talk about grasping at straws. Maybe the fascist scum know that their current lead in the polls is not as strong as the so-called liberal media would have us believe?

[trogdor]

13. It's bullshit anyway.

Any ebayer who is registered as a business is already counted in economic stats. Anyone else is just cleaning out the attic.

[russian33]

15. and what about Yahoo! Auctions? lets be really accurate!

wow, what a loon...

[MrBenchley]

The deficit this year was $422 billion....

maybe it fell between the cushions of the White House sofa....

[Elginoid]

56. I bought a big screen tv on ebay for $300...

i had to pick it up, no shipping- which probaly kept a lot of people from bidding.
I went to pick it up in a nice, fairly new, middle class subdivision in the south suburbs of chicago, and got fairly depressed.

...although it was a nice enough house, it was very spartan- and there were 3 young kids who were obviously not too happy to see the tv go...
a little talking revealed that he was an unemployed husband & father who used to have a good IT job, but over the past few months had been forced to sell the things he had accumulated for his family in order to house, feed, and clothe his family...and there wasn't much left to sell.

yeah, dick- lots of people are making some money on ebay- they have no other choice or recourse.

[LynneSin]

99. that and those pesky WMDs

I mean, when was the last time they checked underneath the White House cushions!!

[LynneSin]

100. that and those pesky WMDs

I mean, when was the last time they checked underneath the White House cushions!!

[dave29]

16. They are also not including the amount Bill Bennett spent on gambling

this year alone

[tom_paine]

20. Nor the money ANN Coulter spends on secretive lesbian encounters

My God, the Hush Money alone is worth millions!

[patdem]

17. Of those MOST are business's already reporting..and the rest

are people who do not have to report because it is a small enough transaction...or they are tax cheaters!!

This is already reflected in the unemployment numbers..and his point is???

[Inland]

18. Misses the growing dumpster-mining sector of our economy, too

[GOPAgainstGW]

19. MAN-O-MAN CHENEY HAS GOT TO STOP DRINKING - BAAAWAAA!!!!

[Tight_rope]

53. No shit...that motherfucker is on some serious shit!

[GOPAgainstGW]

55. Cheney takes many diff meds for his heart that don't mix with his booze

[Gman]

21. Well ,I guess those 400K people are fully employed now

what a wonderful world we live in.

[BadGimp]

22. and all the tips the Dominos guys get

yeah that's the "new eCONomy" for ya folks - Cheney Style

Suffer you slugs - suffer

[elperromagico]

23. And we didn't count the drug dealers!!!

They're makin' big bucks!

[TEXASYANKEE]

25. Oh for shits sake!

I used to scorekeep softball to make a few extra bucks. If I cleared more than $200/year I had to pay taxes on that money. It in *no* way helped me live the high life. His remark is almost as good as the latest Bushism about OB/GYNs not being able to "practice their love of women" because of lawsuits. Ah, the funnies just keep coming from those two dingalings.

[wildeyed]

26. Well that explains so much!

Thank you for clearing that up for me. :crazy:

Are we sure Cheney is not the one having the nervous break down? Maybe hitting the sauce? He crazy.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

27. Aluminum cans

He forgot the folks who walk besides the side of the road collecting soda pop cans. And maybe those who have signs "Will Work for Food"???

[calico1]

28. Oh, riiiight, I forgot....

People who sell possesions on ebay maybe because they are unemployed and trying to make money off some possesions. I forgot that counts as a salary.:eyes: I do have to admit though, when I do laundry my fiance usually leaves some change in his pockets. Sometimes I make $3 in one weekend! Woohoo! And last year when I wore my winter jacket for the first time again I found a $10 bill I forgot I had left there. Oh and the other day I found a quarter in the parking lot of my supermarket. Wow, I pretty much work two jobs don't I?

sp.

[swag]

29. That's the plan - outsource our jobs and we'll all sell family heirlooms

on eBay.

[LeighAnn]

30. Displaced Enron Employees selling their Enron junk n/t

[Devil Dog Dem]

31. Can't wait to watch Jon Stewart tonight!

Cheney makes it too easy.

[ogradda]

33. lmao

what about the plasma centers? do we count that??

[AtTheEndOfTheDay]

34. Babysitter income

is overlooked. Vast numbers of 12 to 15 year olds aren't having their incomes included.

[uncle ray]

35. well, at least he seems to realize

that the beenie baby boom crashed a few years ago.

[sofa king]

37. I suppose Dick should thank Al Gore for inventing the Internet.

[tuvor]

47. You beat me to it. Sort of.

cheney SHOULD thank Gore, but please don't perpetuate the "Gore invented the Internet" lie.

He told Wolf Blitzer: "During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet. I took the initiative in moving forward a whole range of initiatives that have proven to be important to our country's economic growth and environmental protection, improvements in our educational system."

[goforit]

38. Kinda of like the sale on Drugs the Bush Cartel makes, eh???

[Snellius]

39. Why is Cheney hauling his wife to all these "townhall meetings"?

Is this supposed to humanize him? Like Dr. Evil with his little chihuahua.

[happynewyear]

41. no offense to any eBay sellers/traders/whatever here but ...

Selling on eBay is a very difficult way to make a buck. If the sale doesn't happen you lose money. If the sale happens and you are the buyer, you can end up with some less than desirable items IMO. I've bought more than one thing I can think of on eBay that was a total waste of money. Do these losses count Cheney?

eBay is a gamble, but I still occasionally buy things via eBay anyway.

Such is life.

eBay the company makes a lot of money no doubt and this is reported so where does the rest go exactly? Where it should go - to he who opts for eBay rather than a garage sale perhaps?

:dem: :kick:

[Chovexani]

77. My best friend's disabled mom

My best friend's mom is disabled and is an eBay enterpreneur (she buys things like pewter figurines, costume jewelry, etc wholesale and resells on eBay). What people don't realize is that eBay takes an awful lot of money in fees, particularly for high volume sellers. It's gotten to the point where my friend's mom has her own website for sales and is trying to cut eBay out entirely, it's the only way she can keep her head above water.

IIRC eBay sales are counted as part of the GNP (heard this on Al Franken's show today), so it's a moot point anyway.

[neuvocat]

42. Uh...how can they buy anything online if they don't have jobs?

Just asking.

[yellowcanine]

43. Hey, several people won money playing bingo in my town this weekend.

I bet those numbers won't make it into the economic statistics. Woo hoo, I feel better already about the economy. Maybe I should vote for George Bush!

[rfkrocks]

44. Cheney needs to bid on e-bay-for a CLUE (n/t)

[milkyway]

45. Pawn brokers are doing great too! Everytime bush or cheney strays from

their script they sound like total morons. These guys have always reminded me of the Sopranos. They're not too bright, so they have to maintain power by being brutal thugs.

[Mrs_Beastman]

46. WTF!

[Thor_MN]

48. What about the guy that stands by the freeway exit with the sign?

He wasn't there 5 years ago. He's there almost everyother week now. There's LOTS of freeway exits and guys with signs. If we counted the money they were taking in, we would really see that Trickle Down and the Bush tax cuts are working.

[Dickie Flatt]

49. Who's keeping track of income from embezzlement?

A lot of people make some money by embezzling.

[olddad56]

50. oh, and lets don't forget...

the muti-billion dollar pot industry that the government doesn't have enough sense to make legit and tax. I guess they aren't counting the CIA's profits from importing cocaine either.

[DeepModem Mom]

51. kick

[Carolab]

52. Hey Dick

What about those hookers you guys always hire?

[pinniped]

54. My fencing racket keeps me employed!

Can I be counted?

Now if there was ever a doubt in anyone's mind that this creep veep is a total whackjob, those doubts can now be put to rest.

Disclaimer: I am not really involved in fencing activities.

[steely]

57. Don't forget my penny jar - maybe I should cash it in.

eom

[DFWJock]

58. I found

a dime yesterday when I was walking my dog. Woo hoo!! Ive finally "turned the corner!!!"

[charlie105]

59. I got a free t-shirt for donating blood. Does that count?

[shaolinmonkey]

60. So we're transitioning to a swap-meet/garage sale model

for our economy? That's great news. Thanks Dick.

[noonwitch]

61. What about lottery and casino winners? Let's not leave them out.

Or prostitutes, for that matter.

[diatribe]

62. Ok ok ok, I have the best one, I donated sperm last week....

Is that MY second job? lol

[jeffrey_X]

63. My company is still alive and I have a job thanks to ebay....

I do agree that selling junk from one person to another doesn't have any economic value.

However, our company sold goods and services on eBay for a few years and it really kept us in business. We are a small company of 100 people, but I guarantee you we would all be out of job if it weren't for 3 to 4 years of high sales thanks to eBay.

We have since started selling through our own web site, but eBay allowed us to build a large customer base.

Just my 2 cents.

[ariesgem]

89. Since I've been unemployed

I started selling on Ebay last Oct. out of desperation when my unemployment ran out. I started with a pair of designer shoes I bought at a thrift store for $7 and sold it for $30. I'm doing ok now (with about 180 items up). It's the only thing keeping a roof over my head. Yeah there is money to be made, but it's hard work and it takes alot of time. In the beginning, you go through a trial & error period on figuring out what items sell & how best to sell an item for profit.

Ebay works for some people, but I think most of us would prefer that cushion of a good paying job with health benefits.

[jeffrey_X]

92. Best of luck to you...

I almost quit my full time job to do ebay consulting 100% of the time. Small businesses are foolish not to use eBay as a sales channel. You won't find a more cost effective way of marketing your goods and services to millions of people.

[jwirr]

93. I have also sold on ebay

for a while to make ends meet. I don't think that anyone here is saying that ebay is bad. It can help those with the material to sell and the time/packaging, etc. However, I doubt if very many make enough on ebay to say they do not need a real job. That is what cheney was saying.

[Walt Starr]

64. What about yard sales?

That amounts to the same thing as an eBay auction.

:eyes:

[callous taoboy]

65. Found a tennis racket dumpster diving...

got 50 cents for it at my yard sale.

[missile_bender]

66. He forgot to mention the pawn shop business is booming! And

don't forget all those yard and bake sales! Plus, selling girl scout cookies is a big boon to the economy! And what about all the hundreds of millions in the illgal drug industry? Pot is a cash crop!

[lovuian]

67. Whats amazing how a chronic Liar really beleives

if he says something enough it will come true

[George W. Dunce]

68. You all jest but

These are just the small business we need to protect from the evil trial lawyers, like John Edwards. <LOL>

[blkeyedszn]

69. As much as I hate to admit this...

There is a company that has an office in the same building as the company I work for that do nothing but ebay sales. They are a two person company and both of them are making about $200k a year.

Who knows what that means though...

[Hand]

70. Stats would catch this...

If they're pulling down that kind of money, they'd be registered as a small business or as self-employed individuals who file Schedule Cs. Crashcart wants us to believe that someone unloading a few old chairs on eBay is a livelihood--and the freepers will take up the chorus.

[blkeyedszn]

72. Good point, didn't think about that. n/t

[Hand]

73. Welcome to DU, blkeyedszn!

:hi:

[matt2050]

88. Ebay is just a giant fence.

I work in retail, a big box specialty retailer. At my store we have a little problem with shoplifting. The whole mall does really. For you and me the amounts are pretty high but to a company this large it isn't that big a deal. Well it is but as a % not so much. They will steal almost anything. Go to EBay and look up a Kitchen Aid mixer. Kitchen aid has a terrible mark up. Most electrics do, thats why you don't see much difference in price. If you can get a NEW mixer for less than you can at a store then it was stolen. Period, end of story. We have merchandise that is exclusive to us on ebay "never used". Now they are selling gift cards for less than the purchase price. Most places don't give cash back without a receipt, they give you a gift card or a merchandise credit. Stolen merchandise turned into cash. Your classic fence. Or in the internet age, Ebay.
Or what about the crack head that will sell you a PS2 for $40 on the street brand new.

Good job Dick, bring up a business that supports criminal activity. OH wait, that is just like you.


on a side note; I have used ebay to buy before and may do so again but there is a criminal element on ebay that is largely ignored.

[LeftHander]

71. Ebay, Flea Markets, Yard Sales, Thrift Stores all doing well

In the Bush economy....

lol

[livinginphotographs]

74. Oh. My. Fucking. God.

What an elitist, clueless asshole!

[JoFerret]

75. E-bay, bake sales and lemonade stands

now coming with promotion prospects, pensions and health insurance.

[ProfessorGAC]

76. Secondary Sales Have NEVER Been Part of GDP

Garage sales, direct sales of used cars, or guitars, or stereos, or TV's, or whatever. There has to be "q" that's never been counted for the money involved in a sale to count in GDP. So, sales of goods that have already been sold once have never counted in GDP. So, per this dumbass, we'd have to go back and revise every single sale of every person to person transaction to 1800.

However, if we did that, and remember we weren't counting Ebay during Clinton's term, then the economy would look even worse than now. If we adjusted the GDP upward during Clinton for these same reasons, the Bush economy would appear much weaker than it already is.

This guy can't even make up facts right! What a piece of work!
The Professor

[Chovexani]

78. Jackass

Did ever occur to this jackass that people sell stuff on eBay BECAUSE WE'RE UNEMPLOYED?

Fucking jackass.

[Strelnikov_]

79. Woo Hoo, GDP Is 0.0172% Higher, Prosperity Is Here . . .

(cue Al Franken) . . Now!

$2b in Ebay transactions / $11,643b GDP = 0.000172 of GDP

No wonder he appointed himself VP. The Halliburton board was probably going to dump him because HE IS AN IDIOT.

[Bluebear]

80. My neighbor had a garage sale. We're turning the corner!

Of course she was selling off things to buy food.

[henslee]

81. Give Bush credit... Booksales about his admin may jumpstart economy.

[Kimber Scott]

82. They forgot to count Yard Sales and Swap Meets, too. Things aren't

so bad after all! Woohoo!

[Kool Kitty]

102. And don't forget the E-Bay health insurance benefits

package. And their comprehensive pension plan. What a clueless bastard he is.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

83. Let's not forget all the money people like Tony Soprano make......

....selling stuff that falls from the back of a truck.

Jesus Fucking Christ!!!!! This sounds like Dan Quayle from 1992 when he commented how great the economy was doing after seeing a help wanted sign at the local Burger King.

[Gnaeus]

84. Sad thing is

some people will believe him.

[Catfight]

85. Cheney mentions the that they don't count boys who mow lawns,

that's a source that they've tried to get counted in the numbers. Those $10 lawn profits go a long way America!

[Zgrrl]

86. Hey, Dickhead Cheney...

...so does that mean that if I list my item on eBay and it doesn't sell, I can claim unemployment benefits???

:shrug:

[malatesta1137]

87. Cheney forgets

shoplifters, there are an AWFUL lot of them and they get goods FOR FREE.

I've been selling an eBay since I lost my job 14 months ago. I make $75 to $100 a week when I am VERY lucky. That certainly beats a real job with medical, dental and retirement plans! Cheney, drop f*cking DEAD!

[w4rma]

95. con-artist (nt)

[Odd Little Man]

96. Since eBay is so good

for the economy, will Dick be sending a thank-you note to Gore?

[LynneSin]

97. I found $10 today, make sure they count that in the report

Seriously, I did - at the grocery store. I just pocketed the money because I could use the extra cash!!

[recidivist]

101. Seriously, how much of the economy is off the books?

I'm not current on the subject but a semi-official guesstimate 20 years ago was that 10%-plus of the U.S. economy was off the books. Estimates for certain other countries were higher. If I recall correctly, the experts at that time thought as much as 40% of Italy's economy was underground. It's important to note that these estimates did NOT include criminal activities (aside from the obvious fact that income wasn't being reported). If you add criminal activity the proportion is sharply higher. Illegal drugs are probably the nation's biggest business, and prostitution is right up there.

This is a significant issue. For one thing, taxes on the law abiding are much higher than they would have to be were all income being reported. In addition, this is one reason that the problem of the underclass is as intractable as it is. It's a common observation that a lot more money is floating around "poor" neighborhoods in the U.S. than the official statistics can account for. A lot of these folks have significant irregular sources of income and, while they're mostly not getting rich, they prefer it to the steady 9-5 grind.

Obviously I'm not talking here about the working poor who are punching a clock at two jobs for near-minimum wages. That's apt to be on the books (except for tip income). I'm talking about the folks who opt for the street hustle or who seem to be content to sit back more-or-less forever and collect benefits.

Shifting from income to consumption taxes is the usual remedy suggested for this. Of course, consumption taxes raise other questions, but reaching the underground economy is certainly a plus factor.

[Geo55]

103. "If you add criminal activity the proportion is sharply higher"

Yeah...lets tax some criminal activity....quite a few US CORPORATIONS come to mind....you know , the ones that pay next to NOTHING !
I must have gotten away with at least a coupla hundred bucks on the 'Bay in the last few years...please
Wealthy in this country pay nowhere near their equatable share.