Singapore Airlines Ltd. plans to auction off seats for the first commercial A380 flight on eBay Inc.'s Singaporean auction site, with all proceeds from the auction going to charity.
The A380, built by Airbus S.A.S., is the world's largest commercial jet liner and can seat up to 555 passengers, although the aircraft ordered by Singapore Airlines are designed to seat fewer than 480 passengers. Singapore Airlines is the first airline to put the new jet into service, with the inaugural flight set to take off in October from Singapore to Sydney.
Anticipating high demand from aircraft enthusiasts for a seat on the inaugural A380 flight, Singapore Airlines decided to auction off tickets on eBay's Singapore Web site. Proceeds from the auction will be split into thirds, with one-third going to Singapore's Community Chest; one-third split between the Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, and The Children's Hospital at Westmead; and one-third donated to Midecins Sans Frontihres.
"Bids will be invited for seats on this history-making flight, and winning bidders will know that every dollar they pay will go to worthwhile charities," the airline said in a statement. Exxon Mobile Aviation will donate fuel for the flight, it said.
Singapore Airlines did not say when the auction for A380 tickets will start, but is accepting registrations from people interested in bidding for the tickets.
The lowest price for a single round-trip ticket from Singapore to Sydney costs S$900 (US$597) on the Singapore Airlines Web site. However, that price is only valid until Sept. 30.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
***Making it Easier to Watch Items in My eBay***
Hi everyone, I'm Subha Shetty with eBay's Buyer Experience team, with some good news for buyers who watch items in My eBay.
Currently, here's how it works. Let's say you're searching for an item and, on the search results page, you see a few items that look interesting. You click on one of them to read the complete description. It does look interesting, so you decide to watch it in My eBay by clicking the "Watch this item" link on the item page. The page refreshes to display a message saying that you're watching it in My eBay. Now, if you want to go back to the search results page to find more items to watch, you have to click your browser's Back button twice – once to go back to the original item page, and once more to get to your search results. Many buyers have said they'd like to return to search results faster, so we're changing how this works.
In the next few days, when you click the "Watch this item" link on an item page, instead of the entire page refreshing, it will quickly change to display a confirmation that you're watching the item in My eBay. And after that, you can get back to the search results page with only one click on your browser's Back button. Result? You get a faster confirmation that you're watching an item, and no additional clicks to return to your search results.
Note: the "Back to list of items" link at the top left of the item page will continue to work as before – it's an alternate way of getting back to the search results without using the browser Back button.
Sincerely, Subha Shetty, Buyer Experience Team
Currently, here's how it works. Let's say you're searching for an item and, on the search results page, you see a few items that look interesting. You click on one of them to read the complete description. It does look interesting, so you decide to watch it in My eBay by clicking the "Watch this item" link on the item page. The page refreshes to display a message saying that you're watching it in My eBay. Now, if you want to go back to the search results page to find more items to watch, you have to click your browser's Back button twice – once to go back to the original item page, and once more to get to your search results. Many buyers have said they'd like to return to search results faster, so we're changing how this works.
In the next few days, when you click the "Watch this item" link on an item page, instead of the entire page refreshing, it will quickly change to display a confirmation that you're watching the item in My eBay. And after that, you can get back to the search results page with only one click on your browser's Back button. Result? You get a faster confirmation that you're watching an item, and no additional clicks to return to your search results.
Note: the "Back to list of items" link at the top left of the item page will continue to work as before – it's an alternate way of getting back to the search results without using the browser Back button.
Sincerely, Subha Shetty, Buyer Experience Team
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
eBay and Google make ad amends, sort of
eBay said on Friday the online auction leader plans to resume placing Web advertising through Google, but that it would rely on alternative advertising services to a greater degree.
eBay is one of the biggest buyers of keyword ads on Google's leading pay-per-click advertising system, AdWords, using them to promote its online auctions. It canceled all Google ads 10 days ago in protest over the Web search company's bid to woo eBay customers to a rival payment system.
Hani Durzy, a spokesman for San Jose, California-based eBay, said his company later on Friday would begin advertising on Google, but at reduced levels than previously. eBay had been buying tens of millions of keyword ads on Google each year.
"I will tell you it will be in a much more limited way than it was before," Durzy told Reuters. "What we found is that we were not as dependent on AdWords as some people thought."
eBay owns PayPal, which, with 143 million accounts, is the world's most popular online payment service among merchants and consumers. Last year, Google introduced an alternative payment system called Google Checkout and has been seeking to woo eBay merchants to accept direct payments via the rival service.
Now eBay plans to rely to a greater degree of competing advertising systems from Yahoo, Microsoft's MSN, Time Warner's AOL, and IAC/InterActiveCorp's Ask.com.
eBay is one of the biggest buyers of keyword ads on Google's leading pay-per-click advertising system, AdWords, using them to promote its online auctions. It canceled all Google ads 10 days ago in protest over the Web search company's bid to woo eBay customers to a rival payment system.
Hani Durzy, a spokesman for San Jose, California-based eBay, said his company later on Friday would begin advertising on Google, but at reduced levels than previously. eBay had been buying tens of millions of keyword ads on Google each year.
"I will tell you it will be in a much more limited way than it was before," Durzy told Reuters. "What we found is that we were not as dependent on AdWords as some people thought."
eBay owns PayPal, which, with 143 million accounts, is the world's most popular online payment service among merchants and consumers. Last year, Google introduced an alternative payment system called Google Checkout and has been seeking to woo eBay merchants to accept direct payments via the rival service.
Now eBay plans to rely to a greater degree of competing advertising systems from Yahoo, Microsoft's MSN, Time Warner's AOL, and IAC/InterActiveCorp's Ask.com.
Google generates virtually all its billions in revenue from AdWords, which shows related ads alongside Web search results tied to the words a user types into Google's search service.
The growing rivalry between the two companies' payment services spilled over at eBay's annual conference for key merchants last week in Boston when eBay protested Google's plans to hold a competing party outside the conference hall. Google was seeking to put pressure on eBay to accept its system on eBay auction sites. In response, eBay moved to eliminate all U.S. advertising on Google-affiliated sites. Amid the controversy, Google aborted its own promotional event.
Despite a broad sell-off in U.S. stocks--the Dow Jones Industrial Average was off 1.3 percent- shares of both eBay and Google rose on Nasdaq. eBay was up 2.2 percent at $31.81 while Google added 1.5 percent to $521.77. Yahoo was down 0.8 percent at $27.45.
Story Copyright © 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
The growing rivalry between the two companies' payment services spilled over at eBay's annual conference for key merchants last week in Boston when eBay protested Google's plans to hold a competing party outside the conference hall. Google was seeking to put pressure on eBay to accept its system on eBay auction sites. In response, eBay moved to eliminate all U.S. advertising on Google-affiliated sites. Amid the controversy, Google aborted its own promotional event.
Despite a broad sell-off in U.S. stocks--the Dow Jones Industrial Average was off 1.3 percent- shares of both eBay and Google rose on Nasdaq. eBay was up 2.2 percent at $31.81 while Google added 1.5 percent to $521.77. Yahoo was down 0.8 percent at $27.45.
Story Copyright © 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
Friday, June 22, 2007
EBay Returns to Google Advertising
SAN FRANCISCO // After a spat between two of the world's largest Internet companies, online auctioneer eBay Inc. resumed running advertising through Google Inc. on Friday.EBay pulled ads from the world's most popular search engine late June 11 in what the auction company billed as an experiment to determine the most effective means of getting customers to visit the shopping site. The move, however, had smacked of blatant retaliation as it coincided with a June 14 party that Google had been planning to siphon attention from eBay's annual user celebration in Boston.In the past week, eBay -- one of the biggest buyers using Google's AdWords marketing program -- increased advertising on Google rivals, including Yahoo Inc., IAC/InterActiveCorp.'s Ask.com and Microsoft Corp.'s MSN.com.EBay spokesman Hani Durzy said the experiment proved that eBay didn't need to spend as much on Google ads, which generally run to the right of Google's regular search results.Durzy wouldn't provide dollar or percentage figures but said that eBay's pullback from AdWords in the United States would be "significant.""Overall the takeaway for us was that we weren't as dependent on AdWords as some out there may have thought," Durzy said.He said traffic to the site was higher during its 10-day experiment compared with the same time a year ago, and eBay sales don't appear to have been dampened."Other partners -- Yahoo and AOL and MSN -- really stepped up and provided a lot of value," Durzy said. "And natural search continues to drive a lot of valuable traffic to the site."Google spokesman Brandon McCormick confirmed that eBay returned to AdWords on Friday afternoon."Over the last seven years, we have worked closely with eBay to drive customers to their site and build value for their business and the business of their sellers," McCormick wrote in an e-mail. "We look forward to a continued partnership."Analyst David M. Garrity applauded what amounted to eBay's snub of the search leader, noting that the 12-year-old auction company is older and more established than Google, which was founded in 1998."EBay can live without Google," said Garrity, director of research at New York-based Dinosaur Securities LLC. "EBay already has an established brand. People know what eBay does and where to go to find stuff there. If Google pretends to want to organize all the information relevant to Internet users, then it will be difficult to ignore eBay."EBay executives have insisted that pulling ads off Google was in the works for months, but the move came just as Google was planning "Let Freedom Ring" -- a reference to the fact that San Jose-based eBay, which owns transaction service PayPal, does not allow rival Google Checkout as a payment method.Google canceled the gala after eBay pulled its ads and eBay CEO Meg Whitman -- considered one of Silicon Valley's most diplomatic and unflappable executives -- said she was "not pleased" with Google's plucky party.The spat highlights the complex relationship between two of Silicon Valley's most high-profile companies, which depend on each other for traffic and revenue but increasingly compete.PayPal, which eBay acquired in 2002, is by far the most popular online transaction service, with 143 million user accounts around the world. PayPal, which had $1.4 billion in revenue last year, is vital to eBay because it is growing faster than eBay's older auction and shopping business.Google debuted Checkout only last year, though Google claims it is accepted by more than a quarter of the top 500 online retailers.Despite the complex business relationship and the blue chip status of Google and eBay, neither company has displayed much maturity over the past two weeks, said technology analyst Roger L. Kay, founder and president of Endpoint Technologies Associates Inc."Google has a ton of money and should have thrown its own party that didn't coincide with the eBay event, which was simply a guerrilla warfare attempt to draw attention on the cheap," Kay said. "And for eBay to cut ads from Google -- the old-fashioned metaphor is 'cutting off your nose to spite your face.' It was all very childish."EBay shares rose 63 cents, or 2 percent, to $31.76 in trading Friday, while Google was up $10.87, or 2 percent, to $524.98.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
PayPal Launches Payment Review for Riskiest Transactions
PayPal is launching Payment Review later this summer in order to reduce fraudulent transactions. PayPal will identify those transactions it believes may pose a risk and will keep those transactions pending while it investigates them. Once PayPal completes the transaction, sellers will be protected 100 percent - on those transactions. (All other transactions will be covered under the seller protection policy, as they currently are.)
PayPal said it believes the new procedure will have a big positive effect in reducing chargeback issues for sellers.
Jeff Clementz, Director of Product Marketing at PayPal, said it is optional for sellers, who may go ahead and fulfill pending transactions, but those transactions would not be covered under the Payment Review policy.
Clementz said when PayPal identifies a risky transaction and holds it, it will have clear messaging to buyers that it is PayPal - and not the seller - who is holding up the transaction. He said the hold time would be short, but would not be more specific at least until closer to the feature launches.
In related news, eBay took its PayPal Security Key out of beta testing and is making it available to all customers. The Key has a promotional one-time fee of $5.00 for PayPal and eBay account holders in the U.S. It will also become generally available in Germany and Australia, with more countries to follow.
The PayPal Security Key is a small electronic token that generates a unique security code approximately every 30 seconds. Members can use this code, along with their user name and password, to sign into both their eBay and PayPal accounts, helping to prevent unauthorized users from accessing them.
Editor's Note: See a demonstration of the PayPal Security Key live from the floor of the eBay Live convention. http://auctionbytes.com/cab/pages/tvguide_ebaylive2007
PayPal said it believes the new procedure will have a big positive effect in reducing chargeback issues for sellers.
Jeff Clementz, Director of Product Marketing at PayPal, said it is optional for sellers, who may go ahead and fulfill pending transactions, but those transactions would not be covered under the Payment Review policy.
Clementz said when PayPal identifies a risky transaction and holds it, it will have clear messaging to buyers that it is PayPal - and not the seller - who is holding up the transaction. He said the hold time would be short, but would not be more specific at least until closer to the feature launches.
In related news, eBay took its PayPal Security Key out of beta testing and is making it available to all customers. The Key has a promotional one-time fee of $5.00 for PayPal and eBay account holders in the U.S. It will also become generally available in Germany and Australia, with more countries to follow.
The PayPal Security Key is a small electronic token that generates a unique security code approximately every 30 seconds. Members can use this code, along with their user name and password, to sign into both their eBay and PayPal accounts, helping to prevent unauthorized users from accessing them.
Editor's Note: See a demonstration of the PayPal Security Key live from the floor of the eBay Live convention. http://auctionbytes.com/cab/pages/tvguide_ebaylive2007
Friday, June 8, 2007
The Big Affiliate Summit Auction on eBay
The auction on eBay to have Missy Ward, Shawn Collins, and all of the Affiliate Summit conference staff wear your company’s logo on their staff shirts during the entire Affiliate Summit 2007 East Show is almost over.
The auction on eBay ends on Monday, June 11 at noon EST.
The highest bidder will have their logo featured prominently on the front of the staff shirts. As I write this, the highest bid is $6,000.
Here is a photo from the last show when FlamingoWorld.com took the spot:
100% of proceeds earned from this auction will go directly to the March of Dimes.
If you are the lucky winner of having the Affiliate Summit team wear your company’s logo on the staff shirts, not only will you reap the benefits of your brand being prominently displayed throughout the entire conference (July 8-10, 2007 from 9:00am-6:00pm each day), your logo will also be featured on the Affiliate Summit site on the Affliate Marketers Care page.
And there will be lots of pictures and video from the conference, too.
Bid now - the auction ends on June 11, 2007 at noon EST.Top of Page
The auction on eBay ends on Monday, June 11 at noon EST.
The highest bidder will have their logo featured prominently on the front of the staff shirts. As I write this, the highest bid is $6,000.
Here is a photo from the last show when FlamingoWorld.com took the spot:
100% of proceeds earned from this auction will go directly to the March of Dimes.
If you are the lucky winner of having the Affiliate Summit team wear your company’s logo on the staff shirts, not only will you reap the benefits of your brand being prominently displayed throughout the entire conference (July 8-10, 2007 from 9:00am-6:00pm each day), your logo will also be featured on the Affiliate Summit site on the Affliate Marketers Care page.
And there will be lots of pictures and video from the conference, too.
Bid now - the auction ends on June 11, 2007 at noon EST.Top of Page
Monday, June 4, 2007
Oxygen Joins eBay's Ad Exchange Marketplace
Oxygen has agreed to take part in eBay's TV ad marketplace, reports The Wall Street Journal.
The cable network has bucked the precedent set by the Cable Television Advertising Bureau in agreeing to join the system. The Online Media Exchange created by eBay has the backing of several major advertisers, many of whom have committed at least a few dollars to buying commercial time through the platform. Oxygen said it made the decision to participate based simply on the potential it holds for exposure.
Advertisers initially promised to spend about $50 million within the system they commissioned eBay to create but, while specific numbers have not been released, the amount so far is assumed to be far short of that. Home Depot, Microsoft, Intel and Hewlett-Packard are among those backing the platform.
The cable network has bucked the precedent set by the Cable Television Advertising Bureau in agreeing to join the system. The Online Media Exchange created by eBay has the backing of several major advertisers, many of whom have committed at least a few dollars to buying commercial time through the platform. Oxygen said it made the decision to participate based simply on the potential it holds for exposure.
Advertisers initially promised to spend about $50 million within the system they commissioned eBay to create but, while specific numbers have not been released, the amount so far is assumed to be far short of that. Home Depot, Microsoft, Intel and Hewlett-Packard are among those backing the platform.
Friday, June 1, 2007
***A Message From Bill Cobb – StumbleUpon Joins eBay Inc. Family***
Hi everyone...Bill Cobb here, President of eBay North America. We at eBay Inc. are always exploring opportunities in new technologies and businesses --especially ones that pioneer new communities and instill trust.
I'm really happy to share the news with you that eBay Inc. has just acquired StumbleUpon (http://www.stumbleupon.com/). StumbleUpon offers a unique finding experience that introduces people to interesting and relevant web content that has been recommended by others in the community with similar interests. StumbleUpon is a great way to explore the Internet when you're not sure what you are looking for, or when you want to make discoveries around your particular interests.
Our intent is to support the growth and evolution of this community-based business, and StumbleUpon will run as a separate business unit within eBay Inc. Although there are no definite plans to share at this time, as the site evolves, we'll be exploring the possibilities for synergies between StumbleUpon and eBay marketplaces, Skype, and PayPal. We'll be sure to keep you posted.
Sincerely,
Bill CobbPresident, eBay North America
I'm really happy to share the news with you that eBay Inc. has just acquired StumbleUpon (http://www.stumbleupon.com/). StumbleUpon offers a unique finding experience that introduces people to interesting and relevant web content that has been recommended by others in the community with similar interests. StumbleUpon is a great way to explore the Internet when you're not sure what you are looking for, or when you want to make discoveries around your particular interests.
Our intent is to support the growth and evolution of this community-based business, and StumbleUpon will run as a separate business unit within eBay Inc. Although there are no definite plans to share at this time, as the site evolves, we'll be exploring the possibilities for synergies between StumbleUpon and eBay marketplaces, Skype, and PayPal. We'll be sure to keep you posted.
Sincerely,
Bill CobbPresident, eBay North America
Monday, May 28, 2007
Sanook! to take over eBay's site
The US-based worldwide e-marketing group eBay is to close its www.ebay.co.th website and hand over its Thailand businesses to Sanook.com.
In a joint announcement in Bangkok yesterday, eBay and Sanook! said the old website would cease operations when a new website, to be run and wholly owned by Sanook!, is up and running in the next five to seven months. Although the specific web address was not revealed, the new e-commerce website will be co-branded as Sanook!eBay, they said.
"We wouldn't categorise it [closing our website] as failure," said Dan Neary, eBay's regional vice president for emerging markets. "It's normal that we started it as a promotional site, but we realise that Sanook! understands the local market." Ebay.co.th was opened last year.
Sanook Online's chief executive Torboon Puangmaha said Sanook! would set up a wholly owned subsidiary to handle the new e-commerce business and would share revenue with eBay.
Through the Sanook!eBay site, Thai small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and village-level Otop enterprises will be able to sell their products to the world, he said.
Users who want to trade on eBay.com will be able to conduct their transactions on the Thai-language Sanook!eBay site which will automatically link orders to the global site.
However, Torboon said he still has to figure out how to avoid Thai sellers having to paying double fees on both sites. "However, users won't suffer," he said.
Both eBay.com and Sanook! will have links from their main pages to the Sanook!eBay website. Sanook will also cease its Auction page and redirect traffic to the new site.
Torboon said eBay was attracted to a deal with Sanook! because of the latter's web traffic, with more than one million visitors every day.
Sanook is wholly owned by MIH, a multimedia company headquartered in South Africa. However, the company is entirely managed by Thai staff.
Ebay's Neary said Thais are one of the most active selling groups on eBay, with items such as jewellery and cloth selling on the site every minute, thanks to Thailand's low production costs.
Torboon said Sanook!eBay would combine into one website its global trade, which is currently conducted on eBay, and domestic trade, which is currently undertaken on Sanook Auctions websites.
"Why separate the market? Why aren't those who are selling to the world, also selling to the Thai market? We will integrate both markets under a single platform, using the same tools," he said.
According to the global research firm IDC, Thailand has more than 16 million Internet users - a figure that is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 25 per cent through 2009.
Pichaya Changsorn
The Nation
In a joint announcement in Bangkok yesterday, eBay and Sanook! said the old website would cease operations when a new website, to be run and wholly owned by Sanook!, is up and running in the next five to seven months. Although the specific web address was not revealed, the new e-commerce website will be co-branded as Sanook!eBay, they said.
"We wouldn't categorise it [closing our website] as failure," said Dan Neary, eBay's regional vice president for emerging markets. "It's normal that we started it as a promotional site, but we realise that Sanook! understands the local market." Ebay.co.th was opened last year.
Sanook Online's chief executive Torboon Puangmaha said Sanook! would set up a wholly owned subsidiary to handle the new e-commerce business and would share revenue with eBay.
Through the Sanook!eBay site, Thai small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and village-level Otop enterprises will be able to sell their products to the world, he said.
Users who want to trade on eBay.com will be able to conduct their transactions on the Thai-language Sanook!eBay site which will automatically link orders to the global site.
However, Torboon said he still has to figure out how to avoid Thai sellers having to paying double fees on both sites. "However, users won't suffer," he said.
Both eBay.com and Sanook! will have links from their main pages to the Sanook!eBay website. Sanook will also cease its Auction page and redirect traffic to the new site.
Torboon said eBay was attracted to a deal with Sanook! because of the latter's web traffic, with more than one million visitors every day.
Sanook is wholly owned by MIH, a multimedia company headquartered in South Africa. However, the company is entirely managed by Thai staff.
Ebay's Neary said Thais are one of the most active selling groups on eBay, with items such as jewellery and cloth selling on the site every minute, thanks to Thailand's low production costs.
Torboon said Sanook!eBay would combine into one website its global trade, which is currently conducted on eBay, and domestic trade, which is currently undertaken on Sanook Auctions websites.
"Why separate the market? Why aren't those who are selling to the world, also selling to the Thai market? We will integrate both markets under a single platform, using the same tools," he said.
According to the global research firm IDC, Thailand has more than 16 million Internet users - a figure that is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 25 per cent through 2009.
Pichaya Changsorn
The Nation
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
eBay Holds 20-Cent Listing Fee Promotion
eBay is holding a 20-cent listing fee promotion on Thursday, May 24, 2007, for auction listings only. Fixed Price listings are not eligible for the promotion. All other fees apply, see website for details and restrictions.
Hi everyone...This is Jamie Stark from eBay's Marketing team. Once again, I'm here to let all sellers know that you have a little over 24 hours to get ready for our next Auction-style listing promotion! On Thursday, May 24th, the insertion fees for Auction-style listings on http://www.ebay.com/ will only be 20ข.
The 20ข Insertion Fee Sale starts on Thursday, May 24, 2007 at 00:00:01 Pacific time (12:00 a.m. plus one second) and ends that same day, Thursday, May 24, 2007 at 23:59:59 Pacific time (11:59 p.m. plus 59 seconds). Listings which were created prior to May 24, 2007 and scheduled to start during the promotional period will also be eligible for the special promotional rate. Please note: If you schedule a listing to start during the promotional period, the regular price will still be displayed during the listing process. However, you will only be charged the promotional price.
This promotion will not apply to the following types of listings: Fixed Price listings, all eBay Motors listings (including Parts & Accessories, Passenger Vehicles, Motorcycles, Power Sports, and Other Vehicles), as well as Live Auction, Professional Services, Real Estate, Ad Format, and Store Inventory listings. Some Business & Industrial categories will also be excluded – see our promotion page for full details.
Sincerely,
Jamie StarkeBay Marketing
The 20ข Insertion Fee Sale starts on Thursday, May 24, 2007 at 00:00:01 Pacific time (12:00 a.m. plus one second) and ends that same day, Thursday, May 24, 2007 at 23:59:59 Pacific time (11:59 p.m. plus 59 seconds). Listings which were created prior to May 24, 2007 and scheduled to start during the promotional period will also be eligible for the special promotional rate. Please note: If you schedule a listing to start during the promotional period, the regular price will still be displayed during the listing process. However, you will only be charged the promotional price.
This promotion will not apply to the following types of listings: Fixed Price listings, all eBay Motors listings (including Parts & Accessories, Passenger Vehicles, Motorcycles, Power Sports, and Other Vehicles), as well as Live Auction, Professional Services, Real Estate, Ad Format, and Store Inventory listings. Some Business & Industrial categories will also be excluded – see our promotion page for full details.
Sincerely,
Jamie StarkeBay Marketing
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Ebay under attack over festival ticket sales
A government minister attacked internet auction site eBay today for failing to withdraw music festival tickets being traded on the website.
Music minister Shaun Woodward criticised the website owners after they refused to pull the free tickets for the BBC Big Weekend show which were being sold for about £50 each.
Mr Woodward has twice written to eBay calling for them to stop allowing the sales but the company has refused.
He said the firm was ignoring the terms and conditions laid down by the BBC by allowing the tickets to be resold.
Organisers introduced ID checks for festival-goers in a bid to combat touts but many sellers now offer fake identity paperwork to help buyers get through security.
A spokeswoman for Mr Woodward said: Not only is eBay ignoring the BBC's terms and conditions that these free tickets are not for resale, it is permitting people to engage in fraudulent activity by supplying and using ID to pass themselves off as someone else in order to gain entry to the Big Weekend."
Radio 1 held a ballot to give away 30,000 tickets to a huge two-day music festival to be held at Moor Park, Preston, this weekend.
Tens of thousands of fans applied for tickets during the one-week registration period.
Following eBay's decision Mr Woodward said he intended to meet representatives from the firm next week to negotiate an agreement over future ticket sales.
In a letters to the company, Mr Woodward said: "We strongly disagree with your decision not to suspend the listings for the BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend event.
"We believe, given you are aware the BBC intends to impose strict ID requirements on entry to this event, consumers may well feel they have been misled if they buy tickets through eBay.
"This BBC event is free, funded by the licence fee. Many of the tickets are specifically intended to be available to people who live locally.
Music minister Shaun Woodward criticised the website owners after they refused to pull the free tickets for the BBC Big Weekend show which were being sold for about £50 each.
Mr Woodward has twice written to eBay calling for them to stop allowing the sales but the company has refused.
He said the firm was ignoring the terms and conditions laid down by the BBC by allowing the tickets to be resold.
Organisers introduced ID checks for festival-goers in a bid to combat touts but many sellers now offer fake identity paperwork to help buyers get through security.
A spokeswoman for Mr Woodward said: Not only is eBay ignoring the BBC's terms and conditions that these free tickets are not for resale, it is permitting people to engage in fraudulent activity by supplying and using ID to pass themselves off as someone else in order to gain entry to the Big Weekend."
Radio 1 held a ballot to give away 30,000 tickets to a huge two-day music festival to be held at Moor Park, Preston, this weekend.
Tens of thousands of fans applied for tickets during the one-week registration period.
Following eBay's decision Mr Woodward said he intended to meet representatives from the firm next week to negotiate an agreement over future ticket sales.
In a letters to the company, Mr Woodward said: "We strongly disagree with your decision not to suspend the listings for the BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend event.
"We believe, given you are aware the BBC intends to impose strict ID requirements on entry to this event, consumers may well feel they have been misled if they buy tickets through eBay.
"This BBC event is free, funded by the licence fee. Many of the tickets are specifically intended to be available to people who live locally.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
***Affiliate Program Opens to All Sellers, Plus eBay “Promote It” Sweepstakes for PowerSellers***
Hi everyone...this is Edurne Jorda with our Seller Development team, along with Dan Serpico from our eBay Affiliates team. We've got some great news for our sellers and PowerSellers.
Many eBay sellers already drive traffic to their eBay listings through marketing on their own websites and other off-eBay pages. We're pleased to let you know that we've recently expanded our Affiliate Program to allow all sellers to join the program and get rewarded for driving traffic to eBay.com - even if it's to your own items!
If you are marketing your eBay listings online, we hope you'll consider becoming an eBay Affiliate. For more details about this program, please visit our information page.
PowerSellers -- Join the eBay "Promote It" SweepstakesAs a special incentive for our PowerSellers, we've put together the eBay "Promote It" Sweepstakes. From May 15 through August 15, register as an eBay Affiliate and you'll have a chance to win one of 25 cash prizes up to $1,000 simply for using your off-eBay website, blog or online store to drive traffic back to your listings.
Here are the rules to be entered into our random drawing, to be held on August 20th, 2007:
You must be a registered eBay PowerSeller throughout the entry period.
You must be a registered eBay Affiliate throughout the entry period. (Not registered as an affiliate yet? Join Now!)
Integrate eBay onto your website! Use eBay Affiliate Tools or the API to create ads and links for your affiliate campaign.
Enter your site URL for a chance to win cash prizes – 25 sellers will be chosen to win! Here are the prizes:
1st prize – 10 winners will each receive $1,000 cash
2nd prize – 10 winners will each receive $750 cash
3rd prize – 5 winners will each receive $500 cash
For complete details and Official Rules, see our promotion page.
eBay is proud of our PowerSellers, who rank among the most successful eBay sellers in terms of both product sales volume and customer satisfaction. To learn more about the benefits of being a PowerSeller and how you can qualify, please visit our PowerSeller portal page.
Sincerely,
Edurne JordaSeller Development
Dan SerpicoeBay Affiliates Team
Many eBay sellers already drive traffic to their eBay listings through marketing on their own websites and other off-eBay pages. We're pleased to let you know that we've recently expanded our Affiliate Program to allow all sellers to join the program and get rewarded for driving traffic to eBay.com - even if it's to your own items!
If you are marketing your eBay listings online, we hope you'll consider becoming an eBay Affiliate. For more details about this program, please visit our information page.
PowerSellers -- Join the eBay "Promote It" SweepstakesAs a special incentive for our PowerSellers, we've put together the eBay "Promote It" Sweepstakes. From May 15 through August 15, register as an eBay Affiliate and you'll have a chance to win one of 25 cash prizes up to $1,000 simply for using your off-eBay website, blog or online store to drive traffic back to your listings.
Here are the rules to be entered into our random drawing, to be held on August 20th, 2007:
You must be a registered eBay PowerSeller throughout the entry period.
You must be a registered eBay Affiliate throughout the entry period. (Not registered as an affiliate yet? Join Now!)
Integrate eBay onto your website! Use eBay Affiliate Tools or the API to create ads and links for your affiliate campaign.
Enter your site URL for a chance to win cash prizes – 25 sellers will be chosen to win! Here are the prizes:
1st prize – 10 winners will each receive $1,000 cash
2nd prize – 10 winners will each receive $750 cash
3rd prize – 5 winners will each receive $500 cash
For complete details and Official Rules, see our promotion page.
eBay is proud of our PowerSellers, who rank among the most successful eBay sellers in terms of both product sales volume and customer satisfaction. To learn more about the benefits of being a PowerSeller and how you can qualify, please visit our PowerSeller portal page.
Sincerely,
Edurne JordaSeller Development
Dan SerpicoeBay Affiliates Team
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Winning eBay bid for "Dukes Of Hazzard" car likely a hoax
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A nearly $10 million eBay bid for a car made famous by "The Dukes of Hazzard" seems to have vanished faster than the Duke boys escaping from the sheriff. The General Lee's owner — actor John Schneider, who played the blond heartthrob Bo Duke in the 1980s television series — is upset that the $9,900,500 winning bid appears to be a hoax. The bid set an eBay record last week.
Schneider plans to list his 1969 Dodge Charger with a bricks-and-mortar auction firm that strictly screens buyers, and may file a lawsuit against the bidder, said Allen Stockman, who runs the star's Agoura Hills estate and has sold scripts, memorabilia and other items on eBay for three years.
"If this guy was just doing it as a prank or to ruin someone else's chances, he deserves to be hit in the pocketbook," said Stockman, who gave the winning bidder a negative rating in eBay's feedback forum.
Schneider, 47, was at a promotion in Las Vegas and could not be reached for comment.
The winning bidder — identified on his eBay home page as William Fisher, or "fishbashr1" — did not return e-mails and did not answer the phone listed for his house in Laguna Hills.
Schneider's plight is the most
Advertisement
GetAd('tile','box','/home_article','','www.whittierdailynews.com','','null','null');
recent fraudulent bidding episode at eBay.
In December, a Montreal man listed a 40-year-old acetate of "The Velvet Underground & Nico" by Andy Warhol. Bidding began at 99 cents, but after 10 days, 253 bids and numerous articles about the item in the media, the winning bid was $155,401. Within hours, the bid was determined to be a hoax and the item was relisted.
In March, bids on a gas grill said to be owned by Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez reached $99,999,999, the highest bid the Web site was technically capable of listing. EBay pulled the listing after the company couldn't verify the grill was owned by Ramirez.
EBay spokeswoman Catherine England said the company doesn't keep track of how many winning bidders renege.
"There are all sorts of reasons a transaction may fall through, and we have a claims process for both buyer and seller," England said.
When bidding escalated on the General Lee, a customer service agent called Stockman and recommended that he only accept pre-qualified bidders who could prove that they had secured financing. But Stockman said he didn't have the time for credit or background checks.
Schneider plans to list his 1969 Dodge Charger with a bricks-and-mortar auction firm that strictly screens buyers, and may file a lawsuit against the bidder, said Allen Stockman, who runs the star's Agoura Hills estate and has sold scripts, memorabilia and other items on eBay for three years.
"If this guy was just doing it as a prank or to ruin someone else's chances, he deserves to be hit in the pocketbook," said Stockman, who gave the winning bidder a negative rating in eBay's feedback forum.
Schneider, 47, was at a promotion in Las Vegas and could not be reached for comment.
The winning bidder — identified on his eBay home page as William Fisher, or "fishbashr1" — did not return e-mails and did not answer the phone listed for his house in Laguna Hills.
Schneider's plight is the most
Advertisement
GetAd('tile','box','/home_article','','www.whittierdailynews.com','','null','null');
recent fraudulent bidding episode at eBay.
In December, a Montreal man listed a 40-year-old acetate of "The Velvet Underground & Nico" by Andy Warhol. Bidding began at 99 cents, but after 10 days, 253 bids and numerous articles about the item in the media, the winning bid was $155,401. Within hours, the bid was determined to be a hoax and the item was relisted.
In March, bids on a gas grill said to be owned by Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez reached $99,999,999, the highest bid the Web site was technically capable of listing. EBay pulled the listing after the company couldn't verify the grill was owned by Ramirez.
EBay spokeswoman Catherine England said the company doesn't keep track of how many winning bidders renege.
"There are all sorts of reasons a transaction may fall through, and we have a claims process for both buyer and seller," England said.
When bidding escalated on the General Lee, a customer service agent called Stockman and recommended that he only accept pre-qualified bidders who could prove that they had secured financing. But Stockman said he didn't have the time for credit or background checks.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Several Cross-Promotion Features to be Removed
Hi everyone ... I'm Diana Baraniewicz with eBay's Finding team. As we focus on ways to make it easier for you to find the items you're looking for, we're also taking a fresh look at some of our existing tools and assessing their effectiveness. Tools that have not performed well for our members are being removed.
There are a few Cross-Promotion options that sellers have had access to that we'll be retiring soon. These options simply haven't been as effective as eBay's default logic in driving bids and purchases.
Item Cross-Promotion Rules Using our seller cross-promotion tool, sellers have been able to create rules for what types of their own items should appear in the cross-promotion display area on Bid/Buy It Now Confirmation pages, and at the bottom of Stores sellers' item pages. When a seller does not specify cross-promotion rules, eBay's default logic populates the space with relevant items, choosing additional items from the seller based on the buyer's search.
We'll be removing the item-level Cross-Promotion options in the next few weeks. These rules have had low adoption by our sellers, and have not had a positive track record in increasing bids/purchases among buyers. Please note that sellers will still be able to create Keyword to Keyword, Category to Category, and Store Category to Store Category rules.
Both sellers and buyers should experience better results by letting eBay's logic do the work.
Cross-Promotion Connections & Personalized Picks Also, in June we'll be removing the Cross-Promotion Connections feature, which allowed sellers to promote other selected sellers' listings on their item pages, as well as the Personalized Picks page in My eBay that makes recommendations for future purchases based on your buying history. These features have also seen very low usage. By removing features like these that under-perform, we help simplify the site and free up available resources that can be better utilized elsewhere.
Sincerely,
Diana Baraniewicz Finding Team
There are a few Cross-Promotion options that sellers have had access to that we'll be retiring soon. These options simply haven't been as effective as eBay's default logic in driving bids and purchases.
Item Cross-Promotion Rules Using our seller cross-promotion tool, sellers have been able to create rules for what types of their own items should appear in the cross-promotion display area on Bid/Buy It Now Confirmation pages, and at the bottom of Stores sellers' item pages. When a seller does not specify cross-promotion rules, eBay's default logic populates the space with relevant items, choosing additional items from the seller based on the buyer's search.
We'll be removing the item-level Cross-Promotion options in the next few weeks. These rules have had low adoption by our sellers, and have not had a positive track record in increasing bids/purchases among buyers. Please note that sellers will still be able to create Keyword to Keyword, Category to Category, and Store Category to Store Category rules.
Both sellers and buyers should experience better results by letting eBay's logic do the work.
Cross-Promotion Connections & Personalized Picks Also, in June we'll be removing the Cross-Promotion Connections feature, which allowed sellers to promote other selected sellers' listings on their item pages, as well as the Personalized Picks page in My eBay that makes recommendations for future purchases based on your buying history. These features have also seen very low usage. By removing features like these that under-perform, we help simplify the site and free up available resources that can be better utilized elsewhere.
Sincerely,
Diana Baraniewicz Finding Team
Thursday, May 10, 2007
GiddyGiddy eBay
It’s easy to forget the ever-plodding eBay with all the noise made by the more lithe and lively Web 2.0 companies.
But the online marketplace powerhouse shows a little more leg in its deal-in-the-making to pay way too much for a trendy Internet Web page discovery and recommendation service called, wait for it, StumbleUpon. Several stories, including one earlier this week in The Wall Street Journal, report that eBay has been in deep discussions to buy the San Francisco-based company for $75 million, which is less than it forked over for online ticketer StubHub in February. That deal cost $292 million.
While that purchase made obvious sense because it is a pure retail play, StumbleUpon also makes some sense because it could help get users more information about eBay’s zillions of auction pages.
A word you will hear more and more, “surfacing,” means the ability of Web sites to bring forth interesting and popular content. That is presumably what StumbleUpon could help eBay accomplish.
Other companies, including Google and Yahoo, have eyed the company, but have not moved to buy it. (”StumbleUpon?,” said one top Google executive to me at a party a few months ago. “I hear it talked about so much that I am now officially tired of it.”)
But I am more delighted, for completely superficial reasons, in eBay’s minority investment in early May in the Turkish online marketplace called GittiGidiyor.com. The Istanbul-based company says it has 17 million users in a country known for trading, and it represents the 37th country eBay has landed in. But I am just liking the peppy name, which means “Going, Going, Gone” in Turkish.
But the online marketplace powerhouse shows a little more leg in its deal-in-the-making to pay way too much for a trendy Internet Web page discovery and recommendation service called, wait for it, StumbleUpon. Several stories, including one earlier this week in The Wall Street Journal, report that eBay has been in deep discussions to buy the San Francisco-based company for $75 million, which is less than it forked over for online ticketer StubHub in February. That deal cost $292 million.
While that purchase made obvious sense because it is a pure retail play, StumbleUpon also makes some sense because it could help get users more information about eBay’s zillions of auction pages.
A word you will hear more and more, “surfacing,” means the ability of Web sites to bring forth interesting and popular content. That is presumably what StumbleUpon could help eBay accomplish.
Other companies, including Google and Yahoo, have eyed the company, but have not moved to buy it. (”StumbleUpon?,” said one top Google executive to me at a party a few months ago. “I hear it talked about so much that I am now officially tired of it.”)
But I am more delighted, for completely superficial reasons, in eBay’s minority investment in early May in the Turkish online marketplace called GittiGidiyor.com. The Istanbul-based company says it has 17 million users in a country known for trading, and it represents the 37th country eBay has landed in. But I am just liking the peppy name, which means “Going, Going, Gone” in Turkish.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
eBay Announces New Buyer Protection Programs on UK, Australia Sites
eBay has announced new buyer protection programs on the UK and Australian sites. On the eBay.co.uk and eBay.ie websites, PayPal will provide £150/€200 of coverage with no processing fee, no minimum purchase price and no seller requirements for all UK / IE buyers who pay with PayPal, beginning in June. This coverage protects buyers for purchases made of certain items which are either not received or for those that are significantly not as described. Additionally, buyers who use PayPal to purchase items from eligible sellers may be entitled to up to £500/€1000 protection. Buyers can look in the Meet the Seller, Buy Safely section on item listings to see how each specific listing is covered.
The protection offered by PayPal is an expansion of PayPal Buyer Protection and replaces the eBay Standard Purchase Protection Programme which previously covered most eBay listings for up to £120/€200 minus a £15/€25 processing fee. http://www2.ebay.com/aw/uk/200705081459002.html
On eBay Australia, when sellers offer PayPal as a payment method for eligible items, these items will be covered for at least $400 with no processing fee, where the items are paid for with PayPal. In addition, the new PayPal Buyer Protection will cover certain items for up to $3,000. http://www2.ebay.com/aw/au/200705090852542.html
Earlier this year, eBay doubled PayPal Buyer Protection on its US site, offering up to $2,000 of coverage for qualified transactions on eBay.com, but eliminating buyer-protection for non-PayPal transactions. http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y07/m01/i10/s01
Review all policies carefully for details and restrictions.
The protection offered by PayPal is an expansion of PayPal Buyer Protection and replaces the eBay Standard Purchase Protection Programme which previously covered most eBay listings for up to £120/€200 minus a £15/€25 processing fee. http://www2.ebay.com/aw/uk/200705081459002.html
On eBay Australia, when sellers offer PayPal as a payment method for eligible items, these items will be covered for at least $400 with no processing fee, where the items are paid for with PayPal. In addition, the new PayPal Buyer Protection will cover certain items for up to $3,000. http://www2.ebay.com/aw/au/200705090852542.html
Earlier this year, eBay doubled PayPal Buyer Protection on its US site, offering up to $2,000 of coverage for qualified transactions on eBay.com, but eliminating buyer-protection for non-PayPal transactions. http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y07/m01/i10/s01
Review all policies carefully for details and restrictions.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Google, eBay and Amazon among UK's favourite brands
In a survey of the UK's favourite brands, internet superstars Google, eBay and Amazon all scored highly, with the search engine taking top spot.Google earned $10.6 billion (5.3 billion pounds) in 2006 and has expanded its portfolio rapidly, offering new services such as satellite maps, photo management software and even database services.The survey of 2,412 consumers was conducted by Marketing magazine and reflects the rise of online companies as strong consumer brands, the magazine said.Online retail giant Amazon moved up the chart from seventeenth place last year to the third spot this year.Auction site eBay achieved fifth spot.It wasn't good news for all internet brands however; AOL was labelled as one of the "most hated" brands in the UK, being rated as the third worst by consumers.Despite the disappointing results of the survey for AOL, its parent company Time Warner recently announced that the internet advertising revenue growth had been good on the platform.AOL's ad revenue grew by 35 per cent during the first quarter of 2007 and operating income at the internet company grew by 27 per cent to $542 million, as the company capitalised on ad revenue from its popular free email service. Figures released last week by the internet marketing research firm comScore for the month of March showed Google is still the most popular UK site by traffic. Google's sites continued to retain the top spot, with 27.3 million visitors. Second and third place went to Microsoft sites and eBay, with 26.8 and 22 million visitors respectively
'Dukes of Hazzard' car sets eBay record
The famous Dodge Charger from 1980s TV show The Dukes of Hazzard has been sold on eBay for an amazing $US9.9 million ($A12 million).
The 1969 car, known in the series as the “General Lee” and the nemesis of Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane in numerous chase scenes, was auctioned by actor John Schneider, who played Bo Duke in the long-running show.
It is believed to be the second highest price ever paid for a car at auction after that of a 1931 Bugatti that was sold by Christie's in 1987 for $US11 million ($A13.4 million).
Schneider is believed to have sold the highly modified Dodge to finance his latest film.
Dukes of Hazzard screened for seven seasons between 1979 and 1985.
The inspiration for the hit TV series was a 1975 film called The Moonrunners, written and directed by Gy Waldron.
The film was about a closely knit family determined to produce and sell moonshine despite stiff competition and marauding federal agents.
The 1969 car, known in the series as the “General Lee” and the nemesis of Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane in numerous chase scenes, was auctioned by actor John Schneider, who played Bo Duke in the long-running show.
It is believed to be the second highest price ever paid for a car at auction after that of a 1931 Bugatti that was sold by Christie's in 1987 for $US11 million ($A13.4 million).
Schneider is believed to have sold the highly modified Dodge to finance his latest film.
Dukes of Hazzard screened for seven seasons between 1979 and 1985.
The inspiration for the hit TV series was a 1975 film called The Moonrunners, written and directed by Gy Waldron.
The film was about a closely knit family determined to produce and sell moonshine despite stiff competition and marauding federal agents.
Afterwards Waldron, who hails from the deep south, put together a proposal for a TV series loosely based on the script.
The Dodge Charger was chosen for the role of the General Lee as it was well known to NASCAR fans in the southern state of Georgia, where it was filmed.
It was painted bright orange, the number 01 added and a Confederate flag also added to the roof.
The General Lee was billed as a 1969 Dodge Charger with a 440 cubic inch Magnum V8 and an A-727 automatic transmission.
The cars used in the series apparently underwent surprisingly few modifications for their screen role.
Each was fitted with a four-barrel Holley carburettor, aluminium intake manifold, and stiffer shocks and springs to firm up the handling, with inner tubes added to tyres as a precaution.
The doors of the cars (there was more than one General Lee) were welded shut to stop them springing open and the parking brake lock removed so hand brake turns could be performed.
The sealed doors explain why Bo and Luke were always seen sliding in and out of the windows.
Interestingly, much of the driving we see Bo (John Schneider) and Luke (Tom Wopat) doing was actually performed by the actors.
Schneider, in fact, attended the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving.
Any time the script called for the General to leave the ground, however, stunt doubles were called in.
Many hours were spent planning chase sequences.
The cars often became airborne and to keep them level during jumps, lead ballast was added to the boot to stop them nose diving.
Legend has it that the General Lee's musical horn was the result of a chance discovery.
A production crew on their way to a shoot passed a car with a horn that tooted the first 12 notes of Dixie.
To cut a long story short, they chased after the driver and offered him cash for the horn which was removed on the spot.
It turned out later that the same horn could be readily obtained through the J C Whitney catalogue, but the crew wanted it right away for filming.
Quite a few cars were wrecked during filming of the show and so it had an almost insatiable appetite for replacements.
Legend has it that more than 300 Dodge Chargers were wrecked during the filming of the show.
News Digital Media
The Dodge Charger was chosen for the role of the General Lee as it was well known to NASCAR fans in the southern state of Georgia, where it was filmed.
It was painted bright orange, the number 01 added and a Confederate flag also added to the roof.
The General Lee was billed as a 1969 Dodge Charger with a 440 cubic inch Magnum V8 and an A-727 automatic transmission.
The cars used in the series apparently underwent surprisingly few modifications for their screen role.
Each was fitted with a four-barrel Holley carburettor, aluminium intake manifold, and stiffer shocks and springs to firm up the handling, with inner tubes added to tyres as a precaution.
The doors of the cars (there was more than one General Lee) were welded shut to stop them springing open and the parking brake lock removed so hand brake turns could be performed.
The sealed doors explain why Bo and Luke were always seen sliding in and out of the windows.
Interestingly, much of the driving we see Bo (John Schneider) and Luke (Tom Wopat) doing was actually performed by the actors.
Schneider, in fact, attended the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving.
Any time the script called for the General to leave the ground, however, stunt doubles were called in.
Many hours were spent planning chase sequences.
The cars often became airborne and to keep them level during jumps, lead ballast was added to the boot to stop them nose diving.
Legend has it that the General Lee's musical horn was the result of a chance discovery.
A production crew on their way to a shoot passed a car with a horn that tooted the first 12 notes of Dixie.
To cut a long story short, they chased after the driver and offered him cash for the horn which was removed on the spot.
It turned out later that the same horn could be readily obtained through the J C Whitney catalogue, but the crew wanted it right away for filming.
Quite a few cars were wrecked during filming of the show and so it had an almost insatiable appetite for replacements.
Legend has it that more than 300 Dodge Chargers were wrecked during the filming of the show.
News Digital Media
Monday, May 7, 2007
Seller Sourcebook Releases eBay Auction Launcher
Seller Sourcebook, an auction template and photo-hosting service, has released Auction Launcher for eBay.com. The tool is a 1-page listing tool that is fully integrated with eBay and is an eBay certified application.
Seller Sourcebook founder Kristen Rice said, "We want to make the listing process easier and faster for the busy seller." Sellers create their listing description as usual, and then go to the Auction Launcher to fill out the listing specific details such as price, duration and shipping. Clicking on "Calculate Fees" displays the eBay insertion fees and submit the listing to eBay.
Auction Launcher is included in the $8 monthly subscription fee.
http://www.sellersourcebook.com
Seller Sourcebook founder Kristen Rice said, "We want to make the listing process easier and faster for the busy seller." Sellers create their listing description as usual, and then go to the Auction Launcher to fill out the listing specific details such as price, duration and shipping. Clicking on "Calculate Fees" displays the eBay insertion fees and submit the listing to eBay.
Auction Launcher is included in the $8 monthly subscription fee.
http://www.sellersourcebook.com
Sunday, May 6, 2007
AuctionBytes Newsflash: Other Online Auction News, May 4, 2007
Here is today's AuctionBytes online-auction news roundup.
"Auctioneers licenses an issue for eBay sellers," By Teresa F. Lindeman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 5/3/07 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07123/782952-28.stm
"EBay drop-off stores rethink business model: As growth of eBay drop-off business slows, stores rethink their models," By Teresa F. Lindeman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 5/3/07 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07123/782951-28.stm
"ConsumerWatch: Saint-Like Spud Runs Student Into eBay Problems: Man Tries To Sell Potato On Auction Site," KETV.com, 5/3/07 http://www.ketv.com/news/13253538/detail.html
"Are You Going to eBay Live?" posted by Jeff Grass on the BuySafe blog, 5/3/07 http://blog.buysafe.com/buysafeblog/2007/05/are_you_going_t.html
"eBay's Proactive Approach Emphasized in Rob Chesnut's Trust and Safety Town Hall," posted by Ninad on the eBay Chatter blog, 5/3/07 http://www.ebaychatter.com/the_chatter/2007/05/ebays_proactive.html
"eBay CEO Meg Whitman" - Forbes video http://www.forbes.com/video/?video=fvn/business/hj_whitman050307&partner=yahootix
"eBay official testifies in Halloween sex assault case," By SAMUEL MAULL (AP), Newsday, 5/3/07 http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--fakefirefighter0503may03,0,6736598.story
"Auctioneers licenses an issue for eBay sellers," By Teresa F. Lindeman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 5/3/07 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07123/782952-28.stm
"EBay drop-off stores rethink business model: As growth of eBay drop-off business slows, stores rethink their models," By Teresa F. Lindeman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 5/3/07 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07123/782951-28.stm
"ConsumerWatch: Saint-Like Spud Runs Student Into eBay Problems: Man Tries To Sell Potato On Auction Site," KETV.com, 5/3/07 http://www.ketv.com/news/13253538/detail.html
"Are You Going to eBay Live?" posted by Jeff Grass on the BuySafe blog, 5/3/07 http://blog.buysafe.com/buysafeblog/2007/05/are_you_going_t.html
"eBay's Proactive Approach Emphasized in Rob Chesnut's Trust and Safety Town Hall," posted by Ninad on the eBay Chatter blog, 5/3/07 http://www.ebaychatter.com/the_chatter/2007/05/ebays_proactive.html
"eBay CEO Meg Whitman" - Forbes video http://www.forbes.com/video/?video=fvn/business/hj_whitman050307&partner=yahootix
"eBay official testifies in Halloween sex assault case," By SAMUEL MAULL (AP), Newsday, 5/3/07 http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--fakefirefighter0503may03,0,6736598.story
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Yahoo to Close US, Canadian Auction Sites
Yahoo informed AuctionBytes Friday morning that the company has decided to close the Yahoo US and Canada Auctions sites. It said it will continue to operate its international auction businesses, including its auction properties in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan.
Yahoo Auctions will no longer accept listings as of June 3, 2007, on the US and Canadian sites, which will close on June 16, 2007. The last day to bid or buy is June 16, 2007, and users will be able to access their accounts through October 29, 2007.
Listings will not auto re-submit after June 3, 2007, and as of May 4th, Auctions Scheduler and Auto Resubmit features will no longer be available.
Buyer Protection Plan claims must be submitted no later than 60 days after buyers have been declared the winning bidder for an auction.
Meanwhile, The New York Post said Friday that Microsoft has intensified its pursuit of a deal with Yahoo to acquire the company (http://tinyurl.com/263egj).
Yahoo Auctions will no longer accept listings as of June 3, 2007, on the US and Canadian sites, which will close on June 16, 2007. The last day to bid or buy is June 16, 2007, and users will be able to access their accounts through October 29, 2007.
Listings will not auto re-submit after June 3, 2007, and as of May 4th, Auctions Scheduler and Auto Resubmit features will no longer be available.
Buyer Protection Plan claims must be submitted no later than 60 days after buyers have been declared the winning bidder for an auction.
Meanwhile, The New York Post said Friday that Microsoft has intensified its pursuit of a deal with Yahoo to acquire the company (http://tinyurl.com/263egj).
Friday, May 4, 2007
eBay Tests New Search Technology, Delays Rollout of New Feedback
eBay is running a test of how it displays search results to shoppers. For about six weeks, a small percentage of buyers - about 1 percent - will "see a different search experience." To help give buyers the best chance of finding what they want without having to guess at the terms sellers might have used in their item title, eBay will use other elements of a listing, such as item specifics and category, to bring back relevant results. The project is similar to the "New Way to Shop" it first tested back in 2005, according to the company.
eBay's announcement explained the new search test using an example:
As a simple example, if a buyer in the test searches for "red size 12 shoes," instead of looking just for listings with the words "red," "size," "12," and "shoes," the search engine will find all of the items in the shoe category that are size 12 in the color red. In the end, the buyer should see more relevant items. Plus they'll see a new way to narrow their listings results according to important details such as size, color, type, etc.
Meanwhile, eBay said it is running into delays with the rollout of its new Feedback 2.0 rating system. The system appeared briefly and was then rolled back, and an announcement was made on the eBay Announcement Board (http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200705021923321.html). The new system seemed to be back on Thursday evening, at least temporarily.
A seller also wrote in on Thursday to report that a glitch with My eBay is appearing again. He expressed concern over whether the site would remain stable on Monday May 7, when sellers are slated to begin updating shipping rates based on significant USPS postal rate changes going into effect on May 14.
http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200705031513002.html
eBay's announcement explained the new search test using an example:
As a simple example, if a buyer in the test searches for "red size 12 shoes," instead of looking just for listings with the words "red," "size," "12," and "shoes," the search engine will find all of the items in the shoe category that are size 12 in the color red. In the end, the buyer should see more relevant items. Plus they'll see a new way to narrow their listings results according to important details such as size, color, type, etc.
Meanwhile, eBay said it is running into delays with the rollout of its new Feedback 2.0 rating system. The system appeared briefly and was then rolled back, and an announcement was made on the eBay Announcement Board (http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200705021923321.html). The new system seemed to be back on Thursday evening, at least temporarily.
A seller also wrote in on Thursday to report that a glitch with My eBay is appearing again. He expressed concern over whether the site would remain stable on Monday May 7, when sellers are slated to begin updating shipping rates based on significant USPS postal rate changes going into effect on May 14.
http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200705031513002.html
Thursday, May 3, 2007
AuctionBytes Newsflash: Other Online Auction News, May 2, 2007
Here is today's AuctionBytes online-auction news roundup.
eBay announced that Feedback 2.0 has rolled out on the US eBay.com website. AuctionBytes interviewed eBay's Director of Global Feedback Policy Brian Burke on Tuesday as the changes were about to roll out worldwide: http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y07/m05/i02/s02 http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200705021214182.html
"Now Available - Audio file from Discussion with Jordan Banks, eBay Canada country manager," posted on the eBay Announcement Board, 5/2/07 http://www2.ebay.com/aw/ca/200705021817482.html
"UPDATE 1-Alibaba.com says report of IPO for unit old rumour," Reuters, 4/30/07 http://www.reuters.com/article/newIssuesNews/idUSPEK19902220070430
"Silver PowerSellers Telephone Support," posted by eBay on the UK announcement board, 4/30/07 http://www2.ebay.com/aw/uk/200704301609342.html
"Alibaba and Microsoft Hook up in China," http://english.people.com.cn/200704/25/eng20070425_369707.html
"eBay Launches "ToGo" Widgets For Any Listing," posted by Michael Arrington on his TechCrunch blog, 4/30/07 Read comments from Jeffrey McManus, who launched eBay's developer program when he was at the company, and Alan Lewis. http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/04/30/ebay-launches-togo-widgets-for-any-listing
"eBay, The Community, Meg, and the Webbys," posted by Griff on the eBay Chatter blog, 5/1/07 http://www.ebaychatter.com/the_chatter/2007/05/ebay_the_commun.html
"Yahoo founder sees China ripe for online ad exchange," (AFP), The Age, 5/3/07 http://tinyurl.com/yqd6ew
"PayPal, EBay Phishes Continue Swimming," by David Utter, SecurityProNews, 5/2/07 http://www.securitypronews.com/news/securitynews/spn-45-20070502PayPaleBayPhishesContinueSwimming.html
"NBC2 investigates: Online auction feedback fraud," by Kellie Burns, NBC2 News Online, 5/2/07 Includes video news report. http://www.nbc-2.com/articles/readarticle.asp?articleid=12378&z=3&p=
eBay announced that Feedback 2.0 has rolled out on the US eBay.com website. AuctionBytes interviewed eBay's Director of Global Feedback Policy Brian Burke on Tuesday as the changes were about to roll out worldwide: http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y07/m05/i02/s02 http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200705021214182.html
"Now Available - Audio file from Discussion with Jordan Banks, eBay Canada country manager," posted on the eBay Announcement Board, 5/2/07 http://www2.ebay.com/aw/ca/200705021817482.html
"UPDATE 1-Alibaba.com says report of IPO for unit old rumour," Reuters, 4/30/07 http://www.reuters.com/article/newIssuesNews/idUSPEK19902220070430
"Silver PowerSellers Telephone Support," posted by eBay on the UK announcement board, 4/30/07 http://www2.ebay.com/aw/uk/200704301609342.html
"Alibaba and Microsoft Hook up in China," http://english.people.com.cn/200704/25/eng20070425_369707.html
"eBay Launches "ToGo" Widgets For Any Listing," posted by Michael Arrington on his TechCrunch blog, 4/30/07 Read comments from Jeffrey McManus, who launched eBay's developer program when he was at the company, and Alan Lewis. http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/04/30/ebay-launches-togo-widgets-for-any-listing
"eBay, The Community, Meg, and the Webbys," posted by Griff on the eBay Chatter blog, 5/1/07 http://www.ebaychatter.com/the_chatter/2007/05/ebay_the_commun.html
"Yahoo founder sees China ripe for online ad exchange," (AFP), The Age, 5/3/07 http://tinyurl.com/yqd6ew
"PayPal, EBay Phishes Continue Swimming," by David Utter, SecurityProNews, 5/2/07 http://www.securitypronews.com/news/securitynews/spn-45-20070502PayPaleBayPhishesContinueSwimming.html
"NBC2 investigates: Online auction feedback fraud," by Kellie Burns, NBC2 News Online, 5/2/07 Includes video news report. http://www.nbc-2.com/articles/readarticle.asp?articleid=12378&z=3&p=
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Thousands Of Kate Moss TopShop Items On eBay
Thousands of Kate Moss TopShop items have been put up for sale on internet auction site eBay, though only a few were attracting bids today.While some online punters seem to be willing to fork out up to four times retail prices, other items are failing to attract any bids at all.Reports today suggested the clothes were not meeting sales expectations at TopShop's flagship store on Oxford Street in central London.And though some dresses were attracting bids of £200 or more, there were scores of items failing to prompt any activity.That may be down to the fact that many sellers are vastly over-pricing the items in the hope of raking in hefty returns.A few canny sellers were being successful, with one advert for the special edition red dress the supermodel wore herself when posing in the store's display window on Monday night has received one bid of a whopping £250.Another one shoulder lemon number had already drawn 10 bids, topped by one at £200.Dresses were still proving to be the most popular items, among both bidders and sellers.Handbags, shoes and sunglasses were also sparking interest amongst bidders, with one pair of pointed shoes on sale for £140, though they had not prompted any bids.The popular pansy print dress, on sale in TopShop for £45, was the most popular item for sellers, with dozens pricing it at more than £100.A simple eBay search of the words Kate Moss and TopShop brought up more than 3,500 items
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
The Secrets to Successful eBay Selling
(ARA) - Just a few short years ago, success in the retail world was measured solely on sales at brick-and-mortar stores. Now online sales make up a significant portion of the bottom line for most businesses.According to the global Internet information provider comScore, online retail spending in 2005 reached $81.6 billion, a 24 percent increase over 2004 spending. Figures for 2006 spending are expected to grow exponentially.It's not just the big box stores that are making money either. So are small businesses, and individuals savvy enough to become eBay sellers.
Many people think of eBay as a place to sell your unwanted and often, used stuff. But if you shop on eBay, you'll see many new items that are sold by individuals. How do they do this? They work in conjunction with an inventory supplier and sell the items for a profit that they keep. Learn how eBay works and you can do it too.How does a new seller become established on eBay?Learn the answers quickly and easily by signing up for a free BidFuel Auction Success Kit -- a collection of books that contain everything you need to know about becoming a successful eBay seller.
"There are a lot of tricks of the trade. Among them, start your opening price low to attract attention, even on items you know are worth more. Establish yourself as a credible seller by following through on delivery of completed items quickly. Good feedback is worth its weight in gold," says Gary Livingston of BidFuel, a full service eBay tool provider.Included in the Auction Success Kit:* "eBay Tips for Dummies" which offers chapters outlining why eBay is a terrific place to buy and sell
* How you can use the site to launch your business* How to build big profits with little tools* Books that reveal eBay's best kept secrets
* Advice on how to get bids* A free 14-day trial to BidFuel.com, a service that gives you access to all the tools you need to create an online presence, including the inventory you're going to sell.BidFuel offers a large selection of products, bought specifically to be resold on eBay, everything from t-shirts and shoes to beds and leather jackets -- so you don't have to carry an inventory of your own. You purchase product from member warehouses only after it has been sold on eBay.
Order your free eBay books at https://www3.secureinternetstores.com/offers/?c=s0adf1efd&s=6&p=index and start down that road to your financial success.
Many people think of eBay as a place to sell your unwanted and often, used stuff. But if you shop on eBay, you'll see many new items that are sold by individuals. How do they do this? They work in conjunction with an inventory supplier and sell the items for a profit that they keep. Learn how eBay works and you can do it too.How does a new seller become established on eBay?Learn the answers quickly and easily by signing up for a free BidFuel Auction Success Kit -- a collection of books that contain everything you need to know about becoming a successful eBay seller.
"There are a lot of tricks of the trade. Among them, start your opening price low to attract attention, even on items you know are worth more. Establish yourself as a credible seller by following through on delivery of completed items quickly. Good feedback is worth its weight in gold," says Gary Livingston of BidFuel, a full service eBay tool provider.Included in the Auction Success Kit:* "eBay Tips for Dummies" which offers chapters outlining why eBay is a terrific place to buy and sell
* How you can use the site to launch your business* How to build big profits with little tools* Books that reveal eBay's best kept secrets
* Advice on how to get bids* A free 14-day trial to BidFuel.com, a service that gives you access to all the tools you need to create an online presence, including the inventory you're going to sell.BidFuel offers a large selection of products, bought specifically to be resold on eBay, everything from t-shirts and shoes to beds and leather jackets -- so you don't have to carry an inventory of your own. You purchase product from member warehouses only after it has been sold on eBay.
Order your free eBay books at https://www3.secureinternetstores.com/offers/?c=s0adf1efd&s=6&p=index and start down that road to your financial success.
Monday, April 30, 2007
eBay Sellers Concerned over Shipping Rate Changes, According to Survey
Seventy-seven percent of eBay and online sellers are concerned about higher shipping costs when new USPS rates go into effect in May, and 26 percent are concerned that postal tools they use may not be ready when the changes go into effect, according to a recent AuctionBytes survey.
Postal rates are going up in the United States on May 14, 2007, and will have a significant effect on online sellers (http://www.usps.com/ratecase). AuctionBytes surveyed readers to find out what they thought of the changes and how it would affect their business.
Most respondents reported they sell on eBay (98 percent); 21 percent sell on Amazon, 17 percent sell on Half.com, and 23 percent sell on their own ecommerce site or storefront. Other sites included Yahoo, other online auction sites, bookselling sites, classified sites, online antiques malls, and other.
Eighty-four percent of survey respondents were aware that US postal rates were changing on May 14th. The majority of respondents (68 percent) said the changes would have a net increase on their total postal costs, and 20 percent did not know how the new rates would affect their total postal costs. Ten percent said the new rates would not have an effect on their total postal costs, and 3 percent said the new rates would have a net decrease on their total postal costs.
In a question about which postal tools they used, 73 percent of respondents said they use eBay/PayPal postal tools; 18 percent use Endicia; 7 percent use Stamps.com; 5 percent use features provided by auction-management vendors; 4 percent use Pitney Bowes; 2 percent use Dymo; and 20 percent use other tools.
Half of the respondents (51 percent) use automated tools to help shoppers calculate postage costs on their items, but 55 percent did not know if those tools would calculate the new rates when they go into effect; 35 percent said the tools would calculate the new postal rates, and 10 percent said they would not.
Twenty-nine percent of respondents were concerned that current listings scheduled to end after May 14 would have old shipping rates, and they would lose money on those orders since they would have to ship at the new rates.
In a question specifically targeted at Media Sellers, 30 percent said they don't use USPS Media Mail, and 26 percent said they did not know what the new Media Mail rates were going to be. Twenty-one percent said they would need to raise prices on their inventory and/or eliminate low-margin items; four percent said they would stop selling inexpensive items that they had been sending out via USPS Media Mail; four percent said they would consider changing carriers as a result of the new USPS Media Mail rates. And 15 percent of Media sellers did not know how the new media rates would affect their business.
Full results for the survey can be found here: http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/pages/survey_04152007
Survey respondents were brought to the AuctionBytes blog after completing the survey, and many left a comment about shipping issues. Please feel free to leave your own comments about the survey results: http://digbig.com/4sdbt
About the author:
Ina Steiner is Editor of AuctionBytes.com and author of "Turn eBay Data Into Dollars" (McGraw-Hill 2006). She has a background in marketing and research in the high-tech and publishing fields. If you have story ideas, comments or questions, send them to ina@auctionbytes.com.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Data Bytes: Capitalizing on Seasonal Demand on eBay
By Terapeak AuctionBytes.com April 27, 2007
In this week's issue of Data Bytes we'll be looking at category seasonality. While many sellers know that there are drops and spikes in demand at certain times of year for their products, they may not have considered that those drops and spikes could be at different times elsewhere in the world. For a seller open to selling internationally, this could be a good way to keep sales up all year long.
Consider, for example, snow skis and related equipment. While in the U.S., demand for snow skis seems to concentrate around the Christmas holidays, demand is high and steady from November through March in the U.K. and in Germany, where skiers get a longer winter season. Down in Australia, snow skis and related equipment reach peak sales from June through August, and remains low for the rest of the year. A smart ski seller anywhere in the world would do well all year by focusing marketing efforts on a different region of the world each season. Alternatively, this seller could add water skis to his/her inventory and round out sales for the year in his home country.We see similar trends in heavy clothing such as sweaters and overcoats. Women's sweaters, for example, see pretty low sales most of the year in comparison to the huge spike in December. There is another spike in February in the U.S., and then sales gradually sink back down to about 20 percent of the peak. While the pattern is similar in Australia, sweater sales peak in June. If you're a sweater seller, now would be a great time to ramp up your sales in the southern hemisphere.
Pool pumps and pool toys see spikes on the opposite ends of the year. In the U.S. they reach their peak each June, hitting a low of 10 percent of the high in December. In the U.K. and in Germany, August is the peak for pool toys. Last year in the U.K. there was a pretty big spike in April - to 80 percent of maximum sales (they must have had a warm front early in the year). In Australia these peak in November, although sales have been strong through late March of 2007. Apparently Australia is having an exceptionally warm summer.
While winter vs. summer items may seem obvious, another trend to take into consideration is that of the school year. In the U.S., school supplies like textbooks and calculators peak each August at 100 percent of maximum sales. We typically see another spike in January when kids go back to class after the holidays. Over the past two years this spike has gone up to about 65 percent of the maximum for calculators. In the U.K. we see less dramatic spikes - calculator sales are steadier during the rest of the year but the do peak in September. In Australia sales were pretty low throughout 2005 but have climbed steadily in 2006. Both years saw spikes in February.
Laptop computers, while typically see higher sales throughout the year, follow a similar trend. Peaks and valleys are tied to the school season in each country.
Of course, if changing your inventory or market with each season sounds like too much work, there are many items that don't see as much of that same seasonality. iPods, for example, have been pretty popular at all times over the past two years in all countries. However, they still peak in December here in the U.S. with the Christmas season, then seem to hover at around 40 percent of maximum sales all year round. In Germany, the trend is similar although sales remain at a consistent 60 percent of maximum most of the year. In Australia, demand for iPods has been steadily increasing over the past two years. They also show a spike in December, but this past August, sales were at the same level they were in December 2005. Judging from the past two years, this may be the big year for iPod sales in Australia (hint: video iPods are growing fastest).
So whether you're a seasonal seller or sell the same items all year round, you'd do well to open up your sales to buyers in other countries. You can always start small by adding a small amount of inventory to another country's site. Test it out and go from there.
Please send questions, feedback or article suggestions to databytes@auctionbytes.com. --- Terapeak is an eBay Certified Service Provider that specializes exclusively in eBay Marketplace Research. Terapeak helps you use the experience of other sellers to know when to list, which items are hot, and value your items on eBay. The Terapeak services offers research for eBay US, UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany and eBay Motors Parts & Accessories. Terapeak accesses eBay Data directly from the eBay Market Data program. To learn more about the Terapeak please visit http://www.terapeak.com/.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Overstock.com Auctions GMV Down 42 Percent in Q1
Overstock.com reported on Wednesday its quarterly financial results for the first quarter ending March 31, 2007. Total revenue was $157.9 million, down 11 percent from the same period in 2006. Gross profits were $25.3 million, up 7 percent from the same period in 2006. Overstock said auction gross merchandise volume (GMV) was $4,695,000 for the first quarter of 2007 compared to $8,079,000 for the same period in 2006, a decline of 42 percent.
The average registrant acquisition cost for auctions was $0.35 for the quarter compared to $2.94 in the same period last year. Average customer acquisition cost for shopping was $24.58 for the quarter compared to $19.49 for the same period last year.
The company also announced it had completed the sale of its wholly owned subsidiary OTravel.com and has integrated Carfax Vehicle History Reports into its newly developed Cars Program (http://cars.overstock.com). The Carfax reports are available for free to anyone shopping for a used car on the site. Overstock.com will also identify automobiles that have only had one previous owner with a one-owner icon.
http://www.overstock.com/
The average registrant acquisition cost for auctions was $0.35 for the quarter compared to $2.94 in the same period last year. Average customer acquisition cost for shopping was $24.58 for the quarter compared to $19.49 for the same period last year.
The company also announced it had completed the sale of its wholly owned subsidiary OTravel.com and has integrated Carfax Vehicle History Reports into its newly developed Cars Program (http://cars.overstock.com). The Carfax reports are available for free to anyone shopping for a used car on the site. Overstock.com will also identify automobiles that have only had one previous owner with a one-owner icon.
http://www.overstock.com/
vFlyer Rolls out Mobile Version of Classified-Ad Service
vFlyer said it is "mobilizing" online sellers with the launch of vFlyer Mobile. The company provides a system for creating managing and submitting listings to online classified ad sites. Now vFlyer Mobile enables business account users with a Web-enabled mobile device to access, view and distribute their flyers to prospective buyers via SMS or email messages. All of the important details about goods or services that are for sale, including photos, pricing, maps and directions, contact information and more, can be quickly and easily sent to recipients, who can then access and view goods and services for sale on any Web-enabled mobile device.
vFlyer said its new mobile features will benefit both online sellers and buyers in the following ways:
Access: vFlyer users can access their vFlyer accounts through their mobile phones to conveniently view SMS and email flyers.
Distribution: vFlyer business subscribers can quickly distribute their flyers to prospective customers using SMS or email messages.
Reach: When vFlyer users distribute mobile flyers, prospective buyers, who are on the road away from their computers, can now easily access flyers and view pictures, descriptions and contact information for products and services being sold, as well get maps, directions or even place calls to a seller.
Reports: vFlyer users can also track flyer page views, visits and prospective buyers on their mobile device.
vFlyer CEO Aaron Sperling said, "A growing number of online sellers, such as realtors and other sales professionals, use mobile Internet-enabled devices, such as Blackberrys and Treos, to conduct their business. As mobile adoption continues to grow, vFlyer is committed to helping sellers connect with clients or prospective buyers - even when they are away from their offices or computers."
vFlyer has coupled its "create once and post everywhere" capabilities with widget and RSS-based distribution to relevant blogs, websites and classified ad marketplaces such as Google Base, Oodle, Vast, eBay and Trulia. The company provides a free ad-supported offering as well as several subscription plans (http://www.vflyer.com/main/Pricing.jsp).
http://www.vflyer.com/
vFlyer said its new mobile features will benefit both online sellers and buyers in the following ways:
Access: vFlyer users can access their vFlyer accounts through their mobile phones to conveniently view SMS and email flyers.
Distribution: vFlyer business subscribers can quickly distribute their flyers to prospective customers using SMS or email messages.
Reach: When vFlyer users distribute mobile flyers, prospective buyers, who are on the road away from their computers, can now easily access flyers and view pictures, descriptions and contact information for products and services being sold, as well get maps, directions or even place calls to a seller.
Reports: vFlyer users can also track flyer page views, visits and prospective buyers on their mobile device.
vFlyer CEO Aaron Sperling said, "A growing number of online sellers, such as realtors and other sales professionals, use mobile Internet-enabled devices, such as Blackberrys and Treos, to conduct their business. As mobile adoption continues to grow, vFlyer is committed to helping sellers connect with clients or prospective buyers - even when they are away from their offices or computers."
vFlyer has coupled its "create once and post everywhere" capabilities with widget and RSS-based distribution to relevant blogs, websites and classified ad marketplaces such as Google Base, Oodle, Vast, eBay and Trulia. The company provides a free ad-supported offering as well as several subscription plans (http://www.vflyer.com/main/Pricing.jsp).
http://www.vflyer.com/
Former eBay, PayPal Exec Jeff Jordan Named to LiveOps Board
LiveOps, a distributed contact center, appointed Jeff Jordan to its Board of Directors. Jeff Jordan was formerly President of PayPal and General Manager of eBay's North America business. Jordan may have been brought on by a former colleague - eBay's former Chief Operating Officer Maynard Webb joined LiveOps last year in the role of CEO.
LiveOps also named Nanci Caldwell, former PeopleSoft EVP and CMO, to the board. Maynard Webb said of the two new board members in a press release, "We are extremely pleased to have executives of Jeff and Nanci's caliber join the LiveOps Board. Their extensive experience and leadership in building successful high tech companies will be a real asset to LiveOps as we move aggressively forward in building an enduring, world leader that is changing peoples' relationships to work through our distributed call center platform."
The press release quoted Jordan, "LiveOps reminds me a lot of eBay in its early days. It harnesses the power of technology to fundamentally change the way people interact and work. And in doing so it has empowered a robust community of people to earn their living on their platform."
Jordan has kept a low profile since leaving PayPal unexpectedly last year.
LiveOps also named Nanci Caldwell, former PeopleSoft EVP and CMO, to the board. Maynard Webb said of the two new board members in a press release, "We are extremely pleased to have executives of Jeff and Nanci's caliber join the LiveOps Board. Their extensive experience and leadership in building successful high tech companies will be a real asset to LiveOps as we move aggressively forward in building an enduring, world leader that is changing peoples' relationships to work through our distributed call center platform."
The press release quoted Jordan, "LiveOps reminds me a lot of eBay in its early days. It harnesses the power of technology to fundamentally change the way people interact and work. And in doing so it has empowered a robust community of people to earn their living on their platform."
Jordan has kept a low profile since leaving PayPal unexpectedly last year.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
