[TommyJefferson]

All the mainstream economic media say the US economy is chugging along nicely with only a hint of slowdown in the 3rd quarter and a "leveling" of home prices.

This contradicts what I'm see out here in the real world. I'm seeing LOTS of people trying to sell off excess personal toys like boats, lake lots, and motorcycles.

I watch the local want-ad papers and ebay for bargins on things I enjoy. I'm seeing a MUCH higher volume of stuff appearing. Things are also staying for sale longer. They are also selling for much lower prices.

Example:

After five days on the auction block, this motorcycle has only been bid up to $5,100

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... 4628843063

Three years ago this style of bike in this condition would have *easily* brought $12,000 in the first few bids since new ones like it were $21,000. It would have eventually sold for around $17,000.

I'll be watching this bike to see if it even tops $11,000

[TT]

I'm seeing much the same here in Australia. Heaps of cars parked outside houses with FOR SALE signs. Motor bikes and boats too.

Where I really notice the change is in Opportunity Shops. I think you call them Thrift Shops. I'm always popping into Op Shops to try to find a bargain. Not so long ago I used to regularly see things like blankets, towels, sheets at cheap prices. Now I see practically none. Those that are there are quite expensive.

There also used to be heaps of really cheap curtains. Recently a friend was moving house and needed curtains. I visited every Op Shop in and around Melbourne for curtains and found none worth having. We even put our names down with about 6 stores and after 3 months - nothing.

This suggests to me that people are not buying new curtains and linen - and therefore none end up in the Op Shops.

[jaws]

Yuan/Dollar. Notice a trend?

[mekrob]

UE, that's what it appears to be. Yuan/dollar would be a ratio of yuans to a dollar.

Not much of a surprise. Dollar will continue to fall as long as we have such terrible economic policies.

[oil4u]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('TT', 'I')'m seeing much the same here in Australia. Heaps of cars parked outside houses with FOR SALE signs. Motor bikes and boats too.

Where I really notice the change is in Opportunity Shops. I think you call them Thrift Shops. I'm always popping into Op Shops to try to find a bargain. Not so long ago I used to regularly see things like blankets, towels, sheets at cheap prices. Now I see practically none. Those that are there are quite expensive.

There also used to be heaps of really cheap curtains. Recently a friend was moving house and needed curtains. I visited every Op Shop in and around Melbourne for curtains and found none worth having. We even put our names down with about 6 stores and after 3 months - nothing.

This suggests to me that people are not buying new curtains and linen - and therefore none end up in the Op Shops.

[uNkNowN ElEmEnt]

Jaws please explain this graph. Is this how the Yuan is comparing to the US dollar?

[Kingcoal]

Er um, if you've ever bought or sold anything on Ebay, you know that it is typical for bidding to take off in the last 2 minutes of of the auction.

One thing I will agree with is that over priced stuff is starting to stay on the shelf. That includes over priced houses, cars, etc.

[kabu]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('threadbear', 'I')nteresting posts. This kind of thread is very useful as we are being constantly lied to by the media. House prices seem to be hitting a plateau on Vancouver island and Gulf islands in Canada, even though unemployment is at an all time low. Construction is the only area where people are making much more money than they used to make. It's a real worker's paradise, here. Other than that incomes aren't going up.

[threadbear]

Interesting posts. This kind of thread is very useful as we are being constantly lied to by the media. House prices seem to be hitting a plateau on Vancouver island and Gulf islands in Canada, even though unemployment is at an all time low. Construction is the only area where people are making much more money than they used to make. It's a real worker's paradise, here. Other than that incomes aren't going up.

[ohanian]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('TommyJefferson', '
')Example:

After five days on the auction block, this motorcycle has only been bid up to $5,100

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... 4628843063

Three years ago this style of bike in this condition would have *easily* brought $12,000 in the first few bids since new ones like it were $21,000. It would have eventually sold for around $17,000.

I'll be watching this bike to see if it even tops $11,000

[Tyler_JC]

Maybe it's just because I'm noticing it more often.

Maybe it's just that spring time is the time to sell.

But I have been noticing an alarming surplus of houses on the market.

I live in what is normally considered a "recession-proof" town. Yet somehow I see plenty of "price reduced" signs on massive houses. The school is having budget problems. Prices everywhere are going up and up. Traffic at the restaurant that I work at (but am quitting because I hate it there) is down.

Overall, things are not rosey.

And the capital gains/dividend tax cut extensions are probably not going to pass in Congress. The market will tank on that news and it will signal the start of Dow 8000.

We will not see 3.5% growth in the 4th quarter, I can tell you that much.

(I'm thinking 13,000 for the bike. But please give us a link to the item on Ebay, I want to check it out before making a real guess)

[oilfreeandhappy]

The housing market is bad here, especially the upper-end homes. A number of friends have been layed off, and have had to settle for lesser paying jobs, sometimes 10-20% less.

I don't think we're seeing this in the Stock Market, because the wealthy are still investing. There is a much wider gap between the rich and the non-rich.
Jim Gagnepain
http://home.comcast.net/~oil_free_and_happy/

[basketballjones]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('uNkNowN ElEmEnt', 'J')aws please explain this graph. Is this how the Yuan is comparing to the US dollar?

[Andrew_S]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('jaws', '[')URL=http://imageshack.us][img]
Yuan/Dollar. Notice a trend?

[ReserveGrowthRulz]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('TommyJefferson', '
')After five days on the auction block, this motorcycle has only been bid up to $5,100

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... 4628843063

Three years ago this style of bike in this condition would have *easily* brought $12,000 in the first few bids since new ones like it were $21,000. It would have eventually sold for around $17,000.

I'll be watching this bike to see if it even tops $11,000

[dbarberic]

Yes - the economy is much worse than what is being spun by the MSM.

Everything you need to know:
http://www.gillespieresearch.com/cgi-bin/bgn

[GreyLady]

Around here, employment seems to be OK (government town). What we notice is that people are getting squeezed by rising costs - particularly energy. I work in non-profit housing. about 50% of our tenants have rents geared to their incomes (30% of gross). They are mostly working poor. The ones one welfare at least have a chance of getting some extra cash from the gov't to cover their heat costs. I've gone from getting about three "There must be something wrong with my hydro meter - look at my bill!' a winter, to about one a week. I've also started getting calls from people on gas heat. Last year the calls didn't stop with the end of the heating season, they kept going through the summer. We are discovering more and more tenants whose utilities have been cut off. Informal surveys have indicated that many tenants (not just the ones who pay rent geared to income, but the ones paying market rents also) have been forced to make choices between energy, food and housing and have been shorting all three.

My husband is a bartender at a tavern. It is a place for serious drinkers. Volume always drops off in winter, but the amount of tip per drink stays the same. Recently, people have stopped tipping. They are picking up their change even if its just a quarter (that my husband dropped in a puddle of beer - he was doing an experiment to see how determined people were not to leave anything on the bar). Those who are disposed to tip are leaving things like a coupon for a free coffee at Bridgehead (fair trade coffee). The fact that the high end coffee houses in trendy parts of town are sending out coupons for a free coffee (not just a plain coffee, but any coffee beverage they serve even the ones with cream and chocolate) is also a bad sign.

Grey

[TommyJefferson]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ReserveGrowthRulz', 'I')ts a Hardley, the things make great fashion accessories for dentists

[ohanian]

Tipping? What the hell is tipping? I been to Australia and Japan and I still do not know what tipping is.




More than 19,000 fight for 380 jobs
By Jill Pengelley

April 10, 2006


ONE in 70 South Australians applied for jobs at a new Ikea furniture store, the company claims.While some businesses struggle to find workers, Ikea had 19,292 applications for just 380 positions.

Retail industry consultant Stirling Griff said that number of jobseekers equated to 17 per cent of the state's retail workforce of about 115,000. "The retail industry finds it generally quite hard to get good people," he said.

[rogerhb]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('GreyLady', 'R')ecently, people have stopped tipping.