About a week ago I was wandering around my small Manhattan apartment looking for a charger. For some reason I had a bunch of BlackBerrys lying around but no chargers. I guess I had lent out or lost practically all but 2 of my MiniUSB chargers and decided to do something about it. At first I tried charging from the USB on my computer but that is just too slow. Then I tried a AC->USB adapter to charge but USB cables are not as flexible and long as the original BlackBerry chargers.
I then went searching online and discovered that USB chargers are a bit expensive. Even the street vendors in Manhattan want $5 for an off brand charger that will blow up your BlackBerry. 
After that I decided to try out eBay. I discovered to my delight that one seller is selling OEM BlackBerry chargers for $2.98 with FREE SHIPPING! In case you don’t know, OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer. That means that these are actual authentic RIM BlackBerry chargers for $2.98 each!
I was shocked and ordered 7 chargers! That way I never ran out. These guys were good to their word and yesterday I got 7 authentic RIM MiniUSB chargers. The coolest part is that they got here in 2 days since they are located in Brooklyn instead of most eBay sellers that are in Hong Kong.
You can find the eBay auction at this link
NOTE: Please keep in mind that newer devices including the 8220 Flip, 8900 Curve, & 9500/9530 Storm use a MicroUSB charger which is a little bit smaller than a MiniUSB charger. This is a pain in the arse since MicroUSB chargers are still pretty pricey at around $14 each. So you can always get a converter cable from these guys for $3.95 with free shipping.
Sam K Not Registered
Posted: January 14, 2009 at 12:02 PM EST
I really hope they’re OEM and not cheap copies from Hong Kong or China. There’s a lot of fake goods showing up on eBay.
Ronen Halevy ( View Profile) Senior admin - Posts: 5298
Posted: January 14, 2009 at 12:09 PM EST from my BlackBerry 9000
That’s what I am trying to say Sam. I already received 7 chargers from them and they are indeed OEM RIM branded chargers exactly like the ones that come with your berry
Michael Jones Not Registered
Posted: January 14, 2009 at 1:43 PM EST
I just got a BB Bold, in December 2008. I looked around and I realized that BlackBerry chargers are the same as Motorola Razr chargers. Yoo hoo!
Hey, guess what? A few years ago, I had a Razr, and I still have 3 wall chargers and a car charger laying around from that Razr. Bingo!
Now, I have BlackBerry chargers everywhere! Yeah, my old Palm Treo 750 makes you buy a proprietary cable for everything. Dang you, Palm!
Just another reason why BlackBerry is a class act – standards.
DavidB Not Registered
Posted: January 16, 2009 at 11:17 AM EST
I have so many chargers laying around, I decided to just buy a couple of the adaptors. Since they have a lanyard it seems I can lanyard them to the ends of each charger and be able to charge any of our household Blackberry smartphones (now including a Storm).
Queen4111 Not Registered
Posted: January 31, 2009 at 6:12 AM EST
They went up to $19.99.