What collectibles should you buy now to sell later? Site helps auction speculators know what's hot.

With the stock market becoming more rocky each day, people have turned to on-line auction sites as a way to supplement their income. How do you know what to buy now in order to sell later? Soberbrothers.com tracks auction and collector news and takes the temperature of the pop culture world to see what's hot.

Tales of stock market investing get worse every day. Corporate mistrust is at an all-time high. Where can a savvy investor turn?

To the Internet, of course!

Auction sites like eBay and Yahoo have turned garage sale speculating into part- and full-time jobs for many Americans. The popular sites bring buyers from across the country and around the globe into contact with sellers posting attic treasures or flea market finds.

The question remains, how is a seller supposed to know what to buy today in order to sell tomorrow?

Soberbrothers.com, the on-line brainchild of two brothers not named "Sober," began as a way to sell off the collected clutter from years of garage sales, flea markets and toy shows. While the site provides visitors with links to descriptions and photos of items for sale at their eBay stores, the brothers patrol the Internet looking for stories of interest to fellow collectors and buyers.

"The stories that make our front page have to make me sit up and take notice from a pop culture viewpoint," says co-owner and content manager Dan Taylor. "It has to be interesting as a potential investment or impact the way the auction sites do business."

Recent examples include the setting of a strike date by major league baseball players and eBay's decision to acquire PayPal, an on-line payment service.

"The baseball story was huge because it makes you think about whether or not you'll invest in baseball collectibles. Will prices tumble if they strike? Can you buy stuff cheap and sell it later if the fans return? It's not much different from investing in stocks or mutual funds," says Taylor. "You just have to find a place to put everything in the meantime."

The site also features a weekly "What's Hot" column that explores the collectible market for pop culture properties such as upcoming films, hit television shows and toys.

Visit http://www.soberbrothers.com for more information and to sign up for their free e-mail newsletter.