• To the consumer eBay is offered as a great online place to find anything - cheap

• Consumers are also told what a "safe" and easy place eBay is to shop.

All well and good, in most cases, except for the fact that eBay does not have to stand behind the promises they make to the consumer, eBay leaves that bit of dirty business to the individual seller and they use PayPal as the big stick of enforcement to make sure that the sellers keep the buyers happy, no matter the cost or situation.  (more on that later)

• To the Individual Seller eBay is offered as the easy and fast way to sell the junk that accumulates in the garage or attic

eBay has been promoted as the place for anyone to start a business (selling junk from your garage) for years.  (More recently eBay went courting the corporate world, offering enticements and sweetheart deals to big sellers like Buy.com and others).  For awhile it looked as though eBay would turn its back on the small individual sellers in lieu of the huge volume possibilities offered by the Buy.coms of the world.

Some eBay Kool Aid?

Thankfully, eBay has not completely forgotten the little guy, they are happy to take his/her money and they have taken some minor steps to entice the small seller back. To be honest, I still don't understand the "selling junk from the garage" business plan "drink the kool aid" approach, but that must just be me...

2008

2008 was a long year in eBay-land, the changes and turmoil wrought by the eBay executives decisions (right or wrong) made an impression on the rank and file. The effect of these constant changes on eBay's core audience of sellers (the little guys and gals) became more than an annoyance. For some of these smaller sellers the constant state of flux of 2008 - early 2009 ended a long term love affair.

I will admit that my own love affair with eBay ended in 2008.

It was just too frustrating at times, not only dealing with the changes in my own eBay selling business, but also fielding questions from my clients regarding unexplainable and sometimes indefensible new rules or policies and outrageous games with fee structures.  I pretty much shut down all operations on eBay myself and quietly told my good clients that they might want to take a fresh look at eBay, it was time to evaluate whether the price in terms of time, frustration and costs, had possibly become too high for some to do business on eBay.

This was a tough thing for someone like myself to do, I had earned a living as an "eBay Guy".

For years I was an eBay evangelist, promoting the benefits, offering training, offering business setups, designing eBay stores... I was writing this "Trading Assistant Journal" which started as an eBay based blog about being a "Trading Assistant or Trading Post" in 2007, (Then, due to changes in policies, I was neither a Trading Assistant or Trading Post by the middle of 2008). In effect, I had been helping to offer the "Kool Aid" in my own way,  I did not feel as if it were kool aid at the time and I was proud of my designations as an eBay Stores designer, eBay consultant and eBay education specialist.

I was an eBay person to the core and I believed, truly believed, that eBay was the way to make money and have fun in business.

But some major changes had come about and not only was my eBay business no longer fun, it was not profitable either.  I lost a lot of money in my eBay business, I know I am not the first person to publicly admit that fact but the reality does not change. You can lose more money as a seller on eBay than you make... Keep that in mind. If it happened to me, with my training and experience, it could happen to anyone. The Kool Aide is not always so sweet.

But We Always Want To Go Back Home...

I had a large office and warehouse for my eBay business. at the end of 2007 when the Trading Assistant and Trading Post rules changes took effect, I shut down all consignment operations.  Therefore I no longer needed a warehouse and I did not need a 2000 sq ft office.  During the course of 2008 I consolidated into a smaller office and now in 2009, since I had been working mostly from my Beach Condo anyway, I moved my office to the Beach.  This move, of course, precipitated some purging of office related "stuff".  In effect I needed to clean out my garage or attic.

Why not try eBay?

How many times have you heard that line?

I heard it inside my own head, in fact I was thinking that I really needed an article about eBay for this Journal and that I should go through the steps of listing an item on eBay without using fancy listing software etc.  I should take a fresh look at the process, start to finish, of listing an item on eBay with the "sell your item" form.

What is it like selling on eBay in 2009?

I must admit that the process of listing items for sale using the eBay sell your item form is much easier than I ever remember it being.  I listed about 10 items in the span of an hour late one evening in my old office before the move. Not a lot of stuff, just books and software and other things I did not need any longer.

Since I had kept up with the growing eBay vs Bonanzle debate (insert your favorite selling venue here, I prefer Bonanzle myself), I wanted to see just how fast these eBay listed items would sell using no special tactics or traffic generation, just by listing on eBay as any other person would do.  This is not a comparison review, because I did not list the same items on Bonanzle, I simply wanted to see if the bad taste of sour Kool Aid from 2008 was still stuck in my mouth for a reason.

Bad Kool Aid?

• 7 of my ten items listed did not get a bid, these 7 items were various technical and business or software related books and did not cost that much to list, but they were started at a price of less than half of retail and way below any competing products. All of the books were in like new condition.
• 3 of my items sold = 30% STR - Not Bad, but not great and really not a true Sell through rate as these were all different items.
• I shipped all 3 items within 2 days
• One of the items that did actually sell was an opened retail box with a (un-named) software disk within. This item sold for over $150 which pleased me because I had described exactly what the item was and it was not new. This item was an open retail box, included a certificate of authenticity and the complete manual.  The return policy was set at 3 days.

That last item has replaced the bad eBay Kool Aid taste in my mouth.  Not because the buyer wanted a refund due to not reading the item description or my responses to several other bidders questions about the item or its condition. Nope, not even due to the fact that the buyer had convinced themselves that the item was something it never had been listed as, or because the buyer wanted a refund after the 3 days return period... The bad taste is back because PayPal immediately granted the buyers wish, removed the money from my account and issued a decree that I would accept the return if the item was shipped back to me.

I called PayPal to ask why?

In my call as well as in my response to the PayPal dispute, I explained that the item was described correctly, I offered proof that the item had been signed for upon delivery at a date and time that was in excess of the 3 day return policy. I submitted screen shots of the listing of the shipping delivery information and of the full questions and answers to bidders about the item condition etc.

I also explained to the PayPal representative on the phone (who may not realize that since this was a piece of software that it had most likely been copied) and that since the buyer was in the software selling business on eBay, that they had more than the average amount of knowledge when it pertains to the buying and selling of software, the buyer obviously did not read the listing, or they are running a scam.

Not one part of my honest contribution to the "PayPal investigation" made a bit of difference.

Why?  because the buyer claimed within the PayPal dispute form that the item was significantly different than what was sold. That is all the information the buyer submitted, no proof, no screenshots, no images of the imaginary or supposedly different product they received.  Guess what, PayPal did not ask for any kind of proof either.

Apparently if a buyer keeps the PayPal dispute form short and sweet, it matters not what the seller submits as proof to the contrary.  It does not matter that the images of the box are exactly the same as what was displayed on eBay, it does not matter that the 3 day return period had expired, it does not matter that the product sold and its certificate or authenticity have been compromised, it does not matter that the seller has 100% feedback going back over 13 years on eBay.  None of that matters, the only thing that matters, and the investigation of any claim by a buyer ends when PayPal read these words.

"Significantly Not As Described"

No amount of proof to the contrary will make a difference, the buyer is granted free reign to buy software, copy it, claim it was significantly not as described, and then own it for the price of shipping the item back by eBay and PayPal.  In effect the words "Not as Described" throws up a roadblock to further investigation by PayPal.  This little loophole in PayPal policy makes for interesting opportunities for the unscrupulous among us, does it not?  How many other non tangible goods categories could be exploited in this way?

Obviously not all buyers are unscrupulous, and I have dealt with more than my share of sellers who are not pillars of honesty, but for PayPal to proceed in this manner, while they hold my funds in thier own interest bearing accounts - well, I will say that this somewhat unpleasant reminder places the very real and very bad taste of some very old "Reverend Jim Jones style Kool Aid" in my mouth.

Sellers beware, the PayPal dispute is not just slanted toward the buyer, it is a deck of cards with too many one eyed jacks, and that deck is stacked against you.

It may have been a long while since you have heard anyone repeat that phrase but it bears remembering from time to time.  Just the shear vast amount of  merchandise available on eBay along with the volume of sales on a daily basis is just awe inspiring.  This is why many of us jumped into the eBay vortex feet first.

eBay for some people is an addiction much like the gold rush of the 1890's.

Some merchants find the mother load, while others have been panning the same weak stream for many years. There always a comes a time when it is wise to look at other ways to make money. Many think that means leaving eBay altogether, while others feel it is blasphemy to utter such thoughts. Is there a happy medium? I think so....

We have all heard or told stories about those who just packed it all up and left selling directly on eBay.  Many claim it is because of the massive changes or because of the rules, or more often because of the fees.  Others just face the reality of the combination of smaller margins and an increasing work load and they make a business decision to find other marketplaces.

Change is growth and we all live in an ever present state of flux when it comes to the eCommerce business.  No matter if you choose to keep eBay as your home listing venue, or you move on to Amazon or Etsy or Bonanzle, eBay will always be that Gorilla in the corner of your mind... Reminding you that there are thousands of smart people making more than a living on eBay every day.

In fact, some of them are making more than a living on eBay, without ever listing a single product or paying a single fee.

Now, that's a concept - making money on eBay without all that hard work of sourcing, stocking, listing, photographing, handling customer service or paying the ever increasing shipping to deliver your low margin product to the consumer!

Got your interest?

The following listings are inserted for demonstration purposes. Click any of them you like, but come back and read the rest of the article <wink>.

US Auctions Australian Auctions Austrian Auctions Belgian Auctions Canadian Auctions French Auctions German Auctions Hong Kong Auctions Indian Auctions Irish Auctions Italian Auctions Dutch Auctions Polish Auctions Singapore Auctions Spanish Auctions Swiss Auctions UK Auctions

MLFXXX    US $10,000.00

NETWORKLOCKDOWNNET Domain Name Information Technology at its BEST    US $3,995.00

ESTABLISHED MOTORCYCLE BIKER INTERNET STORE BUSINESS DOMAIN NAME FOR SALE    US $199.00

ESTABLISHED MLB BASEBALL MEMORABILIA WEBSITE BUSINESS DOMAIN NAME FOR SALE    US $199.00

ESTABLISHED SOLAR WIND ENERGY REVIEW WEBSITE BUSINESS DOMAIN NAME FOR SALE    US $199.00

WWWID8US DOMAIN FOR SALE DATE MAC WEBSITE 3 LETTERS    US $999.99

1	Display eBay Listings On Your Own Website!

Affiliates do make money!

Obviously I am talking about affiliate marketing here... Some make hundreds of dollars a month with affiliate marketing, while others make millions per year.  If you are an affiliate, you are familiar with eBay in a different way than most merchants.  You think of eBay as an incredible money making opportunity where thousands of other people pay you a commission to advertise their products.

So, how do you get in on the act?  There are many ways actually and some may surprise you.

• Use social networking sites like twitter or facebook to post affiliate links (not approved by the EPN - see comments below - thanks Mitzi)
• Do just as I have above (Domain listings and websites) and list a few eBay items at a time within an article on a blog or a web page.
• Create a website dedicated to a niche market such as Voyager Supply.com then populating it with thousands of products from eBay in addition to some affiliate advertising mixed in on the sidebars etc.
  

  Marine Store Affiliate Site 100% Populated With eBay Items

• Create a hybrid site like Vintage Meld or my Diecast Car Dealer site - selling a mix of owned inventory and/or listing other products from different eCommerce venues all on one website.

In the case of Vintage Meld the products come from eBay, Amazon and Bonanzle.  Diecast Car Dealer advertises items from Bonanzle and from eBay.  Most of Vintage Meld's product is owned by Cliff Aliperti the publisher of the site, Most of the product on Diecast Car Dealer are not owned by the website owner.

In effect each of these sites uses the affiliate program in a different way but to the same purpose.  Cliff uses an affiliate program to bring all of his thousands of listings together on his own website where he can talk about them in informative articles.

I use the same program to offer more than my limited stock of classic diecast cars to consumers looking for choice.  If they choose to buy my car, or another dealers car that I do not have but find that car through my site, I may make just as much profit as I would have by listing the car myself. I like that idea.

Diecast Hybrid Site - Offering Both eBay and Bonanzle Listings

It is a nimble and nifty way to make more than an average living on the internet.  I am not saying that this form of affiliate marketing should be your only income stream but it sure does not hurt to see that you made an extra $100 over night and you do not have to worry about shipping anything.

Add Ebay Auctions to your Website

The software works on WordPress or with an upgrade, on almost any PHP based website (Joomla, Drupal, Etc.).  I have been using it for over 2 years now and can tell you that the developer of PHPBay Pro is very accommodating and the script is solid as a rock.

I especially like this software because even though I may have a passion for a particular niche market like, oh... say... Boating or Diecast Cars... I don't have to worry about thousands of dollars of inventory rotting in a warehouse until it sells, if it sells.  I don't have to deal with the average eBay consumers wants and needs (reduced shipping - discounts for multiple items purchased, chargebacks from PayPal, etc.).  All I have to do is provide more information for the consumer than the average product website does and I have to make sure that I present it is a reasonable manner which looks attractive.

I dare say that if you are an eBay seller now, one of these types of sites will perform much better than any eBay Store's subscription ever did.  The site can be used to only list merchandise from a single eBay seller or they can be used to promote products from any seller.  In the end, they will bring in more organic traffic than an eBay Store and in turn send that

Vintage Meld by: Cliff Aliperti Designed by: Scott Pooler

traffic to the products you choose to send them to (meaning either your products, or the products that will net you the best commission as an affiliate).

There really is nothing wrong with that philosophy, is there now?  I mean, if I can send you business, and you make the sale, and part of your fees go towards paying me for my efforts of bringing you a qualified customer, isn't that just good old fashioned business?

If you would like some help in setting up and designing your own affiliate marketing website , either to promote your own products like Vintage Meld, or to sell in a category you no longer wish to compete within on eBay, or to offer associated items which compliment your core product line (the list goes on and on), just contact me here or check out my new portfolio site at Open My Site Now!

US Auctions Australian Auctions Austrian Auctions Belgian Auctions Canadian Auctions French Auctions German Auctions Hong Kong Auctions Indian Auctions Irish Auctions Italian Auctions Dutch Auctions Polish Auctions Singapore Auctions Spanish Auctions Swiss Auctions UK Auctions

Cabo Villas Beach Resort Cabo San Lucas Mexico Floating 1 52    US $500.00

Gorgeous timeshare in Playa del Carmen Mexico    US $10,000.00

Save $$$ on Identity Theft Protection Legal Services    US $149.99

Bluegreens La Cabana 23000 Annual Points Vacation Club Timeshare    US $700.00

Pueblo Bonito Sunset Cabo Timeshare Presidential Suite    US $17,777.77

Display eBay Listings On Your Own Website!

Thanks for reading!

By the way, I apologize for my absence... Been building too many websites... be back soon!

From the very first day of my involvement within the eCommerce world, the holy grail of selling online included offering product on multiple venues yet managing that inventory from one central location or software package. Personally I have worked towards that goal for several years, working with developers and designers who had greater resources than my own and trying to convince them of the need for an entry level multi- channel solution. It's always nice to know you had the right idea all along, even if someone else implements it before you do.

What the company has to say about it's new eCommerce solution:

The Vendio Platform is a complete eCommerce solution that includes a robust, feature-rich online store as well as item, order and customer management – all for free. It doesn’t matter whether a merchant sells 10 or 10,000 items in their Vendio store – they pay no web hosting fees, imaging hosting fees, listing fees or success fees. There is no catch. No gimmicks.

Vendio doesn’t even require a credit card to sign up for the Platform.

Features of the Vendio Platform with free online store:

• Fast and easy setup: Be up and running in minutes. Create your items and store without any development work or technical knowledge.
• Customized look-and-feel: Customize your store with your logo, custom categories, featured items, external links and more. You have complete control when you use our easy-to-use Store Builder to see exactly how your store will look as you build it.
• Professional designs: Dozens of free templates to choose from to make your store stand out.
• Simplified sales: All customers, items, and orders managed from one location. No need to worry about tracking transactions across different channels - it's all in one spot.
• SEO & Analytics: Add meta keywords and descriptions quickly and easily in order to help buyers find your store via search engines. Google Analytics integration assists you in monitoring and understanding your store traffic.
• Custom URL: Get a free Vendio domain or create your own custom domain name to keep your brand intact.
• Item Search: Buyers can search both your item titles and descriptions.
• Widget: Promote items anywhere online such as your website or blog with a cool widget that shows off your items.

Again, Vendio offers all these store features as well as the sales management, for free. Just because the Vendio store is free, doesn’t mean that it’s subpar to existing paid store offerings on the market such a Pro Store or a Yahoo Store. Here is a helpful feature matrix that differentiates the Vendio store from just some of its competitors.

What’s most unique and powerful about the Vendio Platform is that all items uploaded into the Platform are automatically placed in the store, immediately available for sale.

If a merchant wants to reach more buyers in places where they shop, such as eBay, Amazon or Google, then they can easily extend the Platform to multiple marketplaces for a small monthly fee plus percentage of sales. Extending the Platform means that the merchant uses just one set of inventory details for as many marketplaces as they’d like to sell on – all managed from one, single interface. This results in countless saved hours and inventory management control mix-ups.

Screenshots from the Vendio Platform Website and from the Application itself:

The pricing plan is here: Vendio Pricing Page

For merchants who are interested in extending the Vendio Platform to marketplaces, Vendio is currently offering a 60 Day Trial. Along with the trial comes a great bonus – Vendio is waiving its Amazon fees for the rest of 2009.

What "Others" are saying - Robert Scoble interview with the Vendio Founders

My Take on the Vendio Platform eCommerce /software solution:

Scott's Take

Vendio has a long history as a third party software and applications developer and is a familiar company to eBay sellers. The work that has obviously gone into this multi-channel solution is very apparent and indicates a long standing understanding about how merchants, especially eBay merchants, work to get product online.

Usability: I give it a 8 on a scale of 10

Functionality: I say 9 on a scale of 10

Intimidation Factor: 3 on a scale of 10

The Vendio platform may indeed be the light at the end of a long tunnel for many eBay merchants, especially if they have not yet expanded beyond eBay to sell on other channels or on their own web store.

If you are an experienced eBay seller, this Vendio Platform solution will give you the confidence to go forth and find new markets, to boldly go into the ecommerce world - feet first, while knowing that you will have familiar surroundings and procedures available at all times. No need to leave the comfortable blanket that is eBay or the traffic the megasite produces, yet with the Vendio Platform tools, new markets await that may help you to see beyond the eBay safety net. Expanding into multi-channel ecommerce is the next logical step for any eBay merchant.

The software has been extremely well thought out, it is apparent that years of development work went into this package. And the prior experience with an eBay focused offering shows through here.

Importing existing eBay listings is an easy proceedure and once complete all can be converted to free web store listings.

Importing eBay Listings

The control panel is well laid out and the instructions are comprehensive as can be seen by reviewing this extensive create listings PDF found in the help section. Or you can read it here before you sign up for your free account.

Keep in mind this is just one of the 23 extensive help manuals available for download on the site:

Cons:

While the platform has had a great deal of sweat equity poured into it prior to launch in March of 2009, this does not mean that the new platform is completely finished.

One example of need for improvement comes when users begin to list a new item. The list new item screen (which is a one page piece of organized well thought out web engineering) unfortunately does not have an integrated image upload function. A user must first go to Images -> upload images and then create a folder to then upload images one at a time to the site. Then come back to create a new item and choose the folder where the images reside to include those images in a new listing. Obviously this process needs to be refined to allow for a faster method of uploading image files directly from the listing form. I contacted my Vendio contacts about this issue to find out if there were any way to speed up the process? I had an answer back within 1/2 hour - the entire image upload process is being re-worked and should be complete in a few weeks.

It seems that not only does this company listen to their users, but they also act on the needs of the users to improve the product.

Overall Impression: I say give Vendio a try, the ecommerce webstore is free forever and with an eBay import you can easily see how the system works for you. Having the ability to test products and control inventory on Amazon and eBay as well as in other search driven marketing and a stand alone ecommerce store from one control panel is the ideal solution that I have been looking for ages. Vendio as a company has been working with eBay sellers for a long time and they know the business. One does need to keep in mind that optional features incur monthly charges but the base online webstore is completely free. Why not give it a test drive?

Additional Tid Bit: One feature that Vendio does not tout regarding this free hosted webstore that I find most intriguing is that the eCommerce webstore package can be added to any existing domain. In other words if you have a business with an existing brochure style website and you would like to add an ecommerce shopping cart to that site without all the expense or hassel of starting over from scratch, give Vendio a hard look. By following a few simple instructions and simply creating a folder on your server with a single FTP upload a small piece of code your website can almost instantly become and eCommerce website. http://mywebsite.com becomes http://mywebsite.com/store with a fully functional ecommerce shopping cart that is secure and can accept multiple forms of payment. How cool is that? And it is Free!

Here is a table of existing Vendio Webstores for your review:

Rumblings and rumors always abound in a industry such as this, but recently changes made at the top levels of some of the most prominent 3rd party providers seems to predict a consolidation and possibly belt tightening within the firms who revolve around and depend upon the eBay brand.

It is true that some new players are entering the market with interesting solutions, software and services yet at the same time, are the executives at older and more established companies making what could be considered exit strategy moves?

From the announcement of a new CEO at Infopia, Coleman Barney, which in and of itself is seen as a move towards new blood and not a barometer an industry crumbling, to the recent departure of the managing director of Frooition, a UK based eBay stores and template design company, changes at the top of several eBay centric service providers seem to be occurring at a faster rate than normal.

I was quite surprised when I noted earlier today that Grenville Wheland had left Frooition and is now seeking new opportunities through LinkedIn (see Below). Grenville had been purported to be one of the financial backers of Frooition and while his skills as a start up entrepreneur were also touted, on the outside we can only wonder if his reasons for departing may have included deeper financial concerns for the future of the business model.

No Longer With Frooition

Frooition grew very quickly into a multinational marketing powerhouse for eBay based design work and is still strong today yet they have relied upon eBay as the basis of the business strategy for what seems to be too long when branching out into eCommerce was an available avenue for expansion. My readers will know that I have worked with Frooition as a representative in the States since mid 2007, My dealing with Mr Whelan have always been cordial and above board.  I am sure Frooition will notice his departure.

eBay Live 2008 - Karl, Ciz, Grenville Whelan, David Sullivan of Frooition

Channel Adviser, while not changing the steadfast leader of the pack Scot Wingo, has had some major personnel cuts in recent months. As eBay has itself,  a Rolodex or Blackberry full of contacts at eBay in 2007 would be suspiciously empty today.

The industry that has based itself on the largess of this giant we call eBay is morphing into a new animal. Eventually changes beget changes.  While we all wish the likes of Grenville Whelan and Bjorn Espenes of Infopia the best (Bjorn is now the COB), we only have to wonder... who is next?

While riding the gravy train of eBay can be a sound business decicion (at least many of us thought it was), the hard crash at the end of the tracks can be just as abrupt. Other have noted that eBay may be on a uncontrollable death spiral (i.e. Scot Wingo) into the abyss that some great companies (AOL) fall into.

Is it possible that some of these highly placed executives see a bad wind a blowin and have chosen to diversify before the end comes?

I know that even though my heart will always have a place for eBay and I still promote the site and services surrounding its capabailities, I myself have diversified and are very glad that I did.  I no longer depend completely upon eBay as a seller or a service provider.  Having options for myself and my clients is what I am all about now.

Some other service oriented eBay centric companies could take a note...

One inventory distributed throughout the world on eBay. Efficiently and easily with complete control... Without cross border charges or additional eBay fees. Offering products in Australia, the UK, Germany or Italy when you know they will move in those fantastic markets, all from a single inventory.

Offering your products in 21 global markets around the World from a single standard inventory and managing every product and every market from a simple to use web based console, even if you sell under multiple ebay accounts.

Selling on eBay here in America or throughout the world just got easier with MerchantRun-GlobalLink

• Would this be an interesting prospect for you as an ebay Powerseller?
• Does this sound like an expensive and complicated proposition? It is not...

With MerchantRun-GlobalLink these capabilities and more are available and easy to manage in a single low cost solution. We all know selling on eBay can be challenging and exploring worldwide markets with multiple eBay accounts via eBay can be even more intimidating with other solutions, yet doing either with MerchantRun-GlobalLink is makes the process painless.

Manage multiple selling names in as many of eBay's global markets as you wish without duplicating inventory data or managing multiple listing solutions for each market. Know at a glance where your products are selling, where they should be offered and at the same time enjoy the ability to place inventory where it will sell at a moments notice in any market in the World.

All this and a free trial

MerchantRun GlobalLink is all of this and so much more with over 200 included eBay templates, Cross promotion rules, bulk inventory editing, outstanding customer support and free image hosting this product comes as close to the most complete eBay listing management tool yet devised as any I have ever seen. The list of features is almost endless.

iBusinessLogic Corporation is proud to have been selected to represent MerchantRun-GlobalLink in the USA. While the company and it's software have been used by eBay powersellers worldwide for some time, it is relatively new here in the United States. iBusinessLogic recognizes the need for US based sellers to offer product to a global market. With the exchange rate imbalance and an ever tightening market at home, exploring new opportunities abroad could be the difference between profit and loss in the coming year(s).

We have negotiated a special offer with MerchantRun-GlobalLink which includes a free trial in addition to a $24.99 credit against the cost of using the software product. Speaking of costs, we could not imagine them being any lower for a product of this caliber. There are no setup fees, no monthly fees and no hosting charges. MerchantRun GlobalLink only charges when an item actually sells and then the cost is ridiculously low @ 1% of the selling price with a cap at $5.00 per sale.

This is an amazing opportunity for volume sellers and low volume high dollar sellers alike. The cost per sale could not be lower for this time of ultimate convenience and control with software that includes and incredilble Worldwide market opportunity.

Follow any of the links to MerchantRun-GlobalLink to sign up for a free trial today. I think you will be very pleased with how the software will improve the eBay business you currently have.

Full disclosure -

iBusinessLogic represents MerchantRun-GlobalLink in the USA.

The Trading Asssitant Journal is written and edited by Scott Pooler - CEO of iBusinessLogic

Parts of this Article are reprinted from the iBusinessLogic.com/blog

Here's how to save up to 40% with a coupon + Microsoft Cashback:
1. Search for an item on www.live.com.
2. Click the sponsored ad with the Microsoft cashback symbol  You'll be taken to eBay.com.
3. Make sure the item is Buy It Now and the seller accepts PayPal. If the item is eligible,
you'll see a cashback notice on the "commit to buy" page.
4. Enter code: CSHOPEBAY2008. Pay with PayPal before midnight PT on Dec 1, 2008.  

I found what I was looking for on eBay with free shipping, albeit at a higher price than on Amazon. The special coupon deal should make up more than the difference between the prices on the two sites, right?

Found it on eBay

Coupon on eBay - 60 day delay?

The discount looked good, in effect I would be getting about 3 games for free with this deal - great!

Then I saw the detail "you must have a Microsoft  cash back account" whats that?  Hmmm, lets look into that before we pull the trigger on this purchase.

When I read the terms below and found there would be a 60 day delay to realize my $71.97 savings on top of several other possible ways that I would not or could not qualify for my "coupon" the thrill was gone.  I went back to Amazon and bought my Christmas gift. 

Amazon does not play these games, or make people jump through these hoops.  Most buyers would not bother to read the fine print and therefore would expect a actual discount at checkout.  The way this coupon seems to be setup, you must first buy from the eBay seller, before learning that your coupon would not be good for another 60 days.  Technically, that is not a coupon, that is a rebate. 

Yes, there are small links which will lead anyone to the information presented below, but how many shoppers will actually follow those links before using the buy now button.  The sellers should not be dealing with  unhappy buyers who have been lead to believe they would be saving money instantly with this deal.

Does this make for a Great Buyer Experience?      

But before you dive into the dry fine print of the cashback program, check out this recent article on APPScout about the Microsoft Live Search Cashback Program (Thanks to Elizabeth for forwarding the link). I think the App Scout article confirms my reaction to the 60 day delay in payment.  The article also suggests that Microsoft has reacted to complaints about the 60 day delay by offering instant reimbursement for "some" eBay buyers, but those eBay buyers will only know if they received the reimbursement after they have made the purchase.  (How fair is that? You MIGHT get your 40% off today, or 60 days from now, or never... it really depends upon who or what we may think of you.)

eBay Terms for Live Search Cashback Rewards

Your participation in the Microsoft Live Search cashback program ("Cashback Program"), is subject to the Microsoft Service Agreement at http://tou.live.com (the "Program Terms"), and these eBay Terms. In the event of a conflict between the Program Terms and the eBay Terms, the eBay Terms shall apply.

Cashback Program

• Eligibility
• Qualifying Purchase
• Receiving Cashback Rewards
• Limitations
• The Microsoft Live Search Cashback Program provides cashback for up to 12 qualifying purchases per account on www.ebay.com. The amount of cashback will be determined by eBay, specified at the time of checkout on the "purchase review page" and equal to a percentage of the sale price (excluding shipping and handling fees, insurance fees and other such fees) ("Cashback Rewards"). The maximum amount of Cashback Rewards per qualifying purchase is $200.00 USD. In addition, all Cashback Rewards (including Cashback Rewards earned in connection with purchases made on websites other than www.eBay.com) are subject to the annual $2,500.00 per person cap set forth in the Program Terms.

You are eligible to participate in the Cashback Program as long as you: (a) are at least 18 years of age and reside in the United States, (b) have a confirmed US eBay.com account in good standing, (c) have a verified US PayPal account in good standing, (d) have a Microsoft Cashback Program Account in good standing; and (e) comply with the eBay Terms and the Program Terms. In order for your accounts to be in good standing, they must not be limited or suspended. To make a qualifying purchase, you must do all of the following:

• Search for an eBay.com item on www.live.com.
• Click on an eBay.com sponsored advertisement on www.live.com that has the cashback icon a gold circle with a dollar sign, next to the advertisement. When you click on the advertisement, you will begin an online session. Sponsored advertisements typically appear at the top or along the right hand side of the page of a www.live.com search results page in a shaded or colored area of the page.
• Purchase an eligible eBay.com Buy-It-Now item using PayPal within 60 minutes of the time you began the online session. Cashback Rewards will apply only to the first eligible item you commit to buy during an online session. You may make only one qualifying purchase per online session.
• To make additional qualifying purchases, you must repeat each of these steps including initiating a new search on www.live.com.

After your first eligible purchase is completed, you must go to My Messages on eBay.com and look for a message from eBay with "cashback" in the subject line. Click the "Get Cashback" link or button in the message to set up a Cashback Program account with Microsoft by providing all information required by Microsoft (or, if you already have a Cashback Program account, log into your account in order to associate your eBay purchases with that account). Once you have created a Cashback Program account and have logged in to associate your eBay purchases with your account as described above, the Cashback Rewards will be available in your Cashback Program account approximately sixty (60) days after you pay for your qualifying purchase. PayPal in its discretion may decide to pay your Cashback Rewards more quickly on a case by case basis. Cashback rewards are issued to the PayPal account you used to make the qualifying purchase on eBay.com. Only certain items selected by eBay from time to time in its sole discretion will be eligible for Cashback Rewards. eBay will notify you on the purchase review page of the Buy-It-Now transaction process if the item you wish to purchase is not eligible.

Please review the purchase review page carefully before you commit to buy an item. Please note, the following will always be ineligible for Cashback Rewards: purchases that are completed on www.express.ebay.com or www.half.ebay.com; purchases of automobiles or other vehicles; purchases of real estate. Cashback Rewards cannot be transferred or applied to multiple eBay.com accounts. Purchases on eBay.com of gift certificates, gift cards and items acquired for resale will be eligible for Cashback Rewards. eBay may permit you to combine Cashback Rewards with other eBay promotions, coupons, or gift certificates. With the exception of eBay promotions, coupons and gift certificates, Cashback Rewards cannot be combined with any other offer on purchases on www.eBay.com. eBay shall determine in its sole discretion whether your purchase is a qualifying purchase under the eBay Terms. PayPal may disqualify transactions or remove previously paid cash rewards from your PayPal account if you return or cancel a qualifying purchase, participate in any fraud or abuse relating to the Cashback Program (including conducting "sham" transactions or otherwise colluding with merchants, or otherwise), or fail to meet the Program Terms or these eBay Terms. In the event that you receive Cashback Rewards for a purchase that is later determined to be an ineligible purchase, you provide PayPal with the right and authority to remove the Cashback Rewards from your PayPal account, even if it means that your PayPal account will have a negative balance for which you will be liable. Live Search cashback is a Microsoft Corporation program. Cashback Rewards are funded and paid by Microsoft. Neither eBay nor PayPal have any obligations to you regarding Cashback Rewards or your participation in the Cashback Program except as set forth in these eBay Terms. eBay is the official time keeper for determining whether your purchase is made within 60 minutes of the time you initiate an online session. You hereby agree to release eBay Inc. and PayPal, Inc. from any claims, demands and damages arising out of or in any way connected to your participation in the Cashback Program. In addition, you hereby agree to release Microsoft from any claims, demands and damages arising out of the eBay Terms. eBay provides Microsoft with limited information about your eligible purchase (such as the date, time, amount, and item description) when you apply for a Cashback Reward. Microsoft will use this information only to process and manage your Cashback Rewards, and not for any other purpose. eBay may change these terms and conditions from time to time by posting revised terms and conditions on www.eBay.com, and all such changes will be effective when posted.

Wednesday 1:14

It's a great question!  To tell the truth, I wonder sometimes myself...

It is not a quote for the book of Genesis and it is not some sort of weird eBook pitch... "sighs of relief", all around.

Wednesday at 1:14 is the start of something new.  New for me, new for you and new for this space.

Many of my regular readers know I have been part of the meteroic rise to stardom of one very interesting fellow known to many as ColderICE. 

John Lawson is what I call him, but he can have a cool handle if he likes, it fits his personality and his message.  (Maybe I should have a moniker like that? Hmmm.... What would I be... WarmerFudge?)

John is a Platinum Powerseller on eBay and also has his own website at 3rd Power Outlet http://www.3rdPowerOutlet.com. He brought hip hop merchandise to eBay and has had great success with this very finely crafted niche market.  John is a pillar of the PESA community and he has brought a fresh new look to both eBay and eCommerce. 

 John Lawson is a straight shooter, a matter of fact kind of guy and he has little time for BS artists or scammers.  I wonder why I like him...

John gained a greater audience, or dare I say his very first national audience through my insistence that he guest post here on the Trading Assistant Journal.  You can review his guest post writings and other mentions on this site here.

John has since started his own eCommerce blog or videoblog and named it ColderICE.  

He seems to be more comfortable in front of the video camera than at a keyboard and I am less excited about doing video blogs than writing. 

To each his own. 

We have remained steady friends since the day we met thanks to Scot Wingo and his Channel Advisor Catalyst conference. Some may be surprised at John and I being friends if they had followed our political battle on Twitter over the last several months.  Yet, we never have let the politics cloud our respect for one another, even in the heat of battle. 

You can follow John on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/ColderICE

My Twitter account can be found here: http://twitter,com/Scott_Pooler

John and I are very different people, yet we have a great deal in common.  We each come from very different backgrounds and may have never met if it were not for a common interest.  That interest is making money on the Internet. 

Our friendship is based upon more than this one thing however. 

John Lawson and I are each very interested in, and good at, looking at the big picture when it come to the overall business of selling online. More importantly, we each, in our own way, have found ways to share what we think is important information with the world through blogs and videos.  We get a lot of fulfillment from helping people to understand what we wish we had understood when we each started. 

So, back to this Wednesday 1:14 question...

On Wednesday - This Wednesday November 11,2008 @ precisely 1:14 Eastern Standard Time a new Internet talk show and podcast will be born. 

• No Nonsense

• No Sugarcoating

• No self promotion

The idea is simple, No BS eCommerce, eBay and eBusiness.  We won't be selling and DVD sets and we won't be pulling any punches when it comes to sharing our opinions about anything to do with the industry.  We know that as co-hosts we will not always agree on every subject but this is also what we think will make us unique. 

The show is scheduled to air on Talkshoe every Wednesday @ 1:14 in the afternoon.  Why 1:14?  I will let John tell you that... but it has it's own significance.

(Talkshoe link with appear on the Agents of Revenue site soon)

I am building a new website for the show, and it is not quite finished.  But the home page can be found at either http://agentsofrevenue.com or http://agents-of-revenue.com

The website will have a email form available for all of you to send us your questions, topic suggestions, or other interesting and useful information. The show will only be on for 1/2 hour per week so we will not get to everyone's questions, but be assured... if its a good one, we will discuss it live.

Why "Agents of Revenue" as a name? 

We just kinda landed there while discussing the concept of the show.  We want to impart information which will help people produce what really counts, and that's real honest cold hard cash - or positive revenue. 

We also want to enforce a no BS atmosphere and be matter of fact about what it takes to become revenue positive in eBusiness.  Part of the show may be dedicated to John and I duking it out in a point counter point style on some subjects but overall we just want to bring a fresh, no nonsense perspective to the space.

The fedora hats are a Blues Brothers or Elliott Ness reference, they signify our goal of being straight shooters and honest advisors. 

OK the Blues Brothers were neither, but they were very cool...  they wanted to help the Sister, and they were ultimately very good at what they did for a living.   

Elliot Ness just got the bad guys and he was Untouchable...

OK - along these lines comes a comment from one of the readers here on the Trading assistant Journal...

I am including it here because, once again I was answering the comment, in comments, and found myself writing an article length response.  Also, because the original post:

Has eBay spoiled merchants with its renowned “Firehose of Traffic” 

Is intended to be a bit of an eCommerce Reality Check.

Just A Thought

I have to agree with most of your points Scott, but I do take exception to the ‘eBay owes you nothing’ claim. Any merchant (and eBay is selling a service here) that takes your money (list fees) owes you the service they agreed to provide.

You can argue that eBay’s only agreement is to provide a place to host your listings… but that ignores the fact that eBay is no longer just a passive venue and is in fact becoming more and more ‘involved’ in it’s sellers businesses. When a ‘venue’ can dictate what you can or cannot list (when did the government pass that baton to eBay?), and then dictate what forms of payment you can accept (when did good old US dollars stop being “legal tender for all debts, public and private”?), and can, and DOES, dictate the amount of exposure to traffic that you receive (even tho you pay the same fees for this service as everyone else)… that’s no longer ‘just a venue’.

And are they really providing the services paid for? Perhaps it is eBay who are not taking responsibility for the future of their business, chasing the almighty quarterly earnings rather than building a sound foundation for generations of growth. Or did that change with the advent of the Internet as well? I must be missing a whole lotta memos!

Overall - a great article, and much in line with my own thinking. I just think eBay needs to ‘fess up and admit that there’s too much ‘disruption’ and not enough ‘innovation’ going on these days.

 My reply is here:

@ Just A Thought

First, let me say thank you for your comment(s)!

Your points are also well expressed and quite valid.

My point was not to argue the merits of the eBay changes and how they have affected sellers large and small.  This has been done here and elsewhere at great lengths.

My point is....

• It is your business.
• It's up to you who you do business with.

If you do not feel as though your getting what you have paid for, and some would argue that the eBay seller agreement has become so convoluted that no one really knows what they are paying for, then stop paying and move on.

Divert some of the energy and revenue towards another endeavor which will be more productive for you and your business.  If that is another selling venue - OK, if it is your own eCommerce website - Great!

The time and effort we have all spent worrying about how or why eBay has changed the way it operates and then lamenting and demanding that they change to accommodate us... has all been wasted.

eBay will not alter the course they have set for themselves no matter what we on the outside think of that course. 

What do do then?

Set your own course... find a new way.  Step back and evaluate the situation without the eBay blinders on.  Make decisions based on your future.

Invest in your business, not eBay's business.  Unless eBay is helping your business it is not an investment, it is a loss. If eBay is helping your business, as it has many, it is worth the investment but you must balance your exposure and weigh that against the actual gain derived from selling on the "venue".

I have spent untold thousands of dollars per month on eBay fees in the past.  This was a decision I made and went along with because I was on the eBay bandwagon thinking there was no other way. 

But then I realized, there is another way...

I am no longer paying eBay fees in that stratosphere. It just stopped paying off for me. I changed my business but I still sell on eBay.  It is not an all or nothing proposition.

There are other ways, other opportunities, new courses to set.

You can run a business less on eBay than on your own determination.  Invest in yourself.

Once again, I am not advocating walking away from eBay just for the sake of "I'll show you"... If your making money on eBay - STAY ON EBAY.

I will also not spend any time defending eBay's new direction.  But I know that direction is in motion and the momentum has already begun to take eBay on a path away from the average small business seller.  This is nothing any one of us can alter.  All we can do is change ourselves. Either change your business to fit into eBays new direction, or start finding a new way to do business.  It is as simple as that.

Reality Check

• eBay sets its own rules.

• I set mine - you should do the same.

One of the biggest pain points for buyers on eBay is the checkout process.  

With all of the third party solutions and off eBay checkout links there is no standardization of the payment process.  

eBay aims to correct this mess and we have seen the first steps taken to do so with the elimination of paper payments.

While not everyone agrees with the ban on checks and money order payments, it could be supposed that most small merchants would appreciate an integrated merchant account capability within the eBay checkout itself. This would allow everyday merchants the ability to shop for merchant services accounts which fit thier needs and budget and still offer the buyer a choice to check out with a credit card at the time of purchase directly within eBay.

That day is almost here...

 

Processing Merchant Credit Cards through eBay Checkout

Posted by Laurel Kline in Product News 
Tuesday, Oct.07.2008, 6:27 PM PT

 

Per our announcement in August, all items listed on the eBay site must be paid for with an approved electronic payment method, which includes credit card acceptance through merchant accounts.

We know it's important for sellers to be able to offer their own merchant credit cards to buyers. In the past, you had to complete your merchant credit card transaction off of eBay. That's awkward for sellers, and can be unsafe for buyers.

Fortunately we're adding support for merchant credit cards to eBay Checkout, so you can integrate your Internet merchant account directly into the eBay Checkout flow. Buyers will be able to enter their merchant credit card information on the eBay Checkout page, and the processing and confirmation happens immediately.

To take advantage of integrating your Internet merchant account into eBay Checkout, you'll need to sign up for the Payflow online payment gateway. Normally online payment gateways charge a fee for processing your transactions, but we'll be waiving your fee for this service.

Sign-up  opens  in January 2009. You'll need to provide  information from your Internet merchant account, so we know who should be handling your payments during checkout. You must complete sign up by end of March 2009.

This new feature does not affect users of 3rd party checkout or the PayPal Payflow Proproduct. You can continue using your existing payment processing solution.

However, even users  of 3rd party checkout must register with Payflow  by the March 2009 deadline to verify their Internet merchant account. You don't have to use Payflow as your gateway, you just need to let us know that you're using someone.

Payflow Pro is a secure, reliable payment gateway. The payment gateway sends billing information to banks to authorize, process, and manage payments that come from online, mail, and telephone orders. Financial institutions require billing information for these orders to be transmitted through a certified, secure connection such as the Payflow Pro payment gateway from PayPal.

How is Payflow Pro different from Payflow Link?

Both services are payment gateways. Payflow Pro can be integrated into your website or e-commerce application, so you have complete control over the look, feel, and functionality. With Payflow Pro, your customers don’t leave your site to enter their payment information during the checkout process. Payflow Pro is a scalable, fully-integrated payment processing solution, so it is ideal for businesses with moderate to large number of transactions.

Our other payment gateway, Payflow Link, is more suitable for low to moderate number of transactions. With Payflow Link, your customers go to a PayPal-hosted payment page with limited customization.

Payflow Link is a service designed for merchants who require a simple solution for accepting payments on the Web.

The Payflow Link service is a hosted order form service that allows your customer to securely input their credit card information on the PayPal secure payment server. Shopping cart providers link customers to Payflow Link during checkout.

All transactions take place on PayPal's secure servers, eliminating the need for merchants to acquire their own secure certificate for their web store. Customers can enter their credit card or check data during checkout and be sure that their information is transferred securely to PayPal to authorize and complete their order.

Please see my Twitter Feed Here:http://twitter.com/Scott_Pooler

Prior to the "Investor Relations" teleconference, eBay will lay-off 10% of its workforce while the stock price hovers near a 5 year low.

I am scheduled to tune in to the investor relations call, and hope to gleen some sort of further insight from the information presented, but be assured eBay will promote this as a good move.  It remains to be seen if Wall Street agrees (what with Wall Street having its own problems of late). 

I will follow up after the early Monday call....

Oh, and sorry if you are one of the eBay employees packing up your desk today, really... I know it hurts.

 

eBay Inc. Buys Leading Payments and Classifieds Businesses, Streamlines Existing Organization To Improve Growth

SAN JOSE, Calif., October 6, 2008 – eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) today announced two acquisitions that significantly extend the company's leadership position in online payments and classifieds. In payments, the company is acquiring the U.S.-based online payments business Bill Me Later® for approximately $820 million in cash and approximately $125 million in outstanding options. In classifieds, the company has acquired Denmark's leading online classifieds site dba.dk and vehicles site bilbasen.dk for approximately $390 million in cash. 

The company also announced plans to reduce its global workforce by approximately 10 percent, affecting about 1,000 employees in addition to several hundred temporary workers and the reduction of open positions. The global reduction is intended to simplify and streamline eBay's organization, improve the company's cost structure and strengthen the overall competitiveness of the company's existing businesses. The reduction is expected to result in pretax restructuring charges of approximately $70 million to $80 million, with the charges predominantly recorded in the fourth quarter of 2008. 

"We are making aggressive moves to strengthen our leadership positions in e-commerce and payments to competitively position our company for long-term growth," said John Donahoe, eBay Inc.'s president and chief executive officer. "Bill Me Later is a perfect complement to our portfolio, a company that belongs with PayPal. Together, PayPal and Bill Me Later will make online payments safer, easier and more convenient than ever."

"Our classifieds acquisition gives us another market leadership position in Europe for this rapidly growing part of our portfolio," Donahoe said. "We are the global leader in classifieds with top positions in Canada, Australia, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom, and sites in more than 1,000 cities across 20 countries. The acquisition of dba.dk and bilbasen.dk gives us technology and expertise we can leverage across our classifieds portfolio to create better customer experiences." 

Commenting on the company's workforce reduction, Donahoe said: "While never an easy decision to make, these reductions will help improve our operations and strengthen our ability to continue investing in growth."

The company also stated it expects to hit the low end of its Q3 2008 revenue guidance and exceed GAAP and non-GAAP earnings per share guidance as issued in conjunction with its second quarter earnings release on July 16. eBay is scheduled to announce third quarter results on October 15. 

More information about Bill Me Later and dba.dk and bilbasen.dk can be found in separate press releases issued by the company today.

eBay Inc. will host an investor conference call today at 5:30 a.m. PDT to discuss this announcement. A live webcast of the conference call can be accessed through the eBay Investor Relations Web site at http://investor.ebay.com. An archive of the webcast will be accessible through the same link. 

About eBay Inc.
Founded in 1995, eBay Inc. connects hundreds of millions of people around the world every day, empowering them to explore new opportunities and innovate together. eBay Inc. does this by providing the Internet platforms of choice for global commerce, payments and communications. Since its inception, eBay Inc. has expanded to include some of the strongest brands in the world, including eBay, PayPal, Skype, StubHub, Shopping.com, and others. eBay Inc. is headquartered in San Jose, California.

Forward Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements relating to the future performance of our businesses that are based on its current expectations, forecasts and assumptions. Those statements involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from those discussed. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, the receipt and timing of regulatory approval for the acquisition of Bill Me Later; the possibility that the acquisition of Bill Me Later may not close; the reaction of consumers and customers to the transactions; downturns in the financial markets and the credit industry; the future growth of Bill Me Later and Den Bla Avis and BilBasen, the reaction of competitors to the transactions, the possibility that integration following the transactions may be more difficult than expected; the timing, impact and execution of the Company's workforce reduction plan and the extent of the employees impacted; the increasing need to grow revenues from existing users in established markets; an increasingly competitive environment for eBay's businesses; the complexity of managing a growing company with a broad range of businesses; the company's need to manage regulatory, tax, IP and litigation risks (including risks specific to PayPal and the financial industry); the need to upgrade technology and customer service infrastructure at reasonable cost while adding new features and maintaining site stability; foreign-exchange-rate fluctuations; changes in political, business, and economic conditions; the company's ability to profitably expand its business model to new types of merchandise and sellers; and the impact and integration of recent and future acquisitions.

INVESTOR CONTACT:
Vandana Hariharan
eBay Inc.
408-376-5877