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Steve Jobs profiteering takes off on Etsy, EBay

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It was only a matter of time: The commercialization of Steve Jobs’ death has begun.

Merchants are banking on the devotion of the Apple co-founder’s many fans.

At Etsy.com, sellers are offering iRemember buttons, iSad screen-printed T-shirts and iMiss Steve baby onesies. Shoppers can also pick up tribute earrings, memorial iPhone covers, and even pillows imprinted with the dates of Jobs’ birth and passing.

The vendors on Ebay have autographed photos and newspapers with Jobs’ obituary. One poster for sale sets a photo of the tech pioneer beside images of Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein.

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A high school yearbook featuring a photo of Jobs in 1971 -- highlighted in pink -- is going for $749. A domain name -- www.sjobsforever.com -- is up for $8,000.

[Updated at 3:07 p.m.: Bluewater Productions said it will publish a special-edition, 32-page comic book biography of Jobs as an e-book for the Nook and Kindle this week and eventually in print form to be sold in bookstores and comic shops. A portion of the proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society.]

The luxury retailer St. Croix, which makes the turtleneck that Jobs made iconic, normally sells about 10 such shirts a day. Since Jobs’ death, nearly all orders through the company have been for the turtleneck -- about 60 on Thursday so far, a spokesman said.

“We always appreciated his support of us,” said Bruce Amster, St. Croix’s director of stores. The company said it plans to donate part of the proceeds for the turtleneck to the American Cancer Society in Jobs’ honor.

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-- Tiffany Hsu

Image: A screen shot showing results of a search for ‘Steve Jobs’ on Etsy.

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