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Welcome to EAuctionAir.com Home of World Wide Web's the majority of informative talk radio show and blog devoted to eBay News, e-Commerce News and Promoting Info. Have The Desire To Find Out eBay Powerseller Revelations?...or Better Still, The way to Think Similar to a Powerseller?
On a weekly basis on my web radio show , podcast and blog, I will be giving you straight solutions to your questions on how to create your on the internet auction and e-commerce promoting experience enjoyment and lucrative. Irreverent, Informed, Irrepressible...I take it as my sworn duty to ferret out the absolute best promoting tactics and examples of savvy e-commerce while at an identical time, reserving a rabid ferret or 2 for people who richly deserve them. You've the option of subscribing to either the podcast or blog feed in the upper right hand corner of this webpage.As well as the podcast of the show, I will be writing frequent updates during the week so, if you are able to bear it, you may have the urge to subscribe to both. Simply Keep In Mind: Whenever there's an audio accessible for a post, at the bottom of the post you'll observe a player icon like the one below: Simply press the arrow and you'll start streaming the show immediately. Driving eBay Visitors to Your Website - Million Dollar eBay Seller Examined - LicketyShip - Google SiteMap Sources - Microbusiness OutSourcing - Amazon Tricks & Hacks Posted by Michael Donahue on 12/18/06 in Podcasts, eBay News, E-commerce News, Promoting Behavioral Promoting sounds Orwellian..and perhaps it's. In any case, by understanding your clients not just in terms of the product they're seeking however also in terms of how they search the internet, you are able to effectively drive sales to your most lucrative venue. Listen in as I describe how I use eBay auctions to legally ;sign-post” traffic there to my e-commerce site and no, it is not about a link from my ;About Me” page. I examine a million dollar each month eBay seller; how he sells what he sells and discover the way much he makes selling PS3s…it is all there, right in the listing. Yet another new stand-alone auction site… well designed,several Internet 2.0 bells & whistles but even now, the question is why? I discovered a new site that takes the idea of urgency and by focusing on a large metropolitan area, delivers goods quicker and cheaper than FedEx. Google has a third-party sitemap reference list that's an incredibly great place to gain up to speed on a critical component for the successful SEO of your site. Another article in a major daily newspaper that shouts ;fraud” and names major internet sites ;however does so just to attract attention. An editorial in USA Today regarding micro-businesses and out- sourcing. Are you prepared to consider the invhe inv estment of hiring third-parties to carry out professional work for your enterprise? Can you afford not to? A site that provids you the tools to root out 85% discounted merchandise on Amazon. ;;;;;; Links from this week’s show: Behavioral Targeting & MSN - The days of targeting consumers by keywords just are coming to an end. Million Dollar eBay Seller & PS3 Pricing - Seller inadvertently(?) reveals how much he’s paying/creating on PS3';s. Flippid Auction Site - Another auction site described as a great place for individuals who ;desire stuff” or ;have stuff” ;what a marvelous idea! LicketyShip - Interesting reemergence of an 90';s idea..however this time it may only work. Google Sitemap Third-Party Sources - Why not start amongst businesses Google recognizes? Baltimore Sun Article on Fraud - Crying wolf sells papers. USA Today Article on Microbusinesses and Outsourcing - Interesting article on the way to grow your enterprise with no necessarily adding additional desks. Amazon Shopping Tricks and Hacks - One stop hacking formulas. Standard Podcast: Play Immediately Play in Popup Get Tags: ebay, Amazon, PS3, Behavioral_Promoting, MSN, Google_Sitemap, Microbusiness, tag this permalink trackback url nbsp; 038; Hacks"> comments(0) > ect"> eBay Express - Promise Your Clients What They Expect Posted by d by Michael Donahue on 12/13/06 in c 12/13/06 in eBay News, E-commerce News, Promoting Infoworld posts an interesting article regarding the underwhelming performance of eBay Express. In brief, the sales aren’t there and this comes as no surprise. The article cites a large seller with a number of 4,000 items listed in Express, resulting in 33 sales. Anecdotal reports from other sellers, both large and tiny, report similar outcomes. Why? Well, it certainly isn’t for the reason that of lack of promotion. eBay has been tub-thumping Express vigorously to it is membership and via the media since April. The dilemma is that eBay Express is simply a repositioning of the BIN ( Purchase It Immediately) items from the parent site with no any discriminating message that sets it apart as a value or promoting statement. Express items don't represent a novel product set as they're a sub-collection of items already obtainable on the parent site. eBay’s rationale was that ;Express” would convey the idea of new items (not a thing used is in Express) prepared to sell, with no the drawn out bidding/auction process. The trouble is, it doesn’t judged by these lackluster outcomes. While urgency is certainly a prime motivator, the promoting of eBay Exay Ex press demands that potential buyers understand, nearly intuitively, the relative difference. And even the possibility of they do, that they appreciate and are rewarded for appreciating the difference very much so that they adjust their mind-set regarding the site and thus their browsing habits. It's a formidable if not impossible task when it amounts to eBay. What eBay ;means” to the market as a whole has to be realistically understood by those in under the business prior to they set about trumpeting a service that isn't a direct extension of whatever the ;meaning” is. In eBay’s case, the brand is about first, bargains and secondly about assortment/variety. The speed of transaction hasn't ever been a novel statement for eBay. Speed just motivates when juxtaposed (as it's on the parent site) against like-item auction format listings where potential buyers can weigh cost against time. There the dynamic makes sense and can essentially be utilized by sellers as a selling strategy by trailing a n auction type listing by a listing for no different item at a Purchase-It-Immediately cost. Divorcing the listings from this dynamic renders the BIN items listed and thus eBay Express as simply another e-commerce site, albeit one that still carries with it the inherent difficulties inherent to the eBay brand itself, namely trust & security…an issue that eBay has just recently begun to address directly regarding the listing of fraudulent brand-name items. Interestingly, eBay has chosen to emphasize variety (finding ;IT” on eBay) rather than the bargain aspect. Why not shout about and thus underscore your the majority of compelling feature, cost? As a brand, eBay is as well positioned as any retailer to emphasize cost however rarely, if ever, does so. And this pricing advantage is for the the majority of part lost when Express is encountered as a stand alone by buyers. If the buyer finds an item based upon natural search outcomes (on Google, for example), where are they? Do they relize that they're in a sub-collection of the site and that their usual encounter with eBay is this time different - ;where are the other items/sellers I’m accustomed to seeing?; - and that the heavily advertised ;IT”, in terms of variety, is missing as well. Underestimation or overestimation of your client';s reasonable and usual expectations when they visit your site ought to be of paramount concern to any e-commerce site, whether large or small. Confuse yourself about these expectations and I guarantee, your clients will follow suit. Tags: ebay, ebay_express, promoting, tag this permalink trackback url comments(0) eBay, Overstock.com Hammer Fraudulent Listings - Free Google Checkout - Bill Me Later - Anti-Fraud System - PayPal Coupons - Ikea - M-Bags - eBay Typepad Widget Posted by Michael Donahue on 12/11/06 in Podcasts, eBay News, E-commerce News, Promoting Both eBay and Overstock begin tightening their respective sites against fraudulent listings…however, the rules of engagement from both sites are purposely vague in that which brands being targeted isn't clear. The result is the sort of chaos you would expect from an issue that has festered and plagued both sites for a lengthy time. Great sellers also including bad are feeling the heat; listen in as I explain why it is all happening immediately and why it is a much larger issue than only fugazi Fendis. What to create of Google’s announcement that it is certain to drop merchant fees for Google Checkout through 2007? A site someplace that you're able to locate all of PayPal’s Discount Codes. While Google and PayPal fight it out, has a third buyer friendly payment alternative quietly emerged? Shoppers continue to purchase more on-line however a recent study points out that buyers are searching from the peak of their browser, rather than through shopping portals. A report that a system has been developed which could sniff out fraudulent eBay sellers by interpreting their selling patterns and associations. Valuable techniques on creating your auctions or internet site as buyer friendly as likely. I examine one particular seller who is creating the the majority of selling straight from the shelf of a large home furnishing superstore. M-bags for overseas guide selling, an eBay Typepad Widget and a Google gadget to hurry along last minute Christmas buyers. A website that demonstrates how defining and promoting to a specific need can effortlessly differentiate you from any other seller selling like items. ;;;;;- Links from this week’s show: eBay’s Agenda for Fighting Fraudulent Listings - Scott Wingo outlines eBay 4 step plan. Google Checkout Drops Merchant Fees through 2007 - Another shot across PayPal’s bow. PayPal Coupon Code Center - An on-going record of current PayPal discounts. Forbes Article On Bill Me Later - Alternative billing for larger ticket purchases that requires minimum info from the buyer and 90 days interest free billing. (PDF file). On-line Buyer s Intend to Spend More - 41% more..however where they plan to begin their shopping is the true story. Researches Announce Anti-Fraud eBay Data Mining Methods - Detecting on-line auction fraud prior to it happens. 10 Techniques make Your Auction or Website Customer Centric - Couldn’t have said it better myself. Don’t Leave These Elements Off Your Auction or Site - 6 important elements. eBay Seller Specializing in Big Box Ikea Items - Specialize on what is in the store however not on the store’s website. M-Bags Shipping Explained - Save on overseas books/printed material shipping. Google Christmas Countdown Gadget - Count it down for buyers. Typepad Widget for eBay Listings - Enables users to list the items they’re selling on eBay in under their TypePad blog. Alzheimer’s Store - Excellent study on the way to identify the market and then gather the right items to sell. Standard Podcast: Play Immediately Play in Popup Get Tags: eBay_Fraud, Google_Checkout, PayPal_Coupons, Typepad tag this permalink trackback url comments(2) eBay Interest Free Loan Posted by Charleen Larson on 12/6/06 in eBay News, E-commerce News, Contributors How about an interest-free loan for 6 months from your buddies at eBay and PayPal? If you qualify for PayPal Buyer Credit (hurry, it expires 12/31/06), you are able to pay no interest and make no payments for 6 months if you spend $500 or more on a transaction.Β For transactions from $50 to $499, the term is 3 months. eBay clearly intends this to become a holiday shopping promotion however theres no rule that says you are able to';t use it to bootstrap yourself into a nice little profit-creating sideline.Β Here’s an idea how you may do it: Remember we talked about scrap metal a month or so back?Β A lot of these eBay precious metal lots contain jewelry which could be repaired or even fashioned into new items.Β You're able to aquire only about all that you could ever do with to fix gold and silver jewelry right there on eBay, plus packing materials and labels.Β Immediate business.Β Roll your earnings over and immediately that you've true cash cash, you are able to source merchandise from outside of eBay too.Β Only keep growing and keep going. Even simpler:Β Utilize this promotion to purchase commodity items on eBay.Β By commodity, I mean items that keep their value.Β Hold for a month or so and sell on eBay in January when traditionally sales are brisk.Β Sure, you’ll pay eBay and PayPa l fees, however immediately you've cash and as in the above example, you are able to source stuff from anywhere.Β When you pay off the loan in late Can, the pile of money that’s left over is all yours.Β Pretty great for starting with zero! I’m only scratching the surface here.Β I’ll bet there’s a clever lad or lassie out there who can make this promotion sit up and beg for them. fLufF Tags: ebay, paypal_buyer_credit, tag this permalink trackback url comments(0) I Don’t Skype ;IT” Posted by Michael Donahue on 12/5/06 in eBay News, E-commerce News, Promoting Phil Wolfe in Skype Journal posted that Skype moved promoting functions from countries back to London in a reorganization announced yesterday. Meanwhile, Russel Shaw has posted an incredibly great analysis of eBay&# 8217;s under clear explanation for how precisely implementing Skype will benefit eBay sellers, stressing the lack of empirical evidence (case histories) of Skype as a powerful business tool. All are great points that essentially boil down to this: Skype is problematic in that requires enrollment of at least one party in the service and steps to explain (and understand) the various functions of Skype (e.g. ;SkypeIn, SkypeOut, etc.) ;all of this driven by the truth that Skype-to-Skype calls are free in under North America…however ;free” goes away at the finish of ‘06. As is so typical of the internet, the ;free” aspect seems to have overridden what the business purpose of the service is, specifically when it amounts to doing business and facilitating communication using your customers. Introducing any unrelated step, for example Skype to the uninitiated, is a profound disruption of the sales process. And even though Skype claims millions of users, this doesn’t translate into any practical little enterprise application. Which brings us to what precisely is Skype all about? Communication.The call is everything, being able to speak to the client answers not just specifics re the item however also goes along way in humanizing the process and thus addressing the security/scam shadow that's very much better dealt with conversing seller to customer. In addition, it presents the ideal cross-sell, up-sell opportunity. Certainly whether or not a seller uses or desires phone contact depends a wonderful deal upon the items being sold. Low-end items are arguably ill suited…however to dismiss the call option out of hand is a mistake. I use Vonage VOIP and under the business outline and as one feature, I pay $4.99 each month for an inbound 800# (100 free minutes each month. 4.9 cents per minute thereafter)after) . Regardless of which service you use, the point is that the 800# is an inexpensive,familiar & seamless extension of the sales process…customers simply call me and I get on with answering their questions and closing the sale. No hesitancy…No Skype-centric issues…I’m not selling Skype and my clients aren’t intrigued in learning further about Skype. It's irrelevant for the two of us. Why then ought to it interpose itself into our conversation? One of these days Skype can rule the airwaves and thus make a natural place in your auction selling however until such time, it's an superfluous intrusion. Tags: ebay, skype, vonage, 800# tag this permalin k trackback url comments(0) Overstock.com Auction Controversy - eBay/PayPal Fee Calculator - Private Label Sourcing Posted by Michael Donahue on 12/4/06 in Podcasts, eBay News, E-commerce News, Promoting Recent controversial changes at Overstock.com Auctions have resulted in an interesting and often heated exchange regarding the future of the marketplace. Listen in as I examine what is being planned, what mistakes were made and where the conversation is headed. Whether or not you actually sell on Overstock, the evolving dialog presents fascinating lessons for each seller on the realities, limitations and potential for little businesses in the increasingly competitive on-line market. Thinking similar to a Powerseller means being aware of opportunities at each turn..listen in as I explain 2 recent instances that offered me the opportunity to expand my business and the way you too can do a similar. Following up on my recent discussion of gross profit/markup calculators, I talk about a site that offers an excellent eBay/PayPal fee calculator that truly helps fine-tune your auction profitability. A source for Private Label manufacturers/suppliers/wholesalers that's not your usual record of suspects. An easy e-commerce site that proves if you know your client and your product, the sales will naturally follow. ;;;;;;;;;- Links from this week’s show: Overstock.com’s Patrick Byr ne’s Latest Post - A detailed explanation re the changes on the site. eBCalc - eBay/PayPal Fee Calculator that truly gets into the nitty-gritty. PrivateLabelSourcing - Simple-to-use, accurate site for retailers, wholesalers, brokers, suppliers and service businesses to locate every other and identify business opportunities. TarpTent - An easy site that demonstrates how a novel product and a clear understanding of the client equals intelligent design. Standard Podcast: Play Immediately Play in Popup Get Tags: overstock.com, auctions, fee_calculator, PayPal tag this permalink trackback url comment(1) Auction Picture Power Posted by Charleen Larson on 11/29/06 in Promoting, Contributors Recently an ex-neighbor gave me her new e-mail address. She apologized for the length of it and said her 16 year of age son had created it for her. I waited until she left prior to I chuckled. Very much for kids knowing everything about computers! With the tallent and capability to choose any name that wasn’t already taken, he had selected firstname/lastname/randomnumber@bigISP.com. If you don’t get the joke, it’s simply this: AOL suggestively assigns screen names for example yourname/randomnumber@aol.com (If I suffered brain damage and signed up for an AOL account, I'd be offered a number of variation on fluffy1234@aol.com). The're so a lot of these name/number combos floating around immediately that individuals like my ex-neighbor’s son simply assume that’s what an e-mail address has to look like. So. Do you use templates and pretty borders in your auctions? Do you do it for the reason that you assume that’s what an auction has to look like? Let’s attempt an experim ent. Odds are this time of year you've a stack of mail purchase catalogs sitting around. Open the Coldwater Creek guide to any page. See how the designer works with a 2-page layout to make harmony and balance while showcasing five or six items? A number of the photos bleed off the page. Theres no wasted space. There's not a single borders. Only stunning photos of gorgeous items. In catalog selling, each square inch must shell out for itself for the reason that the books are so darn over priced to make, print and mail. Catalogers are obsessive about evaluating the selling power of their publication and are constantly attempting to boost it. You ought to be attempting to boost the dominance of your auction layout, too. You've even less space to work with. Don’t waste it on borders. Theres no rule that says you are able to';t use an identical picture twice or more in an auction. I put my photos inline using HTML. Then I use eBay’s one free picture hosting to showcase the greatest picture. And finally, I put all the pictures in eBay’s new Picture Show, which is FREE. Picture Show creates a slide show on the left side near the peak of the page. Anybody who lands on your item page will see the picture first. That’s power. Get a number of. fLufF Tags: ebay, auction, picture_show, templates, photos tag this permalink trackback url comments(4) eBay Classified Ads - Microsoft adCenter - Feedback Hall of Shame - Dynamic eBay Store Pricing - Shipping Comparison - Wholesale Sites Posted by Michael Donahue on 11/27/06 in Podcasts, eBay News, E-commerce News, Promoting A close examination of the Top Guides on eBay reveals that a sure-fire way to be popular is to develop something anti-PayPal or scam oriented….not precisely what Meg & Bill had in mind. And the top ebook author, IMHO, is wasting a wonderful opportunity to develop out his own site. Microsoft’s adCenter (Their Google Adwords equiva lent) is offering up to $200 worth of free ad clicks for giving them a trial drive…listen in as I explain the way to cash in. Varien’s eCommerce Cache reports that on-line shoppers have the bucks to spend, according to a National Retail Federation study…however what’s truly interesting is what the study says about on-line shopping comparison sites. A free service that'll track auctions according to your criteria and then notify you by e-mail when new ones are listed…a great way to maintain on top of your competition. The ;2006 Feedback Hall of Shame”..the 25 eBay sellers amongst worst feedback ratings. An eBay/Google search game that awards points for the strangest eBay ad outcomes. A free search system that prioritizes, organizes and speeds your searches. eBay’s Classified format presents a number of very interesting possibilities for promoting your enterprise ;and contrary to what you can believe, you’re not restricted to several categories…listen in as I explain the way that you can make it work for you. A shipping comparison site someplace that you're able to locate the greatest prices and shippers…all for free. A service that'll automatically adjust your eBay Store pricing, either up or down, according to market conditions. How about your own action figure? If you’ve got an idea, these folks can deliver the finished goods. Pricing books/media in the field using Amazon’s data with a cell phone and a scanner is a quick, easy, and affordable way to know the cost of books and other media PRIOR TO you buy….and there's a service that'll do only that! A truly imaginative business that produces cat & dog toys that are decidedly hip…and that also offers wholesale pricing. ;;;;;;; Links from this week’s show: Overstock.com’s Clearance Sale: Save an extra 10% on a wide variety of merchandise. eBay’s Top Reviewers - Gaze at the Top Reviews and see all that it takes to be popular is to develop anything anti-PayPal. Microsoft’s $200 Worth of Free adCenter Clicks - Good timing for the 4th quarter….offer great till 01/15/2007. Holiday Shopper Demographics - What is truly surprising is what searchers aren't using. BayMonitor - Automated, customized alerts for new auction items by e-mail. 2006 Feedback Hall of Shame - Know anybody with worse than a -108? eBads Search Game - Funny eBay/Google Ad outcomes. AuctionSieve - Automated search system. eBay Classified Ad Fees - Inexpensive promoting. RedRoller - Compare shipping options and costs from major carriers. PriceCoaster - Automate pricing for eBay store listings. Toy Agency - One stop action figure design/manufacturing. Zazzle- T-shirts,mugs, posters, etc. your way. SellerFusion - Dynamic pricing of books/media using Amazon data. Fat Cat, Inc. - Hip cat and dog items. Retail opportunities. Show 11-26-06: Play Immediately Play in Popup Get Tags: ebay, overstock.com, microsoft_adCenter, feedback, classifieds, tag this permalink trackback url comment(1) Is Your eBay Merchandise Worthy of You? Posted by Charleen Larson on 11/21/06 in Promoting, Contributors Enough about me, let’s talk about you. Look at what you’ve got going for you: a pc (or usage rights to one), the skills to use it and a number of hard-won knowledge a bout how eBay works. Immediately allow me to ask you: Is your eBay merchandise worthy of you? I’m looking at an eBay seller who has 25 cent thingies in her Store, with 75 cent shipping. Hokay. What are her costs?
And what have we got? Assuming she got this thing for free, a 15 cent profit. Not very quick. With 142 items in her eBay Store, this thingie must pay it is own way. A basic Store is $15.95 a few weeks, so the thingie has an 11 cent load to bear. Oh dear. Our profit is immediately only 4 cents. However surely if you sell enough and it takes just seconds to address this thing and drop it in the mail… Our seller received 113 feedbacks over the previous 30 days. Assuming a 50% laziness rate, let’s say that makes 226 sales. 226 times 4 cents. Oh, you look. I’m afraid to. $9.04 for one month’s work. When I meet a seller like this, I ask why they work so hard for so little return. ;It’s fun!; is a typical response, or ;I’m only attempting to eliminate this stuff.; My responses are ;Wouldn’t it be more enjoyment to create a number of serious cash selling something individuals desire, and doing it amongst same amount of work?; and ;Lot this stuff up, take a bunch of pictures, and have one listing thatg that starts at 99 cents.; Guys, eBay was trying to let you know something several months back when they revamped Stores fees. The outcomes are in: You didn’t listen. Just 6% of Stores closed. I attempt to steer clear of creating pigskin prognostications, however look for Store fees to go up again, perhaps following spring, and continue going up until the math-impaired among you eventually get It. fLufF Tags: ebay, auction, paypal, tag this permalink trackback url comments(3) Revenge of Large Boxes, Cash Mules, SpyFu, Gross Margin Explained, YouTube Auction Videos, e-Guide Service Posted by Michael Donahue on 11/20/06 in Podcasts, eBay News, E-commerce News, Promoting An editorial in the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) asserts that Large Box stores are creating inroads online, creating up ground on upstarts like Amazon, eBay and Overstock…maybe yes, maybe no…what can a tiny seller do? Thinking about beginning your own e-commerce store? ;or maybe you’ve already made the leap. In either case, wouldn’t you like to know what your competition is paying for top words/phrases on Google’s Adwords? There’s a site that'll do only that..at least, until they start charging for the detailed facts. Each seller needs to understand the way to figure Gross Margin and apply it to their sale’s efforts; listen in as I explain the reasons also including point out a site that'll do the math for you. The Reason You Ought To avoid $.99 cost endings?..the're 2 really great reasons which could provide you a leg-up (see photo) on your competition. Innocent enough ads in Craigslist and elsewhere on-line, advertising job opportunities full with employment contracts, are essentially recruiting Cash Mules for web phishing thieves. Speaking of Big Box stores, if you happen to have an incredibly large blue one near you, you may have an excellent chance to source product for re-sale. Thinking about including video in your auction? There’s a site that explains the way to do so effortlessly using YouTube or Google Video. And if video isn’t for you, how about a site that'll stream endless images in your auction for you as well as assist beat the costs and limitations of the majority of auction sites? So, you’ve written an e-guide or are considering it…where to host it, the way to deliver it and a good way to do it all for $5 a few weeks with no extra fees? I’ve got the site for you. In addition, Last Minute Auctions for .99 and no bidders…a Wize site for product review…a jewelry wholesaler who will execute custom product for you…and last however not least, someplace that you're able to purchase Ralphie’s Dad’s ever-so-stylish leg lamp! ;;;;;;;;;- Links from this week’s show: SpyFu - See what your competition is paying for top placement in Google Adwords. Gross Margin Explained - Business basics you ought to apply to selling. Big Crumbs - Save, as in notes back, on shopping through 122 major on-line retailers (Overstock,eBay,Greatest Purchase, etc.) and ge t rebates for you as well as your referrals..for Free! Profit Margin Calculator - Easy on-line calculator for figuring Gross Margin, selling cost and Gross Margin percentage. Cash Mules Article - Work at your own residence and assist fuel international cash laundering in your spare time. Using Videos in Your Auctions - Simple tutorial on the way to utilize YouTube & Google video to assist your on-line auction or website sales. FilmLoops - Service for slipping film loops( thi nk slide show) into your auctions…and a technique to get around image limitations for free. E-Junkie - $5 each month hosting and fulfillment for your e-guide or info product with no other fees. Last Minute Auctions - eBay auctions for a buck or lower with an hour or lower left to run. Wize.com - Unbiased product reviews from across the internet. NotCot.org - Very cool site amongst very coolest items form all around the internet. Too cool for words. Badali Jewelry - Jewelry wholesaler that'll also execute custom designs. Red Rider Leg Lamps - The Essential Christmas Gift (see above) from the essential Christmas Story. Standard Podcast: Play Immediately Play in Popup Get Tags: youtube, spyfu, cash_mules, Ikea, eBay_video, adwords, google, big_crumbs, tag this permalink trackback url comments(2) PS3';s, eBay’s Mandate and Well Intentioned Greed Posted by Michael Donahue on 11/16/06 in eBay News, E-commerce News, Promoting Responding to the world wide web';s latest tulip mania, Sony’s PS3, eBay announced today that it was imposing limits on sellers: Just established eBay vendors - people who've racked up comments from at least 50 previous clients and have positive ratings of at least 98 out of 100 points - can list PS3s prior to Friday. Every vendor can list just one PS3 per eBay account. The listing must include a photo of the pre-purchase receipt, and the seller must guarantee shipment in under 30 days from the date of buy. Prior to Friday, PS3s can be listed on eBay just in auction formats - not as ;purchase it immediately; items. This is all well and great, addressing a lot of lessons was taught from previous difficulties the site has experienced with ultra-hot items and actually going a step or 2 further by setting the 50 previous customer standard, positive feedback threshold, limit of one PS3 per account, etc.. However, as was discussed in my previous post regarding site security, the 50 comment and 98/100 comment thresholds are effortlessly circumvented by working the penny auction/auto-feedback daisy-chain whereb y virtually cost-free sales are exchanged for immediate and positive feedback; 50 purchases or so = 50 positive feedbacks, cost: 1/2 a buck, if that. The photo of the receipt requirement can be effortlessly side-stepped by either hijacking a receipt photo from a legitimate auction or simply PhotoShopping a facsimile. Seeing is believing online, just never believe what you see. The guarantee requirement is irrelevant, at least from a scammer’s point of view. This brings us to the auction just limit, which has a number of merit however then expires on Friday,thus opening up the scammer’s favorite format; the one day auction. By avoiding the elephant in the room, namely eBay requiring buyers to register credit card info and other common sense hurdles, eBay has chosen to develop rules on a barn door that's still wide open. Overstock eliminated 1 day auctions in March , a move that addresses the cut and run tactic and a move that at least ensures that there's time for the community and management to gain wind of suspicious listings and do a bit about them. The likelihood of eBay following suit is remote. And so it goes. Two thoughts, apart from the scamming, occur to me. One is that this fill-in-the-blank item madness on eBay has joined the canon of Yuletide chestnuts together with Macy’s parade, Bing’s White Christmas and Christmas Story. Another is that in eBay’s announcement, this was stated: ;Amongst Xbox, we saw a high number of well-intentioned sellers unable to meet obligations due to restricted supply.; Anft">An d thus eBay has ever-so-lightly announced that apart from evil-doers, it's immediately a guardian - protecting us so it seems - from our ;well-intentioned” however nevertheless avaricious Yuletide selves. Best of luck ;or as Ralphie (as an adult) says in Christmas Story: ;Life is like that. Sometimes at the height of our reveries, when our joy is at it is zenith, when all is the majority of right amongst world, the the majority of unthinkable disasters descend upon us.; Tags: PS3, ebay, overstock.com, Christmas_Story, xbox, security, scams tag this permalink trackback url comments(0) Customize It and Clients Will Gladly Pay Posted by Michael Donahue on 11/14/06 in Promoting I’ve often mentioned how effective personalization is as a promoting and product feature. Which means, by enabling the client to customize his/her buy you not just differentiate yourself from competitors however also can take pleasure from an improved cost for your item. Most certainly, what you currently sell can be limiting insofar as customizable options are concerned. However at this time of year especially, gift-wrapping as an option is the ideal upsell. Consider items that you may well sell that offer the buyer the option of creating it uniquely their own…and they'll gladly pay. How much? Well, I found this quote in an editorial in Fortune from Motorola chief technology officer Padmasree Warrior (wonderful name!) very revealing: We made $2 billion providing ringtones to service providers. It’s interesting that individuals will pay $2 immediately to gain 2 lines of a song to play when their phone rings, however they resist paying 99 cents for a complete song on their COMPUTER or MP3 player. Why? For the reason that it’s personalizing the device. It makes a statement about who you're ; Also, if you’re thinking about gift-wrapping and are gift-wrap challenged…here’s a source that lets it be simple. Tags: promoting, customizing, gifts, Motorola, Warrior tag this permalink trackback url comment(1) Show 11-12-06: eBay,Botnets and Penny Auctions - Chad Harrington Interview - The Finish Of Transparent Bidding - Picking the Right URL - Wholesale Poker Supplies - Wholesale Miniature Tools - Vintage Clothing Resource Posted by Michael Donahue on 11/13/06 in Podcasts, eBay News, E-commerce News What’s going on with ;daisy-chain” penny BIN auctions for screen savers, e-books, etc. on eBay? Apart from the obvious ploy to hasten a newbie’s feedback rating to 10 and thus open up multiple items and 1 day auctions, it appears that there's a more sinister game afoot. Botnets, run by criminal elements, are making use of semi-automated spiders to sign-up with eBay and then crawl the site in search of these auctions. Why? Listen in as I interview security specialist Chad Harrington from Fireeye as he explains the evil that botnets do. In addition, I report on my chat with Guillaume Lovet, Threat Response Team Manager from Fortinet. eBay’s Rob Chestnut announces a pilot system on eBay Motors thors th at will dramatically change the transparency of bidder’s IDs. eBay’s plan, announced in October, to anony-mize the infamous Yellow Button has hit a number of snags. First things first, picking the right URL for your new e-commerce site takes planning and much thought…the name you pick also including the domain itself can make or break you. Button, button…I’ve found a site that'll create HTML buttons for your auctions; it is an easy task that plays well in catching shopper’s attention. Wholesale poker supplies…wholesale miniature tools…and a site with all the info you should get up to speed in the vintage clothing market. ;;;;; Links from this week’s show: Fortinet’s Guillaume Lovet Article on eBay & Botnets - Midway down the page, screenshots and a detailed explanation. eBay’s Rob Chestnut’s Post on the Coming Changes to the Display of Bidder IDs. - Say great-bye to the transparent marketplace….and not a moment too soon. Th e Yellow Button Chronicles - eBay’s plans for anonymous e-mail forwarding are postponed. CNN Article on Picking the Right URL - What you call your site makes all the difference…great checklist to take into account. Button Menu Maker - 3-D Buttons for your auctions. Trademark Poker Supply Wholesaler - Call the 800# for wholesale pricing info. Licensed Items. Pappa John’s Toolbox - Miniature tool wholesaler…Dremel, etc.. Vintage Fashion Guild - International seller’s collective for the vintage fashion biz…Resources, techniques & tricks, forum. Standard Podcast: Play Immediately Play in Popup Get Tags: eBay, botnets, Fortinet, Fireeye, fraud, , auction_tools, poker tag this permalink trackback url comments(2) Be Insecure, Be Very Insecure Posted by Charleen Larson on 11/9/06 in E-commerce News, Contributors se’cure Βadjective 1. free from or not exposed to danger or harm; safe. 2. dependable; firm; not liable to fail, yield, become displaced, etc., as a support or a fastening: The building was secure, even in an earthquake. 3. affording safety, as a place: He needed a secure hideout. 4. in safe custody or keeping: Here in the vault the necklace was secure. 5. free from care; with no anxiety: emotionally secure. 6. firmly established, as a relationship or reputation: He earned a secure place among the baseball immortals. 7. sure; certain; assured: secure of victory; secure in religious belief. 8. safe from penetration or interception by unauthorized persons: secure radio communications between army units. ;;;;; It dawned owned o n me recently that when a number of individuals talk about a site being ;secure” (#8) or not, what they’re truly saying is that *they* don’t feel secure (#5). As Michael pointed out in a recent show, one study shows that the lot of individuals who recognize a phish e-mail is dismally l ow. So apparently if Grandma Jane eBayer is getting mail that purports to be from eBay and PayPal on a daily basis, it reinforces her perception that neither eBay nor PayPal are secure (#8), even though it’s actually her lack of expertise about what maketh a phish that's the prime cause of her anxiety. Add to that the persistent rumor that a number of the malicious emails come from insiders. ;How else could they know my true name?; Grandma Jane doesn’t remember the contests she entered or the on the internet warranty cards she’s filled out, and she will not believe you if you remind her. She thinks privacy policies are all ready to protect her privacy. She’s certainly never read one or considered the implications. Compounding the dilemma is that when company reps attempt to teach Grandma Jane, she only tunes them out and tunes in QVC instead. Those nice hosts, she nearly feels like she knows them. And such pretty jewelry, and what a terrific value. All she has to carry out is pick up her old analog cordless phone and provide her credit card number. So safe, so certain. Shucks, she’s been doing it over the previous forty years, starting with that Veg-O-Matic guy, Ron Popeil. Pay no attention Jane to the guy parked at the curb, operating that scanner. Your identity is secure. fLufF Tags: phishing, security, identity_theft, tag this permalink trackback url comments(0) Show 11-05-06: eBay Goes Pop - A Little Song, A Little Dance; A Little Seltzer Down Our Pants Posted by Michael Donahue on 11/6/06 in Podcasts, eBay News, E-commerce News, Promoting This week eBay continues with it is transformation into a maelstrom of each known internet 2.0 social gadget amongst introduction of it’s ;Pop” page…it is as if a 13 year of age has been given the keys to the planet earth';s largest e-commerce internet site and in true MySpace fashion, is attempting to out cool the remainder of his middle school classmates. Additionally, there's another popularity contest pitting communities against one another with the aim to win $$ for the winning zip code’s favorite charity - very much for need-based giving - also including another that encourages members to pound away on their keyboards in hopes of becoming the 1 millionth press the Matchup popularity game ( e.g. Angelina Jolie vs. Muqtada al-Sadr, etc.). The latter contest resulting in a handsome payoff of..drum roll, please..$250!! This from a business that netted a billion or 2 last quarter. Meanwhile, social scientists from Harvard and Berkeley have determined that the majority of web users are clueless when it amounts to what they’re doing on-line….a lot no doubt graduates of eBay’s press-till-you-drop school of netiquette. Persisting to swim upstream, I've a recommendation on the way to utilize auctions for A/B split testing….and maybe a formula for you to actually use your spare time selling (after voting for Angelina) to cleverly outwit your competitors. Several wholesale sites to recommend, tactics for bundling, an example of text you shouldn't ever put in your auctions…. I’d like to let you know more however you’ll only need to listen…..somebody from a neighboring zip code has only challenged me to wikis at forty paces. ;;;&# 8212;;;;;;- Links from this week’s show: BigCrumbs.com - Earn an income saving cash from sites like Overstock.com, eBay, Gap, etc.. whenever you purchase something from eBay, you’ll get up to 36% of the SELLERS&# 8217;s fees as cash back. eBay’s Pop Page - Bread and circus; a million clicks and more or lower not a thing to show for it. The Special Trick of Phisher’s Success - It is academic, individuals are clueless. Bruce Schneier’s Blog on Fraudulent SSL - What you see is just what you believe you see when it amounts to SSL encrypted sites. eShop Africa - Really great wholesale site for African Imports. Turtle Papers- Wholesale fine stationery and gifts. Aquarium Plants - Wholesale fish related books, equipment, flora, fauna, fins. Standard Podcast: Play Immediately Play in Popup Get Tags: ebay, myspace, ssl, wholesale, promoting, phishing, bigcrumbs tag this permalink trackback url comments(6) « Previous Entries
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