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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.

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.

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.

Auction websites fight amongst themselves

Francis — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 08:29:40 +0000

AS the popularity of auction giant eBay hangs in the balance, local competitors have started fighting amongst themselves.

Australian auction websites OZtion and Trading Post, anticipating an exodus of users from the market leader, are locked in a stoush over the use of the word “free”.

This article from News.com.au 14 August 2008
Read more of this article at News.com.au.site.

From eBay to Bidtopia: Bargainland’s Success Story

Francis — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 08:27:10 +0000

Bargainland (which is also a company named for the popular eBay user ID), was greatly affected by changes at eBay. Policies on designer brand names, for example, limited Bargainland to listing only five of these items at a time, and in other instances, Bargainland was required to have a 98 or 99 percent positive feedback. St. James said that when you sell this type of product, even if you list every single item as damaged in the description, you just cannot achieve that high of a rating. The company also believed that eBay, through its new policy changes, was discouraging the types of listings that was the core of its business.

This article from E-Commerce-Guide.com 12 August 2008
Read more of this article at E-Commerce-Guide.com site.

Irked by eBay, Some Sellers Trade Elsewhere

Francis — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 08:06:34 +0000

Some online retailers are moving away from eBay.

Irked by February’s changes in fees and the feedback-rating system, merchants who once sold wares exclusively at the online-auction site can now be found on a number of smaller alternative sites that have sprung up. With names like Wigix, Silkfair, Etsy and Oodle, these sites aim to offer more hand-holding for sellers — and charge lower fees — than the behemoth eBay.

This article from The Wall Street Journal 12 August 2008
Read more of this article at The Wall Street Journal site.

eBay Sellers Report DSR Glitch on Dashboard

Francis — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 04:58:49 +0000

eBay sellers are reporting that their DSRs are plummeting due to a glitch. The Seller Dashboard is reportedly showing incorrect Detailed Seller Ratings, which eBay uses to calculate seller performance discounts.

This article from AuctionBytes 8 August 2008
Read more of this article at AuctionBytes site.

eBay’s Latest Screw-Up

Francis — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 04:56:41 +0000

A buyer types one or two keywords in the search box and then eBay uses Finding technology, a.k.a Best Match, to sort listings and determine which listings are duplicates. If Best Match thinks it found a duplicate – then the item disappears into a void because only one unique item per seller is allowed.

This article from Seeking Alpha 7 August 2008
Read more of this article at Seeking Alpha site.

eBay Canada Launches Search for 2008 Entrepreneurs of the Year

Francis — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 04:49:57 +0000

eBay Canada launches its fourth annual Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, a program to identify and reward Canada’s most successful and ambitious eBay entrepreneurs. This year the program includes two new categories: the Mompreneur* of the Year and the Enviropreneur of the Year categories

This article from Exchange Morning Post 8 August 2008
Read more of this article at Exchange Morning Post site.

eBay UK Appoint Digital Agency Essence to their Direct Partnerships Account

Francis — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 04:48:08 +0000

Following a competitive pitch, Essence will look after both long-term media partnerships and display activity for eBay in the UK. This will include media planning and buying, creative development and – above all – the management of performance to stretching ROI targets.

This article from e-Consultancy 8 August 2008
Read more of this article at e-Consultancy site.

Facebook overtakes eBay to become 3rd top UK website

Francis — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:01:07 +0000

Social Media phenomenon, Facebook, has become the third most visited site in the UK and is closing in on second placed Hotmail, the online email service owned by Microsoft. According to internet monitoring company, Hitwise, Facebook received 2.75% of UK internet traffic last month beating eBay at 2.46%. The top site is, obviously, Google.

This article from BigMouth Media 6 August 2008
Read more of this article at BigMouth Media site.

Attention eBay Users: Online Sellers Facing New IRS Rules

Francis — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 09:51:32 +0000

Countless Americans selling as individual entrepreneurs on sites like eBay must now be aware that the Internal Revenue Service has modified their rules to make sure taxes are reported on private Internet transactions. As part of the housing rescue package just signed by President George W. Bush, the Internet transaction interface PayPal and other online payment processors will be mandated to report annual gross receipts to the IRS for almost all Internet sellers.

This article from iBLS 3 August 2008
Read more of this article at iBLS site.

E-shopping on surge; eBay India selling one product a min

Francis — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 15:45:55 +0000

Internet shopping seems to be catching up fast in the country with every minute one product being sold on the Indian website of the world’s largest online marketplace eBay.

This article from The Economic Times 3 August 2008
Read more of this article at The Economic Times site.

Users Protest eBay Ban on Identical Items

Francis — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 15:42:58 +0000

eBay users are protesting the company’s new policy that prevents a seller’s identical items from showing up on search results pages. The policy was announced in May, and eBay announced yesterday the policy would take affect this week.

This article form AuctionBytes 2 August 2008
Read more of this article at AuctionBytes site.

New Pricing for eBay Affiliate Program

Francis — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 15:35:59 +0000

The eBay affiliate program is in the process of implementing a new pricing structure for Active Confirmed Registered User (ACRU) compensation.

The new pricing scheme will reward affiliates for the amount of quality traffic they drive to eBay advertiser sites.

This article from AffiliateTip.com 3 August 2008
Read more of this article at AffiliateTip.com site.

Why PayPal Should Be Worried By Amazon’s New Checkout Service

Francis — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 14:36:00 +0000

eBay’s PayPal payment service, which has been one of the bright spots for the online marketplace site, is about to get a wallop courtesy of E-tail giant Amazon.

Amazon has just launched two new payment services that strike at the heart of the PayPal business: Checkout and Simple Pay.

This article from ChannelWeb 30 July 2008
Read more of this article at ChannelWeb site.

eBay drops ‘blonde bombshell’ holiday listing

Francis — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 08:20:35 +0000

A listing for a four-week holiday with a Queensland woman looking for “the best time of my life” has been removed by online auction site eBay, which said the item was “not right’ for the site.

This article from TheAge.com.au 1 August 2008
read ore of this article at TheAge.com.au site.

Amazon takes on eBay with PayPal rival

Francis — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 07:11:01 +0000

A new online service will allow retailers to offer customers one-click payment by selling via Amazon’s website.

Amazon has set out to take on eBay by unveiling an online payment service which will compete directly with PayPal.

This article from TimeOnline 30 June 2008
Read more of this article at TimeOnline site.

Mystery over Ebay collapse

Francis — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:20:36 +0000

It could be months before police can unravel the spectacular collapse of one of the biggest Australian sellers on eBay, which left hundreds of users out of pocket hundreds of thousands of dollars.

This article from MySmallBusiness 30 July 2008
Read more of this article at MySmallBusiness site.

eBay Desktop 1 million downloads

Francis — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 04:10:08 +0000

eBay Desktop surpassed a significant milestone earlier last week with the 1,000,000th download since the launch in late February.

This was reported by the eBay Desktop Blog on July 16th.

Tough Times for eBay Entrepreneurs

Francis — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:49:46 +0000

A bad economy and competition from big e-tailers are challenging those who make a living via online marketplaces such as eBay, Craigslist, and Etsy

This article from BusinessWeek 23 july 2008
Read more of this article at BusinessWeek site.

eBay to hold ‘counterfeit summit’ with Jimmy Choo and other British icons

Francis — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 09:59:09 +0000

Lawyers from eBay are to hold talks next week with representatives of the British luxury goods industry following a spate of counterfeiting cases which have cast doubt on the online auctioneer’s commitment to intellectual property (IP) protection.

This article form Telegraph.co.uk 20 July 2008
Read more of this article at Telegraph.co.uk site.

New listing policies changes postponed

Francis — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:07:27 +0000

eBay have announced the delay the of new links policy to August. The postponement also includes the proposed Specified Shipping changes. This is made known via their General Announcements board at http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200807111503472.html

Ebay Members to Seek Recourse Through the Courts

Francis — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 17:55:39 +0000

“The group of ebay members which has guided a large number of us in recent weeks to make written submissions to the ACCC, petition and attend a conference, and write to Ministers, Senators, ASIC, the Banking Ombudsman, industry regulators and our banks, will now launch a further series of initiatives to bring ebay into line with decent trading practices. The first of these initiatives will be to seek remedies through the courts.”

They have released a media statement which is on the next page.

“MEDIA STATEMENT: Ebay Members to Seek Recourse Through the Courts

“Early last week a well co-ordinated group of eBay members was instrumental in facilitating large numbers of their peers, nationally, to write to their local Ministers, Senators, The Banking Ombudsman and to ASIC and other relevant organisations to register complaints over the aggressive manner in which eBay continues to promote PayPal as its preferred payment method.

“The complaints are well documented and numerous, and ranged from: eBay’s misrepresentation, suppression of other payment methods, deletion of sellers’ listings without cause, refusal to allow sellers to pass on PayPal charges and the issuing of misleading statements to further the illusion that PayPal is more secure than other established and proven payment methods.”

“Other complaints included PayPal’s freezing of member’s accounts, the inequity of the PayPal User Agreement and PayPal’s refusal to sign the EFT Code of Conduct – therein denying eBay members the same protection which banks and other financial institutions provide to their customers.

“Later in the week the group again led their peers to write en-masse, but on this occasion to their respective banks, to air concerns over eBay’s public statements that PayPal is the safest product in the EFT marketplace, implying that all other EFT transactions – and in particular Direct Deposit – are unsafe by comparison.

“On the basis that the ACCC concluded in its draft Notice: “The evidence available does not support the view that PayPal is the most secure method of payment or offers the best service for all transactions”, eBay members sought reassurance from their banks that eBay’s assertions are incorrect and that Direct Deposit is a safe transaction method.

“This week the group will launch a further series of initiatives. Mr Tony Green, the group’s spokesman on legal matters, announced today that “… as eBay’s response to member’s legitimate concerns is woefully inadequate it is now time to commence our next offensive which will be to seek remedies through the courts”.

“Mr Green went on to say ”eBay’s recalcitrant behaviour has pushed us to the point that we must now use the legal system to bring eBay into line with decent trading practices.”

“Mr Green said, “In a conference last night the group decided unanimously that it would use legal due process to stop eBay from destroying its own site and, in the process of this, destroying the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of loyal eBay members”. He added, “We are eBay’s customers and to date they have refused to listen to us. eBay has left us no alternative than to appeal to the courts to right the wrongs that eBay has forced upon us.”

“In anticipation of this offensive the group has had a team of researchers looking at legal precedents, similar legal actions and the various legal alternatives available to it.

“We discussed several options available to us in prosecuting these actions,” said Mr Green “… and the possibility of a major legal firm doing the work on a no win no fee contingency basis is being examined.”

“The principles at issue here are of vital importance to the largest consumer group in Australia – 5 million people according to eBay’s own figures – only a few of these are commercially scaled businesses, most are mums and dads striving for a modest supplement to the household income, and these people do not have the financial resources to pursue fair and just treatment at the hands of eBay”, said Mr Green.

“It appears that political leaders and regulators have yet to fully comprehend the significance of the issues and have not yet commenced the required corrective actions, and thus the group has stepped up its activity to rally eBay members together and to take eBay on as one. Ultimately, eBay will be made to comply with all of the laws of our country.”

“Contact has been made with a University Law School as the group are exploring the possibility of engaging law students – ironically, many of them also disaffected eBay members – to research this area and begin cataloguing the huge volume of accumulated evidence assembled by eBay members.

“Further, there are a growing number of other eBay members offering to contribute to a fighting fund to pay for the planned actions.

“eBay members are delighted to learn of Paymate Pty Ltd’s announcement on 11th July of it having lodged a formal complaint to the ACCC concerning eBay’s alleged breaches of s47 and s52 of the Trade Practices Act 1974,” said Mr Green, ” … and our group will now examine the merits of approaching Paymate with a view to the pooling of evidence and conducting a joint legal offensive against eBay.”

“Our research to date is moving us on from the Trade Practices, and other Acts, competition sections to those sections dealing with unconscionable conduct, and breach of contract “, said Mr Green.

“We need to do something dramatic, and quickly, to protect eBay members – mums, dads and businesses – from being destroyed by a company that can see no further than its own profit figure. If the anger of its loyal customers means nothing to eBay we intend to look to the courts to uphold Australian Law and to give us respite from the excesses of eBay”, said Mr Green.

“eBay believes that eBay members are isolated from each other, largely ignorant of eBay’s actions with regard to PayPal and are therefore ineffectual in complaining about or opposing eBay’s deplorable practices. For the average eBayer being channelled into paying by PayPal may seem to be a risk free and temporary thing rather than a calculated deception by eBay”, Mr Green said.

“Most eBayers are unsure how and where they should complain, and eBay are counting on this to push its policies through. We intend to expose this tactic to all eBay members.”

“The discussion boards on eBay are a good indicator of the level of anger at eBay’s new policies. There is no flocking to the boards by people who support the new policies. To the contrary they are full of horror stories and tales of anger and frustration from people who are violently opposed to them”, said Mr Green.

“Between them the co-ordinators of the group have a data base of over one hundred thousand email addresses of eBay members who have purchased from us, and through other supporting sellers access to many hundreds of thousands more. If necessary we will contact every one of them to alert them to the full consequences of the disastrous policies that eBay have introduced. We will do the job that eBay is morally obliged but too frightened to do – to keep eBay members informed,” said Mr Green.

“The group will conference again this evening to make decisions on its first legal offensive against eBay and to decide on a timetable.

“Meanwhile, activity on the eBay site from both buyers and sellers has taken a nosedive, member’s anger and frustration continues unabated, and the level of disaffection with eBay is growing. eBay’s only response has been to temporarily discount listing fees – again – the third such promotion in the past six weeks in a desperate move by eBay to arrest the steady decline in the number of listings.”

Upset Seller at eBay Live 2008 Video

Francis — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:45:55 +0000

This seller shows his displeasure at eBay over recent policy changes.

The majority of sellers are upset or angry at eBay for not listening to their feedbacks (no pun intended), and many are calling for a prolong boycott or already moved to sell on other sites.

While some who have long been prepared can stop selling on eBay immediately, there are many who are unable to either of financial constraints or are not sure how to move to sell on other sites.

We will be having a series of articles to guide sellers how to start their own website or blogs as a first step for future growth and independence.

The policy changes have been made, maybe more to come. We made our voices heard, or at least we tried to but we still have to put food on the table. Let’s get together to share our thoughts and experiences so that we can go on selling.

We are working on starting a forum where sellers can come together and share their experiences and give tips to others. An active eBay will be good for everybody.

eBay eyes Filipino e-commerce developers

Francis — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:22:19 +0000

eBay is looking to provide support for Filipino developers who can create promising applications running on its marketplace, a top regional executive said.

This article from Inquirer.net 2 July 2008
Read more of this article at Inquirer.net site.

How to spot a fake on eBay

Francis — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:19:00 +0000

Earlier this week eBay, the popular online auction website, was fined €38.6 million (£30 million) by a French court for allowing the sale of fake goods through its site. The ruling has raised a serious question: just how can you spot fake goods on eBay?

This article from Telegraph.co.uk 3 July 2008
Read more of this article at Telegraph.co.uk site.

eBay backs down on forced PayPal payment plan

Francis — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:15:45 +0000

EBAY’S contentious plan to funnel almost all of its online auction payments through a subsidiary is over, after the company finally capitulated to pressure from its sellers and the competition regulator.

This article from BusinessDay 4 July 2008
read more of this article at BusinessDay site.

eBay Live 2008 Got Sellers Venting About New Feedback System

Francis — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 03:34:56 +0000

eBay sellers are livid about the feedback system changes. They have been voicing their opinions at the Ebay Live 2008 event that occured recently because they are not getting the sales that they used to

This article form Best Syndication 23 June 2008
Read more of this article at Best Syndication site.

Confusion sets in over eBay payment policy

Francis — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 03:26:18 +0000

AUSTRALIAN eBay users have been left confused by conflicting messages as the company prepares to clash with the consumer watchdog over its controversial PayPal-only policy.

This article form News.com.au 24 June 2008
Read more of this article at News.com.au site.

EBay to Open up Merchant Tool to Developers

Francis — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 07:34:57 +0000

EBay will open a tool used by 700,000 of its merchants to external developers, the next step in an ongoing effort to promote the creation of applications for its online marketplace.

This article from ABC News 16 June 2008
Read more of this article at ABC News site.

EBay to tap online entrepreneurs in India

Francis — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:21:56 +0000

Leading e-commerce platform eBay India is all set to woo young entrepreneurs from the eastern region, offering a wide online business opportunity to sell products across India.

This article from NDTV Proft 11 June 2008
Read more of this article at NDTV Profit site.

EBay’s Faux Pas

Francis — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 15:29:20 +0000

Online auction house eBay is simply a host for transactions between buyers and sellers, not liable for any dodgy dealings that go on, right? Wrong.

This article from Forbes 9 June 2008
Read more of this article at Forbes site.

eBay gets its own native iPhone app

Francis — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:12:57 +0000

On Monday, eBay announced and demonstrated its new Auctions app at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco. Users can log in to their accounts to buy and sell items wherever they are.

This article from CNET 9 June 2008
Read more of this article at CNET site.

Is EBay Doing Enough to Stop Illegal Ivory Sales on Its Site?

Francis — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 17:12:26 +0000

An animal welfare group charges that eBay sales of ivory are brisker than ever a year after the online marketplace promised to restrict the sale of products made from animal teeth and tusks—

This article from Scientific American 5 June 2008
Read more of this article at Scientific American site.

Verdict Against eBay in Counterfeit Suit Leaves Consumers Reeling

Francis — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 17:09:37 +0000

A growing number of U.S. and European court cases regarding the sale of counterfeit luxury products has brought attention to the very real problem consumers face when purchasing online.

This article from SunHerald.com 5 June 2008
Read more of this article at SunHerald.com site.

Make Money: Sell your stuff on Ebay

Francis — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 09:27:53 +0000

So you want to sell your stuff on ebay? Join the crowd. Unfortunately, a lot of people are trying to do it these days. Times are tough, finances are tight and Snappy Auctions in Ahwatukee says, since December, they are getting more people in trying to "find money," than ever before. But that can be easier said than done. First, a word of warning from the pro’s… selling on Ebay is harder to do today than it was yesterday.

This article from 12 News 2 June 2008
Read more of this article at 12 News site.

Vuurve Launches Same-Day “Pick-Up Stores” for eBay Shoppers

Francis — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 09:22:06 +0000

eBay Retailers can now offer consumers Same-Day Availability of high-demand products sold online. Vuurve has successfully bridged the gap between Traditional Retail Convenience & Online Retail Value by creating a national network local Pick-Up Stores.

This article from PR.com 2 June 2008
Read more of this article at PR.com site.

Jumbuck to buy Oztion

Francis — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 09:18:50 +0000

JUMBUCK Entertainment has seized on the opportunity created by disgruntled eBay users to expand its web business with a planned acquisition of Australian online auction house Oztion.

This article from Australian IT 3 June 2008
Read more of this article at Australian IT site.

Auctions on eBay: A Dying Breed

Francis — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 09:15:49 +0000

As consumers opt for fixed-price purchases, what happens to the company that perfected the art of online bidding—and the scores of e-auctioneers?

Bruce Hershenson, who auctions vintage posters online, is hanging up his eBay gavel.

This article from BusinessWeek 3 June 2008
read more of this article at BusinessWeek Site.

eBay now removing ALL KO auctions from listings

Francis — Sat, 31 May 2008 06:30:55 +0000

A while back Seibertron.com site owner Seibertron reported that certain eBay auctions were being removed by HASBRO, Inc.. Now reports are coming in that eBay is removing all listings for knockoff Transformers put up for auction or buy it now sale.

This article from Seibertron.com 30 May 2008
Read more of this article at Seibertron.com site.

Clerical error exposes Google as anonymous eBay critic

Francis — Fri, 30 May 2008 08:10:17 +0000

The Australian competition watchdog has accidentally revealed Google as the anonymous source of a submission that is highly critical of eBay’s proposal to force its users onto the PayPal payments system.

This article from The Sydney Morning Herald 29 May 2008
Read more of this article at The Sydney Morning Herald site.

An eBay story … from a collector and dealer

Francis — Fri, 30 May 2008 08:05:43 +0000

A few months ago, David Grisman bought a mandolin from me.

It’s true. I never thought that I would be involved in a commercial deal with one of the greatest mandolin players in the world, but on eBay,

This article from Summit Daily News 29 May 2008
Read more of this article at Summit Daily News site.

eBay misspellings lead to bargains

Francis — Fri, 30 May 2008 08:01:19 +0000

So when I was about 12 years old my brother and I listed a signed Vladimir Guerrero rookie card on eBay. It would have sold for at least $50 but,

This article from WalletPop 29 May 2008
Read more of this article at WalletPop site.

Trading Post launches eBay rival

Francis — Wed, 28 May 2008 13:30:08 +0000

SCORNED Australian eBay traders were given a new online venue to sell their goods yesterday after the Trading Post launched a rival auction site.

This article from news.com.au 28 May 2008
Read more of this article at News.com.au site.

Sensis launches online auction to challenge eBay

Francis — Tue, 27 May 2008 16:29:33 +0000

SENSIS has launched an online auction service on its Trading Post classified website amid hopes it can lure professional sellers unhappy with market leader eBay.

The auction service, which coincides with an overhaul of the Tradingpost.com.au website, aims to take advantage of unrest among merchants over eBay’s move to ban any electronic payment method except the PayPal service it owns.

This article from The Australian Media 28 May 2008
Read more of this article at The Australian Media site.

ClassifiedFlyerAds Makes “Bid” to Help eBay Sellers Spread the Word

Francis — Mon, 26 May 2008 17:10:47 +0000

eBay store owners can now advertise their items for sale to thousands of users outside of the eBay site thanks to ClassifiedFlyerAds.com. The popular Web site, which lets customers create professional-looking online flyers that are automatically posted to a host of Web directories, has added a new feature to allow eBay store owners to automatically list their goods on a host of online directories and classified Web sites.

This article from PR-Canada.Net 25 May 2008
Read more of this article at PR-Canada.Net site.

German couple offer baby on Ebay

Francis — Fri, 23 May 2008 17:53:57 +0000

A young Bavarian couple has offered their baby for sale on the internet auction site Ebay, prompting a police investigation.

This article from The Local, Germany 23 May 2008
Read more of this article at The Local site.

My eBay Job

Francis — Fri, 23 May 2008 17:51:07 +0000

Do 1.3 million people really earn a living on the site?

Certain numbers have an iconic status in America’s business culture. One of them is the number of people who derive income selling goods on eBay: 1.3 million.

This article from Newsweek 22 May 2008
Read more of this article at Newsweek site.

eBay 15% off final value fees

Francis — Fri, 23 May 2008 03:22:21 +0000

eBay in its efforts to urge sellers provide free shipping to customers is offering a 15% discount in final value fees. This also applies to Motors and Accessories and last from May 23 to June 1.

Full details here.

Scottdale couple sold counterfeit coupons on eBay

Francis — Thu, 22 May 2008 15:32:05 +0000

A Pennsylvania couple has been indicted on wire fraud charges for allegedly selling counterfeit coupons on eBay

This article from Boston.com 22 May 2008
Read more of this article at Boston.com site.

Chicago demands ticket taxes from eBay, StubHub

Francis — Thu, 22 May 2008 15:30:09 +0000

The City of Chicago is suing eBay and its secondhand ticket outfit StubHub, claiming they’ve failed to collect millions of dollars a year in city taxes.

This article from The Register 22 May 2008
Read more of this article at The Register site.

eBay-addicted? Here’s help

Francis — Thu, 22 May 2008 15:17:36 +0000

You can buy or sell everything from first editions of obscure romances to baby rattles on eBay. I can honestly say that everything I ever bought on eBay was honestly advertised stuff I didn’t need.

Fortunately, I was able to resell the stuff I didn’t need, including the clunky Palm Pilot modem I bought a decade ago. It’s probably still making the rounds somewhere on the auction Web site.

This article from Baltimore Sun 22 May 2008
Read more of this article at Baltimore Sun site.

A new test case of the DMCA–this time over an eBay auction

Francis — Thu, 22 May 2008 10:32:26 +0000

Like a lot of people, Timothy Vernor makes his living selling stuff on eBay he and his girlfriend acquire by scouring local garage sales. But his repeated attempts to resell packages of AutoCAD have led to a tussle with Autodesk

This article from CNET News.com 21 May 2008
Read more of this article at CNET News.com site.

eBay to unveil fair-trade marketplace

Francis — Wed, 21 May 2008 15:41:34 +0000

Catering to a rising tide of socially-conscious shoppers, eBay this summer plans to help publicly launch WorldofGood.com, a marketplace for buying fair-trade products, according to Robert Chatwani, eBay’s general manager of the project.

This article from CNET News.com 20 May 2008
read more of this article at CNET News.com site.

eBay policies changes from June 2008

Francis — Tue, 20 May 2008 15:34:42 +0000

19 May 2008, John McDonald, Sr. Director of US Trust & Safety, announces significant changes to sellers listing policies effective June 2008. Read the full post here.

New Chinavasion RSS Uber Feed to Save Time for eBay Traders

Francis — Mon, 19 May 2008 10:16:48 +0000

EBay traders and e-commerce online electronic store owners have often struggled to keep up to date with new electronic gadgets releases, wholesale mobile phone releases and news on e-commerce and electronics.

Chinavasion, China’s top wholesale gadget dropshipping company, launched the Chinavasion RSS Uber Feed today to help keep customers, and any eBay trader and electronics shop owner in the e-commerce business up to date with everything happening in their industry.

This article from PR.com 19 May 2008
Read more of this article at PR.com site.

EBay, GE Money Expand PayPal Credit To EBay Site

Francis — Sat, 17 May 2008 04:42:12 +0000

Ebay diving into the murky waters of consumer credit in a bid to boost sales, even as consumer debt delinquency rates are rising nationwide.

The Internet auction site said its popular PayPal electronic-payments unit, which saw revenue rise 32% last quarter, would begin offering financing options for purchases on its eBay.com auction site with credit issued by General Electric Co.’s (GE) consumer credit arm.

This article from CNN Money.com 16 May 2008
Read more of this article at CNN Money site.

Canada Post offers new flat-rate shipping box for eBay items

Francis — Sat, 17 May 2008 04:39:10 +0000

Canada Post is launching a flat-rate shipping box for users of eBay designed to make it easier to buy and sell using the online auction website.

The Crown corporation and eBay issued a joint announcement Thursday, saying the service would do away with the need to weigh and measure items before shipping, allowing sellers to include shipping costs in their listings.

This article from CBC News 16 May 2008
Read more of this article at CBC News site.

Storefront Service IRUN Integrates with eBay

Francis — Thu, 15 May 2008 12:05:33 +0000

E-tailers using eBay and other online marketplaces to sell goods are often looking for new tools that will help them manage their e-businesses more efficiently, and naturally, to make more sales. Merchants who want to run their own Web shop in addition to selling on eBay should take a look at IRUN, a full-featured hosted Web site builder with easy and automated eBay auction integration.

This article from eCommerce-Guide.com 14 May 2008
Read more of this article at eCommerce-Guide.com site.

Jealous husband puts wife on eBay

Francis — Thu, 15 May 2008 11:57:48 +0000

A JEALOUS husband who accused his wife of having an affair with a workmate took the ultimate online revenge – by placing her for sale on eBay.

The British man evicted his wife from their marital home, then advertised her on the internet site for just over $1m.

Read more of this article at news.com.au site.

EBay feedback cutoff kicks in Monday

Francis — Thu, 15 May 2008 11:55:27 +0000

The most controversial of the e-commerce site’s policy changes has smaller merchants spooked about losing their voice.

The controversial new feedback policy eBay announced in January is slated to start taking effect on Monday, removing sellers’ ability to leave neutral or negative feedback for their buyers.

This article from CCN Money 14 May 2008
Read more of this article at CNN Money site.

Brothers give businesses eBay real-time boost

Francis — Wed, 14 May 2008 06:25:12 +0000

Anthony and Andrew Sukow founded Advanced Economic Research Systems in Victoria. The company’s main product is a subscription-based service called Tera-Peak, (www.terapeak.com), which lets consumers analyze eBay data in real-time.

This article from Financial Post 12 May 2008
Read more of this article at Financial Post site.

Product Sourcing Expert Lisa Suttora to Speak at eBay

Francis — Wed, 14 May 2008 06:19:56 +0000

According to Lisa Suttora, founder/CEO of WhatDoISell.com, the #1 question of folks eager to join the ranks of the hundreds of thousands earning a part-time or full-time living selling stuff on eBay is “What should I sell?”

This article from eCommwire 12 may 2008
read more of this article at eCommwire site.

Online payment firm sees silver lining from eBay/PayPal decision

Francis — Wed, 14 May 2008 05:45:15 +0000

Australian online payments company Centricom says that while it is angry with eBay’s decision for force customers to use its wholly-owned subsidiary PayPal, it may actually benefit from a backlash against PayPal from other merchants.

This article from SmartCompany 12 may 2008
read more of this article at SmartCompany site.

Mayday! eBay raises white flag over forced PayPal in US

Francis — Wed, 14 May 2008 04:48:38 +0000

The public outcry over eBay Australia’s intentions to introduce mandatory use of its PayPal online payment system has forced the US office of eBay onto the back foot. eBay, through a spokesperson on the company’s official blog has stated publicly that the world’s dominant online auction site will not try to introduce PayPal-only transactions on the site in the US.

This article from ITWire 13 May 2008
Read more of this article at ITWire site.

EBay under RBA pressure

Francis — Mon, 12 May 2008 08:12:59 +0000

THE Reserve Bank has voiced grave concerns over plans by auction giant eBay to restrict payment methods on its website.

EBay plans to introduce new arrangements on its website which would confine transactions to cash on delivery or through PayPal.

This article from Australian IT 12 May 2008
Read more of this article at Australian IT site.

At Last a Real Alternative for eBay Sellers

Francis — Sun, 11 May 2008 06:17:04 +0000

Online ‘eclectic’ trading company, Jinco Ltd launches Yoobos.com (http://www.yoobos.com), a global online marketplace that offers net traders who are serious about selling online a real eBay alternative. Yoobos provides online store space which is rented out for a flat fee with no extra commission charges when goods are sold.

This article from PR Web 11 May 2008
Read more of this article at PR Web site.

eBay Unveils Top 10 Areas for eBay Sellers

Francis — Sat, 10 May 2008 14:10:06 +0000

eBay has revealed its top 10 markets across the US for selling the most items on eBay. eBay says that Fort Lauderdale, Florida alone generated $630 million in eBay revenue last year. Other hot markets for eBay sellers include LA, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, Orange County, Washington D.C., Houston, and more.

This article from I4U News 9 May 2008
Read more of this article at I4U News site.

MySpace Bridges Out to eBay, Twitter, Photobucket, Yahoo!

Francis — Fri, 09 May 2008 04:13:16 +0000

MySpace has just announced a "Data Availability" initiative that will, in effect, link your MySpace account to your account at Yahoo!, Twitter, eBay and Photobucket.

This article from PC World 8 May 2008
Read more if this article at PC World site.

Is Amazon a more profitable channel then eBay?

Francis — Thu, 08 May 2008 12:37:58 +0000

Just like the eternal epic struggle of “boxers vs. briefs”, the comparisons between eBay and Amazon will never cease among online retailers. At least as long as both command a significant share of traffic and online sales in the U.S..

This article from Amazon Strategies 7 May 2008
Read more of this article at Amazon Strategies site.

ECommerce Developers Invited to Sixth Annual eBay Developers Conference

Francis — Thu, 08 May 2008 08:08:19 +0000

eBay Inc. (Nasdaq: EBAY; www.ebay.com) today extended an invitation to developers, affiliates and entrepreneurs to tap into the largest ecommerce opportunity on the Web at Chicago’s McCormick Place West convention center from June 16 to 18 for its sixth annual Developers Conference.

This article from press Media Wire 8 May 2008
Read more of this article at Press Media Wire site.

eBay Eachnet Just Wants To Be Free In China

Francis — Thu, 08 May 2008 07:21:14 +0000

eBay Eachnet has announced immediate plans to exempt a series of important fees for users, a move that marks the beginning of the company’s shift to a free service pattern.

eBay Eachnet’s main Chinese competitor Taobao.com has maintained a leading market position since it was founded because of its menu of free goodies for users. Taobao is run by e-commerce powerhouse Alibaba.com.

This article from ChinaTechNews 7 May 2008
Read more of this article at ChinaTechNews site.

eBay and auction sites see slight fall in popularity

Francis — Thu, 08 May 2008 07:17:12 +0000

According to analysis from Point Topic, UK households are being cautious when shopping online as broadband growth peaks in the UK.

Point Topic’s consumer broadband surveys indicate that online shopping is still popular, with 69 percent of consumers saying that they shop online.

This article from Seek Broadband 7 May 2008
Read more of this article at SeekBroadband site.

New Version of myibay eBay Bid Sniper Software has Been Released

Francis — Thu, 08 May 2008 07:15:23 +0000

Myibay.com, an auction managing and sniping service for eBay, released a new version of sniping software for Windows. This version includes additional languages, enhancements and important bug fixes.

The most important update featured in this version is language translation pack based on contributions by myibay community. In addition to English, myibay now includes German, French, Dutch and Portuguese interfaces.

This article from PRWeb 7 May 2008
Read more of this article at PRWeb site.

Another eBay competitor enters the ring

Francis — Thu, 08 May 2008 07:11:59 +0000

The decision by eBay to require its vendors to use its PayPal payment system appears to have triggered something of a new spring for online trading sites.

First Melbourne-based online auction site OZtion reported that new listings on its site have exploded since the unpopular eBay announcement, and now a new internet trading site has announced its plan to take on the market leader.

OfferMe.com.au, which will launch in August, works like a kind of eBay in reverse.

This article from SmartCompany 8 May 2008
Read more of this article at SmartCompany site.

eBay army mobilises to oppose PayPal

Francis — Thu, 08 May 2008 07:07:58 +0000

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has received more than 200 submissions opposing eBay Australia’s proposal to force its buyers and sellers to use PayPal.

The issue has attracted attention around the world as many eBay users allege that Australia is the proving ground for a plan that will be rolled out across all eBay jurisdictions. eBay Australia confirmed two weeks ago that other eBay divisions were watching the outcome of the proposed ban on alternative payment providers.

This article from the sheet 8 May 2008
Read More of this article at the sheet site.

EBay feedback changes take effect May 19

Francis — Thu, 08 May 2008 06:56:47 +0000

Beginning May 19, eBay Inc. sellers will no longer be able to leave negative or neutral feedback on buyers.

The changes, first announced in January, set off a firestorm of criticism and some boycotts of eBay by angry sellers. Some sellers are unhappy with the change because they say the feedback system will be unfair to them, leave them vulnerable to unscrupulous buyers and deny them the right to free speech.

This article from ComputerWorld 8 May 2008
Read more of this article at ComputerWorld site.

eBay stands ground despite user discontent

Francis — Thu, 08 May 2008 06:54:00 +0000

IN its quest to make online shopping safer, auction website eBay has stirred up a hornet’s nest of discontent.

For approximately five million Australians, eBay has become a virtual marketplace for buyers and sellers to exchange goods.

This article from News.com.au 8 May 2008
read more of this article at News.com.au site.

Old casino chip stirs up big eBay pot for Missouri woman

Francis — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:42:47 +0000

A Florissant, Mo., woman bagged nearly $29,000 on eBay selling a rare $1 casino chip that she had kept in a jewelry box for nearly 48 years.

Last weekend’s high bid of $28,988.88 is thought to be the richest price ever paid for a $1 chip

This article from KansasCity.com 6 May 2008
Read more of this article at KansasCity.com site.

BizAuctions Sold Items for April 2008 Increase by 176%

Francis — Wed, 07 May 2008 14:26:23 +0000

AmeriResource Technologies, Inc. a diversified holding company announced today that its subsidiary, BizAuctions, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: BZCN), a prime provider of commercial eBay liquidation services, sold item listings for April grew to 2,872 producing sales of $259,146.

This article from Fox Business 6 May 2008
Read more of this article at Fox Business site.

eBay sellers find porn loophole

Francis — Wed, 07 May 2008 07:50:48 +0000

Peddlers of pornography are using loopholes in eBay to sell their products over the internet.

A report by website ninemsn.com.au, has shown how easy it is for anyone to purchase pornography through online auction website eBay.

This article from The Age 6 May 2008
Read more of this article at The Age site.

Auction websites fail to benefit from economic slowdown as shoppers flock elsewhere

Francis — Wed, 07 May 2008 05:53:29 +0000

Auction sites are suffering a downturn in popularity. The last 6 months has seen the proportion of UK households saying they buy on eBay and other online auction sites drop by 4% according to the latest data from Point Topic’s series of consumer broadband surveys.

This article from ITProPortal.com 6 May 2008

Read more of this article at ITProPortal.com site.

Australian banks question eBay – PayPal monopoly strategy

Francis — Wed, 07 May 2008 05:50:19 +0000

The Australian Bankers Association and The Reserve Bank are asking the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to stop eBay from forcing eBay customers to use its PayPal service to make payments on the online auction website. EBay intends to introduce this rule change on 18 June and the ACCC has given interested parties until the 2 May to make submissions on the move.

This article from ePaymentNews Network 5 May 2008
Read more of this article at ePaymentNews Network site.

Batmobile on eBay

Francis — Tue, 06 May 2008 07:54:29 +0000

This Batmobile was used in Tim Burton’s 1989 version of Batman, and the seller says it’s five of five made for the film. The dimensions are kind of burly—20′ feet long, 8′ wide—and while the jet engine isn’t functional, the car is equipped with a Chevy 350.

This article from CarDomain Blog 5 May 2008
Read more of this article at CarDomain Blog site.

eBay Live 2009 cancelled!

Francis — Tue, 06 May 2008 07:44:16 +0000

In eBay’s General Announcement, Norrie Norringtonm, President of eBay Marketplace Operations says

“And while 2008 is not the last eBay Live!, it is the last one for a while. In 2009 we are focusing our energy on smaller venues to facilitate more face-to-face interactions with our customers and community.”

Read more of this article at AuctionBytes

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eBay PowerSeller Gives Feedback Ability Back To Fellow Sellers

Francis — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 09:02:20 +0000

eBuyer-Feedback seeks to become the new standard for leaving buyer feedback on eBay. eBuyer-Feedback launched on February 18th and is currently running an open beta on its feedback system. This system is one that every eBay user will find familiar.

An added feature to eBuyer Feedback’s system is the Detailed Buyer Ratings also known as DBRs™. This allows the seller to rate the buyer on how quickly payment was sent, communication and reading of the details/terms of the auction. If there were any problems with the transaction the seller can also rate the buyer on how they allowed the seller to handle the situation

This article form PR Web 29 April 2008
Read ore of this article at PR Web site.

Boycott eBay videos on YouTube

Francis — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 07:02:41 +0000

Users to pressure eBay chief

Francis — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 07:01:33 +0000

NEW eBay global chief John Donahoe will walk into a storm of controversy when he lands in Sydney on Thursday as the online auction giant staves off protests from members on proposed payment policies that have been deemed anti-competitive.

This article from Australian IT 29 April 2008
Read more of this article at Australian IT site.

eBay woos angry users with price cut offer

Francis — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:28:10 +0000

Surprise surprise! In response to the planned boycott of online auction site eBay on May 1 the company has offered users a special price cut on … you guessed it, May 1.

This article from PC Advisor 29 April 2008
Read more of this article at PC Advisor site.

Paymate issues open challenge to eBay over buyer and sell protection

Francis — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:29:47 +0000

Australian-based Internet payment services provider Paymate has issued an open challenge to eBay Australia to prove claims made to iTWire last week that eBay-owned PayPal offers better buyer and seller protection than Paymate are true. In addition, Paymate says that its payment system can be easily integrated with the eBay site contrary to the claims made by eBay.

This article from ITWire 29 April 2008
Read more of this article at ITWire site.