Tools-Bay.com

The eBay Android app is now available for free

Francis — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:44:47 +0000

The eBay Android app is now available for free at the Android Market. To download it, search for “eBay” from the Android Market on your handset.

Like most Android apps, the eBay Android app also supports speech-to-text voice search.

The app allows you to search, buy, pay, and check status of your eBay activities anywhere.

Check the Android Market for updates.

PayPal stops payments to and from India

Francis — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 16:56:11 +0000

Online shop eBay’s popular electronic payment system PayPal seems to have been blocking all personal transactions to and from India. Strangely, it has offered no justification for this decision.

In a perplexing move, popular electronic payment gateway PayPal Inc has suddenly started blocking personal transactions to and from India. PayPal was allowing business transactions till a few days ago, but now has also stopped it along with personal and gift payments.

This article from Moneylife.in 6 February 2010
Read complete artcile at Moneylife.in site.

eBay refiddles with auction fees

Francis — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 04:09:51 +0000

ebay is making more changes to its already profoundly confusing US pricing structure as a way to attract high volume sellers and appease those who auction only a few low-priced items.?

This article from The Register 27 January 2010
read complete article at The Register site.

Amazon, Ebay Satisfy Online in the Holidays even as eBay Goes Mobile

Francis — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 13:26:15 +0000

Retailers that have been expanding electronic commerce may have done themselves a big favor this holiday season, improving customer service at a time when high-tech shopping became more attractive to consumers.

And it wasn’t just “traditional” e-commerce that made gains.

This article from Bnet.com 5 January 2010
Read complete article at Bnet.com site.

Happy New Year

Francis — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:12:54 +0000

Wishing all friends and readers

A Happy and Prosperous New Year

eBay’s Holiday Gift: 1.5M Sales Via Mobile

Francis — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:08:16 +0000

Mobile phone shopping is easier than driving to the store or even booting up a laptop to make a purchase because you can do it when you’re inspired to make a gift purchase. Maybe that’s why eBay performed remarkably well this holiday season.

This article from Mobile Marketing Watch 30 December 2009
Read complete article at Mobile Marketing Watch site.

Online auctioneer set for Xmas rush

Francis — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:43:34 +0000

On-line auction house Ebay was expecting early bird shoppers to steal a march on the Christmas shopping rush by flocking to the website on Sunday.

Many internet retailers are expecting their busiest day of trading on Monday but Ebay was bracing itself for a surge of 5 million visitors on Sunday.

This article from Press Association 30 November 2009
Read complete article at Press Association site.

MicroPlace – Help People To Help Themselves Out Of Poverty

Francis — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:38:53 +0000

MicroPlace (www.microplace.com ), a PayPal company launched in 2007, is a social business that enables everyday people to invest in the world’s working poor.

The organization, whose mission is to alleviate global poverty, facilitates online investments in microfinance that have proven to be an effective way of transforming people on the margins of society into economically productive individuals.

MicroPlace is championing a model that fuses people’s desire to be philanthropic with the efficacy of investing to raise microfinance capital. MicroPlace is a wholly-owned subsidiary of eBay, Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY).

eBay Black Friday’s Sales Map

Francis — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:27:12 +0000

eBay has created a transaction map of the United States that spans the duration of Black Friday’s shopping activity on the site. The map is a visualization of U.S.-based buyer and seller transactions over that 24-hour period.

eBay and PayPal Now Offer Bill Me Later

Francis — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:40:05 +0000

If you’re shopping on eBay, Bill Me Later will be available as a payment option for both Buy It Now and approved auction purchases. This is according to the PayPal Blog.

Read full article at PayPal Blog

Amazon debuts mobile payment option

Francis — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:17:13 +0000

Amazon Payments LLC, an Amazon.com company, released a mobile payment system on October 5.

Amazon Mobile Payments Service lets the company’s merchants process transactions via mobile phone and allows consumers to check out using Amazon’s 1-Click.

This article from DMNews.com 7 October 2009
Read complete article at DMNews.com site.

Sellers can now revise live multi-quantity listings with sale

Francis — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:02:34 +0000

Sellers can now edit almost everything in live multi-quantity fixed price listings even after a sale on the item, except for title, category, duration and format.

If you need to add quantity, modify the item price, edit the description, modify shipping costs etc, you don’t need to end and recreate the listing. You can simply revise your live listings. Buyers who had previously bought the item will have an option to see the earlier version of the listing.

This story from eBay Developer Blog 7 October 2009
Read complete article at eBay Developer Blog site.

EBay Monthly Sales Gain for First Time in a Year

Francis — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:54:48 +0000

Retailers on EBay.com Inc.’s site had sales gains in August and September, the first increases since at least July 2008, according to ChannelAdvisor Corp., which helps merchants sell on EBay, Amazon.com and other sites.

This article from Bloomberg.com 7 October 2009
Read complete story at Bloomberg.com site.

Postal strike hits online retailers

Francis — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:47:19 +0000

Internet giants Amazon and eBay have announced contingency measures after postal workers voted in favour of a national strike over jobs, pay and services in the coming weeks.

The companies are looking to avoid disruption to deliveries caused by the possible Royal Mail strike in the run-up to Christmas.

Amazon said it had been in talks with other carriers “to ensure that we can continue to deliver the high standards that our customers expect from us”.

This article from The Press Association 8 October 2009
Read complete article at The Press Association site.

Four entrepreneurs win $25,000 eBay/Kauffman awards

Francis — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:41:20 +0000

Online marketplace eBay Inc on Wednesday named four entrepreneurs who will each receive $25,000 to bring their business plans to life.

San Jose-based eBay said the four will also receive free marketing advice and support from the company. An additional four runners up were awarded $5,000 each to pursue their plans for starting or growing a business on eBay.

Online marketplace eBay Inc. on Wednesday named four entrepreneurs who will each receive $25,000 to bring their business plans to life.

This article from Business Journal 8 October 2009
Read complete article at Business Journal site.

eBay 33% off Insertion Fee

Francis — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 08:04:33 +0000

Starting on Saturday, September 26, 2009, sellers who list Auction-style item(s), and have a 12 month Detailed Seller Rating of 4.5 or higher on all criteria, will receive 33% off the standard Insertion Fee per item listed.

New sellers who don’t yet have DSR ratings are also eligible.

DSR rating criteria for this promotion will be based on the previous 12 months.

More details at http://pages.ebay.com/33off/

The Evolution of eBay

Francis — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 07:31:44 +0000

As eBay’s senior manager of seller advocacy, Jim Griffith gets a daily earful about what’s wrong with his company’s online marketplace amid the ongoing wave of changes implemented there. But instead of discouraging or tuning out the feedback, Griffith is urging eBay members to keep it coming–as long as it’s constructive.

“I don’t want them to keep quiet,” says Griffith, who joined eBay in 1996, when its users numbered in the thousands, not the millions, and years before it began building a corporate empire that now includes the online payment processing system PayPal, the internet communications company Skype and others.

This article from Alibaba.com 26 September 2009
Read complete story at Alibaba.com site.

Postal strikes leave eBay users in limbo

Francis — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 07:29:18 +0000

Ebay sellers are worried they may suffer negative feedback from customers as buyers with goods caught up in the postal strike launch pre-emptive “dispute” claims in a bid to avoid being out of pocket. Many users of the online auction house have been left empty handed as the Royal Mail union snarl-up over job cuts and pay causes huge disruption at sorting offices across the country.

This article form The Observer 27 September 2009
Read complete article at The Observer site.

PayPal, eBay to Integrate Bill Me Later Into Sites

Francis — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 07:23:35 +0000

Almost a year after eBay purchased online billing company Bill Me Later, the company’s offerings will be integrated into eBay and PayPal in the coming weeks.

Bill Me Later will launch for a limited number of sellers and buyers on eBay and PayPal in the next few weeks, Sam Shrauger, PayPal’s vice president of global product strategy, wrote in a blog post.

This article from PC Magazine 23 September 2009
Read complete story at PC Magazine site.

How to write and submit articles online to increase eBay traffic

Francis — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 05:22:45 +0000

Article writing is a technique used by bloggers, website owners, and internet marketers to drive traffic to their websites. eBay sellers can also use this technique to get the same results. You can submit articles to sites like eZine Articles, eHow, or ArticlesBase for publication on their site.

This article from Examiner.com 29 August 2009
Read complete article at Examiner.com site.

eBay sellers face audits

Francis — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 05:11:44 +0000

Tax audits for eBay merchants are nothing new to Nanaimo’s Matt James, who has been selling artwork, collector coins and fishing tackle around the globe for the past 11 years. Canada Revenue Agency auditors went through his financial books in 2005 and 2006.

This article from Canada.com 31 July 2009
Read full article at Canada.com site.

eBay hands badges to top-rated sellers

Francis — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 10:58:12 +0000

eBay plans to hand out new discounts and merit badges to big sellers who leave more customers happy.

The online auction house said Monday it’s conjuring a new “top-rated seller” status to those given high marks in customer feedback. The status nets celebrated sellers a 20 per cent discount on their final value fees while elevating their auctions in search.

This article from The Register 27 July 2009
Read complete article at The Register site.

eBay Earnings, Major Policy Changes Ahead

Francis — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 06:03:11 +0000

As investors and analysts await financial figures for eBay’s second quarter, sellers are likely to hear news Monday of policy changes that continue to reflect CEO John Donahoe’s strategy of streamlining the buyer experience and redefining the auction marketplace as a traditional e-commerce site.

This article from InternetNews.com 20 July 2009
Read complete story at InternetNews.com site.

eBay Australia shifts focus from auctions to fixed price selling

Francis — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 04:09:19 +0000

Online auction site eBay Australia is set to introduce extra benefits for users looking to sell their items at a fixed price in a reaction to what the company says is an increased level of demand for the site’s ‘Buy it now’ feature.

The move comes as an Australian eBay user has accused the site of allowing several instances of “shill bidding”, whereby fake accounts are used to drive up the price of items sold on the site.

This article from SmartCompany.com.au 15 July 2009
Read complete article at SmartCompany.com.au site.

Selling on eBay is more common in tough economy

Francis — Thu, 14 May 2009 15:15:05 +0000

In these tough times, people are selling their stuff on eBay for quick cash. More people are looking around their home, trying to turn art, collectibles, or jewelry into a profit.

This article from Wink News.com 13 May 2009
Read complete article at WinkNews.com site.

Bay fees rejig will still hit casual auctioneers

Francis — Thu, 14 May 2009 15:10:00 +0000

eBay announced today it’s removing listing fees for users who only occasionally auction their wares on the online flea market – but seller beware.

The website is simplifying how it charges folks who only auction just a few items per month, but it’s not necessarily becoming cheaper as advertised.

This article from The Register 12 May 2009
Read complete article at The Register site.

EBay to test eBay Bucks shopping rewards program

Francis — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 15:51:10 +0000

Shopping on eBay just got a bit more rewarding, at least for some users of the online auction site.

On Wednesday, eBay Inc. launched a “beta” test version of eBay Bucks, a program that lets participants earn a 2 percent reward on certain items they buy through the site and pay for using eBay’s online payment service, PayPal. Rewards come quarterly as gift certificates, which can be used to buy other items through eBay within 30 days.

eBay Bucks video tutorial page
eBay Bucks FAQ
This article from Fosters.com 25 April 2009
Read complete article at Fosters.com site.

EBay —Not PayPal—To Handle Dispute Resolution

Francis — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 10:15:38 +0000

EBay, which decided to limit major announcements to twice-yearly, has been quiet up until this week when it announced its spring policy and site changes for buyers and sellers.

Last year eBay slugged through harsh policy changes that kept many sellers in an uproar for most of 2008, such as DSR restrictions and opening the site to larger catalog merchants.

This article from eCommerce-Guide.com 16 April 2009
Read complete article at eCommerce-Guide site.

EBay Seller Changes: New Buyer Dispute Process, Same Old Fees

Francis — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 10:09:03 +0000

EBay unveiled some long-promised changes to its e-commerce site on Tuesday. Some of the most vocal eBay sellers are giving the changes tepid applause — but still complain eBay isn’t addressing a more fundamental problem for buyers with the fees it charges.

The company says it will tweak its user interface by adding features such as “Smart FAQs” from buyers to cut down on the number of repeat questions from buyers. Seller Tony Madalone, who runs an eBay t-shirt shop called Vintage Classic Threads, likes the new tools for package-tracking and label-printing that eBay is building into the site. “I always thought that it could be changed to be more user-friendly and allow sellers to be more efficient,” he said.

This article from Wall Street Journal 14 April 2009
Read complete article at Wall Street Journal site.

eBay announcements predictions from AuctionWally

Francis — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:01:30 +0000

It’s no surprise to anyone in selling circles that eBay is expected to release big news on Tuesday regarding upcoming changes to the platform, we’ve known it was coming for weeks.

Just about everyone who’s ever sold anything, anywhere, has an opinion on what changes eBay will make, here’s mine.

This article from Examiner.com 13 April 2009
Read complete article at Examiner.com site.

eBay power sellers: Amazon is kicking eBay’s tail

Francis — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:14:50 +0000

Three eBay power sellers are painting a mixed picture at best for the auction site and note that the recession and Amazon are thumping the company.

These eBay users say sales were down 12 percent to 20 percent from a year ago. Saxton, who resells refilled ink cartridges, said sales were up 15 percent.

This article from ZDNet.com 6 April 2009
Read full article at ZDNet.com site.

eBay king shifts £2m accessories

Francis — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:32:43 +0000

Photo credit: avlxyz

UK eBay trader BMC Digital sees export sales rocket on weak pound, as online auction house declares mobile phones the most exported UK product

A mobile phone accessories dealer selling entirely through eBay claims to have seen a “substantial” increase in international sales thanks to the weak pound.

This article from MobileNews.com 25 March 2009
Read full article at MobileNews.com

eBay takes back the crown from Amazon in retail web traffic, Nielsen says

Francis — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 18:12:43 +0000

Google garnered the most online traffic as usual last month, Nielsen Online says. But in the to and fro between Amazon and eBay for unique visitors, there was a change of pace. EBay sites beat out Amazon with 63.06 million visitors,

This article from InternetRetailer 17 March 2009
Read complete article at InternetRetailer site.

Study: EBay Needs to Return to Its Roots

Francis — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 18:07:20 +0000

Over the last year, EBay has been trying to slowly move users away from its auctions and more towards purchases of fixed-priced items. Last week, however, eBay announced that it plans to return to its roots and that the company wants to put more emphasis on its auctions business again.

This article from ReadWriteWeb 17 March 2009
Read complete article at ReadWriteWeb site.

Coming Soon To eBay: The Taxman

Francis — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 18:04:10 +0000

Are you a spare-bedroom merchant? Time to start reporting sales to the IRS.

With the economy worsening, more and more people are likely trying to make ends meet by selling goods via eBay, Amazon.com, Google Checkout and other online services. The Internal Revenue Service is fixing to wield a big new weapon to get its cut.

This article from Forbes.com 18 March 2009
Read complete article at Forbes.com site.

EBay’s ProStores Offers PowerReviews Express To Online Merchants

Francis — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 07:21:06 +0000

EBay’s ProStores, geared toward supporting customizable online stores for small and mid-sized businesses, has begun to offer PowerReviews Express, an application that lets merchants populate their product pages with customer reviews.

This article from MediaPostNews 7 March 2009
Read complete article at MediaPostNews site.

Chinese auction giant Alibaba/Taobao looking to compete with eBay and Paypal in the US?

Francis — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 07:08:01 +0000

Disgruntled eBay sellers who have long been hoping for a strong, viable alternative eBay ecommerce site might find help on the horizon from unlikely source. China and Jack Ma.

Jack Ma founded Alibaba, (www.alibaba.com) which is a very successful site based out of China that has struck gold by by opening up a business to business marketplace which cut out the middleman and allowed western companies to connect directly with suppliers and manufacturers from around the world, but mainly with Chinese companies.

This article from Examiner.com 5 March 2009
Read complete article from Examiner.com site.

Hey eBay, Say Hello to Bonanzle

Francis — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 14:01:19 +0000

Bonanzle was launched in June 2008 by Seattle computer programmer Bill Harding, who wanted to re-create the social dealmaking experience of a garage sale online. Anyone can sign up for a free Bonanzle “booth,” a page where a seller displays items and interacts with visitors. Sellers can easily reward good customers with markdowns.

This article from NewsFactor Business Report 6 Match 2009
Read complete article at NewsFactor Business Report site.

How eBay Is Alienating Selling Allies

Francis — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 04:23:02 +0000

The mighty online auction house only needs to look in the mirror to figure out why sales are slipping, customers are leaving and listings are shrinking. Solution providers that once called eBay “friend” are rejecting its hostile policies. Here’s why.

This article from ChannelInsider 4 March 2009
Read complete article at ChannelInsider site.

eBay: Good in Parts

Francis — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 13:07:25 +0000

At the Accel Symposium, we heard John Donahoe, eBay CEO, admit that there was little synergy between core eBay, PayPal, and Skype. He lauded PayPal, showed some false modesty around Skype, and talked about core eBay in a way that indicated a clear understanding of its limitations and challenges. If that sounds a tad negative, that was not what I took away. What I did take away was that eBay is a great collection of parts, a really great collection of parts, that would be more valuable as independent entities.

This article from ReadWriteWeb 26 February 2009
Read full article at ReadWriteWeb site.

eBay Auction Tool Web Site Infected With Malware

Francis — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:17:53 +0000

A Trojan horse lurking on servers belonging to Auctiva.com, a Web site offering eBay auction tools, infected people’s PCs last week. The problem became very public when Google’s malware warning system kicked in as people tried to browse the site, saying Auctiva was infected with malware. Google will display an interstitial page warning people of certain Web sites known to contain malware.

This article from PC World 23 February 2009
Read the full article at PC World site.

EBay-Innovative free Misspellings and Typos tool helps find bargains on eBay

Francis — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 13:33:06 +0000

EBay is the most popular auction website on the internet, with millions of items for sale. However, due to misspellings and typos a large number of the listings are being sold at bargain prices. Now an innovative website is offering a free tool, which finds these misspelt listings and is helping people save money and find real bargains. That website is www.bargainchecker.com.

This article from Search by Headlines 20 February 2009
Read complete article at Search by Headlines site.

More people trying to sell prized collectibles in tough economy

Francis — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 13:30:17 +0000

“It seems like everyone’s trying to unload their old stuff and dig things out of the closet and garage, bring them in, and try and get any value they still hold,” says Hot Comics manager Bjorn Brosdahl.

Thanks to the economy, customers are coming in daily, offering to sell comics and other collectibles.

This article from MSNBC 19 February 2009
Read complete article at MSNBC site.

Jo-Ann attracts fans, while eBay loses some, Nielsen Online says

Francis — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 05:28:30 +0000

Jo-Ann.com attracted 53% more traffic in December compared to a year earlier, Nielsen Online says. But the winner in traffic to home and garden shopping destinations was Home Depot, despite traffic dropping 5%. Meanwhile, although eBay Home was, as usual, a top traffic contender, its traffic fell a hefty 48%.

This article from Internet Retailer 30 January 2009
Read more of this article at Internet Retailer site.

eBay Fraud: Hackers are stealing passwords using eBay’s messaging system

Francis — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 05:22:23 +0000

Be careful at times for people trying to steal your passwords. I have seen numerous spoof emails supposedly from “eBay” and “Paypal” that are pretty obvious fakes. This is the first time I have received one through eBay’s own messaging system. Most likely, the person I received the message from has had his or her own account hijacked.

This article from Examiner.com 31 January 2009
Read more of this article at Examiner.com site.

Amazon undercuts eBay sellers on season’s most popular consumer items

Francis — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 07:46:45 +0000

Research by price comparison website jiffyprice.com (www.jiffyprice.com) shows that for the most popular items purchased online by shoppers, Amazon is undercutting eBay “buy-it-now” prices by an average of 22% and by as much as 60%.

This article from eCommWire 10 January 2009
Read more of this article at eCommWire site.

ebay announces launch of a “new Stores Experience”

Francis — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 06:45:07 +0000

In a general announcement Tuesday 13 January.

According to eBay, “improvements include new storefront templates and enhancements to Stores search results. These changes will improve the look of your Store, while enhancing your customers’ shopping experience.”

Click here for more details

BillMeLater; Just Not on Amazon

Francis — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 04:00:19 +0000

Here’s an example of a story coming full circle: Amazon invests in BillMeLater, BillMeLater is added as a payment option on Amazon, eBay buys BillMeLater, and today, Amazon pulls the plug on BillMeLater. The service, which lets shoppers buy stuff online without a credit card, will no longer be offered as a payment option by Amazon in the New Year.

This article from Mashable 31 December 2008
Read more of this story at Mashable site.

Browse eBay or Amazon Visually

Francis — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 03:36:46 +0000

PicClick is a web tool that lets you browse eBay or Amazon by images rather than lists of descriptions.

You are presented with two tabs, each for eBay and Amazon and you choose which category you want to browse. You are presnted with a page of images with short descriptions. A slider bar at the top allows you to increase or decrease the size of the all the images on the page.

Holiday E-Commerce Sales Fall Flat

Francis — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 03:02:59 +0000

Online holiday sales deflated 3 percent this year. ComScore estimates that holiday sales in the U.S. totaled $25.5 billion between November 1 and December 23, the last day orders could be delivered in time for Christmas. The comparable total in 2007 was $26.3 billion.

This article from TechCrunch 30 December 2008
Read more of this article at TechCrunch site.

Amazon announces its best ever Holiday Season

Francis — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 06:07:29 +0000

In a press release 26 December, Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com, announced the 2008 holiday season finished as its best ever, with over 6.3 million items ordered worldwide on the peak day, Dec. 15, which is a record-breaking 72.9 items per second.

There was no mention of revenue figures. The rest of the press release reveals the top selling itmes of different categories.

Full press release is here.

In a switch, Amazon tops eBay

Francis — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 05:16:55 +0000

Is Amazon creeping ahead of eBay?

The latest batch of numbers from internet research firm Nielsen Online reveals an interesting data point. In Nov. 2008, Amazon pulled ahead of eBay in terms of unique monthly visitors — the first time that’s happened since Dec. 2007.

This article from TechFlash 17 December 2008
Read more of this article at TechFlash site.

December sees 9% increase in online spending

Francis — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 16:01:09 +0000

Online spending for the first 35 days of the holiday season stayed flat with last year, but picked up 9 percent in the first five days of December, according to online research firm ComScore.

This article from Chicago Sun Times 7 December 2008
Read more of this article at Chicago Sun Times site.

Online shoppers rush for Mega Monday bargains

Francis — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 15:56:39 +0000

After a weekend charging down cold, crowded high streets and skirmishing in strip-lit aisles with other people’s aunties, many have resolved to continue their Christmas shopping from the safety of their own homes.

This article from TimesOnline.co.uk 8 December 2008
read more of this article at TimesOnline.co.uk site.

PriceGrabber.com(R) Releases 2008 Black Friday Online Shopping Statistics

Francis — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 17:14:19 +0000

PriceGrabber.com(R), a part of Experian, today revealed that economic conditions motivate value-driven consumers which lead to an 11 percent increase in traffic year-over-year on Black Friday. Data from PriceGrabber.com shows that online consumers are taking advantage of promotions on popular electronics including: LCD and Plasma TV’s, Blu-Ray Disc Players, Digital SLR Cameras, Laptops, and Video Game Consoles.

This article from MarketWatch 29 November 2008
read more of this article at MarketWatch site.

14 sizzling sales tips from an eBay PowerSeller

Francis — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 16:56:25 +0000

Whether you’re a seasoned PowerSeller or a keen self-starter, selling on eBay can be a gripping, if at times frustrating, pursuit. Making serious profit is rarely achieved overnight, and it pays new sellers to do their homework before jumping in.

This article from Tech Radar 30 November 2008
Read more of this article at Tech Radar site.

eBay $1 Doorbuster Deals have daily surprise like a Corvette Sports Car

Francis — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 16:54:01 +0000

We already reported about the eBay Daily Holiday Deals. Since a couple of days eBay added daily $1 Doorbuster deals that also include real high value items that are offered for $1.

This article from i4u News 30 November 2008
Read more of this article at i4u News site.

Black Friday Web sales jump

Francis — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 16:51:44 +0000

Online sales jumped on Black Friday as consumers searched for electronics such as the Wii video game console and Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch, according to eBay Inc and Amazon.com Inc.

This article from Reuters 29 November 2008
Read more of this article at Reuters site.

eBay still growing user numbers in the UK

Francis — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 05:58:45 +0000

More data on eBay; this time, UK figures show the site actually continuing to increase its UK audience in the past year. That’s in sharp contrast to the comparable Nielsen data for eBay in the US, which has seen unique user numbers drop 10% year on year, on average.

This article from Guardian.co.uk 27 November 2008
Read more of this article at Guardian.co.uk site.

EBay launches service to assist large merchants

Francis — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 04:56:26 +0000

EBay quietly began offering a service Monday to help large merchants sell thousands of fixed-price products through eBay.

The new program, Large Merchant Services, is still in the beta stage, according to eBay. It “provides an efficient way to process large numbers of transactions within the eBay Trading Platform.” It also offers inventory management based on SKU numbers.

This article from SeattlePi 25 November 2008
read more of this article at SeattlePi site.

EBay, Alternative Site Holiday Resources for Sellers

Francis — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:46:34 +0000

This week eBay alternatives get ready for holiday shoppers, while HammerTap offers a free Webinar to help eBay sellers prepare for seasonal sales. Also in the news this week: WidgetBucks launches new Santa-themed widgets and eBay says a court order requires the company to hand over Canadian PowerSeller details to Revenue Canada this week.

This article from Ecommerce Guide 19 November 2008
Read more of this article at Ecommerce Guide site.

phpAuction Releases XL Premium Version 4.0

Francis — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:30:32 +0000

Fancy starting your own online auction site?

PhpAuction XL Premium just released version 4.0 of their software that lets multiple industries create niche auction sites to cater to different markets.

Click here to read more.

eBay AU Revises New Postage Limits

Francis — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 15:11:29 +0000

eBay have since made revisions to some of the amounts applicable in three categories:

Books Fiction Literature AU $8
Books Non-Fiction AU $8
DVDs (selected categories) AU $10

Read more at eBay General Announcement site.

Historic front pages are hot on eBay

Francis — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 15:05:45 +0000

Post-Election Day newspapers became a hot commodity Thursday on eBay — with at least one optimistic seller asking $1,200 for a copy of The Washington Post.

This article from Miami Herald 7 November 2008
read more of this article at Miami Herald site.

New eBay glitch results in funds being held in limbo

Francis — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:46:06 +0000

As if eBay didn’t have enough problems, now certain sellers are having funds held indefinitely by PayPal a the buyer pays through PayPal with an eCheck.

This article from Examiner.com 3 November 2008
Read more of this article at Examiner.com site.

PayPal broadens the availability of reduced fees for small online purchases

Francis — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:44:03 +0000

Online payment service PayPal has made available to merchants a pricing structure that reduces fees on all purchases below $12. The micropayment pricing had previously been available on certain transactions since 2005, PayPal says.

This article from Internet retailer 30 October 2008
Read more of this article at Internet Retailer site.

PayPal Unwraps 2008 Holiday Promotions

Francis — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:39:38 +0000

PayPal today announced great deals and special offers for cash-strapped online shoppers this holiday season. Customers can receive up to 20 percent cash back on purchases from major retailers, such as American Eagle Outfitters, eToys and Blockbuster, as well as free shipping from select PayPal merchants and great eBay deals for anyone paying with PayPal.

This article from Market Watch 1 November 2008
Read more of this article at Market Watch site.

New eBay Survey Reveals This Holiday Season’s Most Wanted and Least Wanted Gifts

Francis — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:35:48 +0000

According to a survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation on behalf of eBay Inc. neckties are the gift people most dread this holiday season, with 24 percent of respondents ranking them as their least wanted holiday gift.

This article from Market Watch 29 October 2008
Read more of this article at Market Watch site.

PayPal accounts compromised over 16 months; No response from eBay

Francis — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 10:44:04 +0000

Online payment service PayPal has had an exploit on its hands for at least 16 months and counting, and seems to have no resolution for it. A tipster forwarded us screenshots of the fraud, which involves a dummy subscription service to PayPal’s sister company Skype, all part of the eBay corporate family. Using the fake Skype subscription, several small charges are made against a PayPal account, all in the same dollar amount.

This article from The Industry Standard 28 October 2008
Read more of this article at The Industry Standard site.

Improved Buyer and Seller Protection Now Available on eBay

Francis — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 11:48:10 +0000

Paypal announced new protection for buyers and sellers on eBay

PayPal Buyer Protection now covers the full purchase price and original shipping costs of your eBay.com purchases with no coverage limit.

PayPal Seller Protection protects all U.S. sellers (not just PowerSellers as was previously announced as Expanded Seller Protection earlier in the year). Seller Protection covers eligible transactions from buyers in any of the 190 markets where PayPal is accepted—also with no annual coverage limit and for no additional cost.

This article from Paypal Blog 27 October 2008
Read more of this article at PayPal Blog site.

List of 5,534 Hacked eBay Accounts Discovered

Francis — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 08:44:04 +0000

Christopher Boyd, Director of FaceTime Security Labs, a malware research firm, has found a list of hacked eBay logins. The list includes 121 pages and carries 5,534 eBay accounts, including usernames, passwords and mail address, as reported by ecommerceguide on October 15, 2008.

This article from SpamFighter 23 October 2008
Read more of this article at SpamFighter site.

BidCal Will Help You Better Track eBay Deals in the Tough Economy

Francis — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 08:39:35 +0000

BidCal is an interesting new tool that has just been released by Calgoo Software, the company behind Calgoo, a very nice web calendaring solution that synchronizes all your calendars on all your devices, desktop and online and allows you to share calendars with your friends or family if they use a different calendaring solution.

This article from Profy 22 October 2008
Read more of this article at Profy site.

EBay Competitor Launches Storefronts, Affiliate Plans

Francis — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 08:36:01 +0000

Wigix, an eBay alternative that provides a unique stock-market style method for buying and selling goods, today announced a new service for sellers. Called Storefronts, the service lets sellers build and brand their own customized online shops through the Wigix Web site.

This article from Ecommerce-Guide.com 22 October 2008
Read more of this article at Ecommerce-Guide.com site.

Scoop up dollar deals from eBay and Amazon

Francis — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 08:28:04 +0000

Stand back! My cheapskate senses are tingling! A new site called Daily Dollar Deals catalogs soon-to-end eBay auctions that have prices below $1. Just pick a category–anything from Antiques to Video Games–

This article from CNET News 22 October 2008
Read more of this article at CNET News site.

Welsh Staff ‘Crucial’ In Amazon Christmas Sales Drive

Francis — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 07:36:44 +0000

AMAZON workers in Wales are spearheading the company’s battle for the lucrative Christmas market.

The online retailer has announced that it is offering up to 90% of deliveries free of charge and its vast warehouse at Jersey Marine in Neath Port Talbot will soon have more than 1,000 full and part-time staff working flat out on Christmas orders.

This article from WalesOnline 18 October 2008
Read more of this article at WalesOnline site.

Has eBay hit its twilight?

Francis — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 07:05:04 +0000

Ever since eBay announced significant fee and feedback changes earlier this year, angry sellers have complained that eBay’s new policies would destroy the businesses of some of its longtime merchants. This week, eBay CEO John J. Donahoe confirmed that those charges are true.

This article from CNN Money 17 October 2008
Read more of this article at CNN Money site.

eBay Backlash: 5 Sellers Who Ditched It

Francis — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 07:03:07 +0000

EBay’s planned fee and feedback changes have sellers threatening an exodus. Here are five sellers who already left before the current fracas, and how they’ve rebuilt their businesses elsewhere.

This article from CNN Money
Read more of this article at CNN Money site.

WorldPay Merchants To Offer PayPal and RevolutionCard

Francis — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 04:22:04 +0000

WorldPay, a leading UK Payment Service Provider, and PayPal, one of the world’s leading online payment systems, today announced a partnership which allows WorldPay clients to offer PayPal as an additional payment method.

This article from Finextra 17 October 2008
Read more of this article at Finextra site.

PayPal Brings Website Payments Pro Options To Canada

Francis — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:45:24 +0000

PayPal has launched the Website Payments Pro range of products in Canada. The initiative allows e-commerce merchants to offer shoppers the possibility of paying via their PayPal accounts, their credit cards, by phone, fax or mail.

This article from The Paypers 17 October 2008
Read more of this article at The Paypers site.

PayPal Glitch Freezes Sellers’ Cash For Weeks

Francis — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 15:19:15 +0000

A problem with some PayPal payments being held by the company was just a glitch, not a cunning plan to claw more money out of buyers.

Earlier this year PayPal introduced a scheme to flag certain transactions it regarded as suspicious. Payment for items where eBay determined the buyer might be dissatisfied would be held for 21 days, or until the seller received positive feedback from the buyer. Then the funds would be transferred.

This article from The Register 16 October 2008
Read more of this article at The Register site.

Payment Volume From PayPal’s Merchant Services Tops Volume Received From eBay Auctions In Q3 2008

Francis — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 14:29:25 +0000

In Q3 2008, the merchant-services part of PayPal’s transaction volume has exceeded the volume generated by eBay auctions for the first time.

This article from The Paypers 16 October 2008
Read more of this article at The Paypers site.

Why eBay Won’t Win Its War Against Amazon

Francis — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:08:15 +0000

What happens when an online auction site tries to get all store-like, and a non-bricks-and-mortar buying destination starts buying into bidding? Apparently, you get Amazon pumped up into a one-stop shop for everything you need, while eBay ends up tilting toward irrelevance. Let me explain.

This article from Information Week 15 October 2008
Read more of this article at Information Week site.

PayPal to refund shoppers defrauded on eBay

Francis — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 08:53:02 +0000

PayPal, the payment service used by 20 million online shoppers in Britain, has given in to consumer demands to offer full refunds to buyers defrauded on eBay.

This article from TimesOnline 4 October 2008
Read more of this article at TimesOnline site.

Is the Bank Fallout Hurting EBay and PayPal Funds?

Francis — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 09:00:26 +0000

Let me preface this rant by asking – Have any of you have noticed changes to your Pay Pal account this week? I reached the point where I no longer have much interest in my DVD collection, and the dwindling economy was enough motivation for me to auction a few box sets on eBay,just for some extra cash.

This article from Marketing Shift 1 October 2008
Read more of this article at Marketing Shift site.

Market bidding isn’t going Ebay’s way

Francis — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 06:56:03 +0000

Recessions are supposed to be boom times for yard sales and flea markets, so what’s eating eBay (EBAY), the world’s largest bargain bazaar?

This article from CNN Money 2 October 2008
Read more of this article at CNN Money site.

Merchant Group Blasts EBay

Francis — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 04:53:03 +0000

A powerful and vocal group of large eBay merchants has blasted the e-commerce giant for changes it has implemented this year, saying they have done more harm than good.

The Professional eBay Sellers Alliance (PESA) on Tuesday published a scathing indictment of eBay, charging that most merchants have been hurt by recent modifications to the online marketplace.

This article from PC World 2 October 2008
Read more of this article at PC World site.

Researchers Discover Why People Overbid on Ebay: Fear

Francis — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 06:26:32 +0000

Ever wondered what causes the spate of wild bidding in the last few minutes of an Ebay auction? Scientists say they now have answer: The irrational behavior is caused by people’s fear of losing, not their desire to win. While economists have recognized the concept of “loss aversion” for some time, a new set of experiments used brain scans and lab experiments to show how strongly the phenomenon plays out in auctions, and how it’s tied to overbidding.

This article from Discover 26 September 2008
Read more of this article at Discover site.

eBay Top Paid Search Term in August

Francis — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 07:15:06 +0000

Hitwise releases new Paid and Organic search data Office Supplies category receives the most paid search traffic

This article from MarketWatch 17 September 2008
Read more of this article at MarketWatch site.

eBay Said to be Shopping Stumbleupon

Francis — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 07:10:48 +0000

Techcrunch is reporting that eBay is shopping StumbleUpon, a website recommendation service. The blog quotes a source “with knowledge of the sale process” as saying eBay has hired Deutsche Bank to help find a buyer.

This article from Wired 19 September 2008
Read more of this article at Wired site.

eBay power sellers change tack

Francis — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 05:06:10 +0000

WHILE some of eBay Australia’s early millionaire power sellers have moved from the traditional seven day auctions to ‘buy-it-now’, other eBay alumni have given up altogether.

DealsDirect, DinosaurDeals and iSold-it businesses are all examples of local e-tailers made good; others, such as shoe importer Kittenzcatua, are less enthusiastic, saying the system favours the top sellers over the little people.

This article from MySmallBusiness 17 September 2008
Read more of this article at MySmallBusiness site.

New Pricing for Fixed Price Listings Takes Effect

Francis — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 06:24:43 +0000

Ebay new pricing structure for Fixed Price Listings takes effect. This was announced August 20.

Fixed Price Listings will be for 30-day duration at the new Insertion Fee of 35 cents, and 15 cents in Books, Movies & DVDs, Music, and Video Games. There are also changes in the FVF. Sellers are advised to check here as FVF for certain categories have increased.

Also starting today and through the end of the year, there will be a special promotion of 5¢ Fixed Price Insertion Fees for Books, Music, DVDs & Movies, and Video Games when you list with pre-filled item information.

Is selling on eBay now more trouble than it’s worth?

Francis — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 07:36:52 +0000

Placing all recent rip-roaring rage at eBay aside, let’s look at this question logically. “Is selling on eBay now more trouble than it’s worth?”

We all know there’s enough anger, fear and confusion among eBay sellers lately to fill up a Gmail cache. But let’s place emotion aside for a few minutes to study my latest finding with my own eBay listings.

This article from Examiner.com 15 September 2008
Read more of this article at Examiner.com site.

eBay Suing Digital Point over Cookie Stuffing Scheme

Francis — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 07:11:13 +0000

eBay has filed suit against Digital Point Solutions, best known as the owner of one of the more popular web site owner communities, and others over an alleged cookie stuffing scheme.

This article from The Inquisitr 28 August 2008
Read more of this article at The Inquisitr site.

EBay Sellers Try Out Alternative Shopping Sites

Francis — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 06:36:27 +0000

We’ve covered all the eBay seller complaints, and how some recent changes in eBay’s fee structure and credit-card payment requirements are sure to make sellers even more disgruntled. But what are the alternatives?

This article from Independent Street 28 August 2008
Read more of this article at Independent Street site.

eBay changes get mixed reaction

Francis — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:17:46 +0000

Proposed changes to eBay have received a mixed reaction from members of the online auction house.

The changes, which will take place on 24 September, include new fees and alternative options for people who run their business over the site.

This article from Webuser 26 August 2008
Read more of this article at Webuser site.

Fake eBay toolbar warning

Francis — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:33:44 +0000

Security experts are warning of a fake eBay toolbar that could give hackers access your PC if installed.

A toolbar is a browser add-on that allows you to perform actions in certain web services without actually accessing the site itself.

This article from Webuser 20 August 2008
Read more of this article at Webuser site.

EBay cuts listing fees as competition increases

Francis — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:21:25 +0000

EBay Inc. said Wednesday that it would cut some listing fees “dramatically” as the online auction giant responds to increasing competitive pressure from such rivals as Amazon.com.

This article from Market Watch 20 August 2008
Read more of this article at Market Watch site.

Some eBay sellers frustrated with rule changes

Francis — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:16:23 +0000

Some people who sell things on eBay are fed up with new rules the company has been imposing in hopes of making the auction site more attractive to online shoppers. Now even more changes are coming in the next few weeks, but this time eBay Inc. hopes it can cool tempers.

This article from Associated Press 20 August 2008
Read more of this article at Associated Press site.

eBay paves the way for the end of the auction

Francis — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:13:23 +0000

EBay confirmed today sweeping changes to the way it runs the business paving the way to replace its auction model with more fixed-price sales to take on Amazon.

This article from Times Online 20 August 2008
Read more of this article at Times Online site.

Terapeak Offered as Alternative to eBay Marketplace Research

Francis — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:21:26 +0000

Terapeak, an eBay Certified Provider, today announced that Marketplace Research by Terapeak is being offered as an alternative for eBay Marketplace Research, which eBay plans to retire as of September 15th, 2008. Available to all existing eBay Marketplace Research subscribers,

This article from Foxbusiness 18 August 2008
Read more of this article at Foxbusiness site.