A man in the U.S. has 'bought' an item on Amazon with a price tag of nearly three billion dollars - just to see what would happen.
Brian Klug spotted the copy of the Discovery Channel's 'Cells' CD-ROM for sale at $2,904,980,000 (£1,800,979,540).
Out of sheer curiosity, convinced the price tag was a mistake, he put in his credit card details to buy it and stepped back to see what would happen next.
First off, Mr. Klug from San Mateo, California, was charged $3.99 for posting and handling.
Mr. Klug has posted on the Reddit website links to the Amazon site and confirmation of his purchase.
One Reddit commentatator posted: 'This is going to end poorly, I can feel it.'
'Might be a good morning to buy Amazon stock,' wrote another, while a third pointed out that had Mr. Klug had Amazon's Visa three per cent rewards card, thus entitling him to roughly $87million in rewards.
Some suggested Mr. Klug pay in Zimbabwean dollars, while one left a note saying: 'Dear Sir: I hereby award you a gold star for your gallant efforts in propping up the US economy.'
'Geez, at least they could pick up the postal charges,' was the sentiment of many, while others voiced hopes that Mr. Klug actually has Win98 - the only operating system the CD-ROM can run on.
Luckily for Mr. Klug, however, Amazon does not charge user's credit cards until after their order has entered the packaging process.
In possible anticipation of such instances the Amazon website does state: 'Despite our best efforts, a small number of the items in our catalogue may be mispriced.
'If an item's correct price is higher than our stated price, we will, at our discretion, either contact you for instructions before shipping or cancel your order and notify you of such cancellation.'
However, the problem for Mr. Klug is that the CD-ROM is not being sold by Amazon, but by a third party named suburbanbooks. And Amazon's policy on third parties is: 'This policy applies only to products sold and shipped by Amazon.com.
'Your purchases from third-party sellers are charged at the time you place your order, and third-party sellers may follow different policies in the event of a mispriced item.'
Fortunately, suburbanbooks has received a 99 per cent positive feedback rating from 4,302 users - presumably having never charged any of them billions of dollars for computer software.
Another Amazon seller appears to be trying to take advantage of the mispricing by offering their version of the same CD-ROM for a mere $250,000.
It is not clear if anyone has taken the second seller up on their offer though 16 customers have tagged the items as 'a little pricey'.
The CD-ROM is due to be shipped by January 4 or 5, arriving at Mr. Klug's house any time between January 8 and January 26.
It was described as 'new in shrink wrap' (presumably there would have been a discount had it been used), and is being shipped from Berkeley, California.
Whether it will actually turn up remains to be seen.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Small Bits of News You Didn’t Know you Needed
Pretty in PINK
An environmental artist in Fargo, N.D., says she paints the snow on her home's yard a different color each time flakes fall.
While Fargo resident Stevie Famulari's front yard currently is pink, the landscape architecture professor at North Dakota State University is eyeing purplish blue snow for the next snowfall.
Famulari's color scheme, which includes darker colors as winter progresses, is intended to unveil a colorful rainbow when the snow finally melts.
"It'll be a beautiful rainbow when it comes back," she said. "Happily, I don't expect it to melt at the same rate so the front of the yard may reveal the pinks or the purples sooner, the back of the yard will still be the blacks and the blues."
Famulari said while some enjoy her colorful lawn and others are less supportive, it does serve as an intriguing conversation starter.
"Either way, it causes controversy and it causes people to talk and talking causes change," she said. "Like it or hate it, at least it's discussed."
PICTURE
.
Man goes to jail over New Years with relatives
A Sicilian man stole sweets and a packet of chewing gum so he could get arrested and spend New Year's Eve in a jail cell rather than be with his wife and relatives.
The 35-year old Sicilian first showed up at a police station on Thursday asking to be arrested because he preferred spending the night in prison rather than with his family, but was rebuffed because he had not committed a crime.The man immediately went to a tobacco shop next door, where he threatened the owner with a box cutter as he grabbed a few sweets and a packet of gum. He then waited until police arrived to arrest him for robbery.
.
Blowing a .708 BAC
An absolutely bombed South Dakota woman - found passed out in stolen cars twice this month - had a blood alcohol level nearly nine times the legal limit,
A Sturgis woman had a blood-alcohol level of .708 percent, possibly a state record, when she was found earlier this month behind the wheel of a stolen vehicle parked on Interstate 90, according to Meade County State’s Attorney Jesse Sondreal.
A South Dakota Highway Patrol trooper discovered Marguerite Engle, 45, on Dec. 1 passed out behind the wheel of a delivery truck reported stolen in Rapid City.
Her blood-alcohol level was almost nine times South Dakota’s legal limit of .08 percent.
.
Man robs gas station wearing panties
On Monday night, a man robbed the Clark Oil gas station. Police say the male entered the business with a pair of women's panties on his head.
Inside the store, he grabbed a female customer around the waist and walked her closer the checkout counter. He pointed the long knife towards the two employees standing behind the counter and demanded all of the money, cigarettes and a lighter.
Even though the suspect attempted to hide his identity, the employees and witness was able to provide a good description of the suspect.
Based on that description officers began watching for Larry Bernard near his residence on Ohio Street. They found Bernard staggering in an alley near his home.
Officers found a large amount of money, two packs of cigarettes and a lighter. The items matched those described as being taken during the robbery. The panties and gloves were also found in the suspects pockets.
.
An environmental artist in Fargo, N.D., says she paints the snow on her home's yard a different color each time flakes fall.
While Fargo resident Stevie Famulari's front yard currently is pink, the landscape architecture professor at North Dakota State University is eyeing purplish blue snow for the next snowfall.
Famulari's color scheme, which includes darker colors as winter progresses, is intended to unveil a colorful rainbow when the snow finally melts.
"It'll be a beautiful rainbow when it comes back," she said. "Happily, I don't expect it to melt at the same rate so the front of the yard may reveal the pinks or the purples sooner, the back of the yard will still be the blacks and the blues."
Famulari said while some enjoy her colorful lawn and others are less supportive, it does serve as an intriguing conversation starter.
"Either way, it causes controversy and it causes people to talk and talking causes change," she said. "Like it or hate it, at least it's discussed."
PICTURE
.
Man goes to jail over New Years with relatives
A Sicilian man stole sweets and a packet of chewing gum so he could get arrested and spend New Year's Eve in a jail cell rather than be with his wife and relatives.
The 35-year old Sicilian first showed up at a police station on Thursday asking to be arrested because he preferred spending the night in prison rather than with his family, but was rebuffed because he had not committed a crime.The man immediately went to a tobacco shop next door, where he threatened the owner with a box cutter as he grabbed a few sweets and a packet of gum. He then waited until police arrived to arrest him for robbery.
.
Blowing a .708 BAC
An absolutely bombed South Dakota woman - found passed out in stolen cars twice this month - had a blood alcohol level nearly nine times the legal limit,
A Sturgis woman had a blood-alcohol level of .708 percent, possibly a state record, when she was found earlier this month behind the wheel of a stolen vehicle parked on Interstate 90, according to Meade County State’s Attorney Jesse Sondreal.
A South Dakota Highway Patrol trooper discovered Marguerite Engle, 45, on Dec. 1 passed out behind the wheel of a delivery truck reported stolen in Rapid City.
Her blood-alcohol level was almost nine times South Dakota’s legal limit of .08 percent.
.
Man robs gas station wearing panties
On Monday night, a man robbed the Clark Oil gas station. Police say the male entered the business with a pair of women's panties on his head.
Inside the store, he grabbed a female customer around the waist and walked her closer the checkout counter. He pointed the long knife towards the two employees standing behind the counter and demanded all of the money, cigarettes and a lighter.
Even though the suspect attempted to hide his identity, the employees and witness was able to provide a good description of the suspect.
Based on that description officers began watching for Larry Bernard near his residence on Ohio Street. They found Bernard staggering in an alley near his home.
Officers found a large amount of money, two packs of cigarettes and a lighter. The items matched those described as being taken during the robbery. The panties and gloves were also found in the suspects pockets.
.
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