Category Archives: eBay Business

Tamebay's Sue Bailey – Distilling The Truth About eBay

Posted on by
Reply

Sue Bailey...

...of Tamebay fame is not known by any means as an eBay basher or even a detractor.  She has been promoting the eBay system of selling on Tamebay.com for a long time.  Readers of the Trading Assistant Journal may not be familiar with Tamebay but in the eBay space, this UK based blog is required reading.

Today Sue Bailey posted an article on Tamebay which in my mind presents the view of global sellers on eBay in a very succinct and reasonable way.  Sue touches on almost every aspect of the frustration and the disappointment eBay sellers are feeling.  Her points are well intended and in my view quite accurate.

We all have been saying eBay is not the only game in town any longer, Sue has distilled this point into a pure and mineral free statement of the facts.

Read these excerpts for yourself here, or follow the link to the article and read it in its entirety on Tamebay. Continue reading “Tamebay's Sue Bailey – Distilling The Truth About eBay” »

FP30 eBay Listing Format Fixed Price 30 Days – Velocity and IT Dilemma

Posted on by
Reply

Surprise

I was surprised after a presentation I gave at the Product Sellers Seminar with a question from an eBay seller who did not know anything about the new fixed price 30 day format on eBay. The persons question was not a surprise, the fact that anyone who has an eBay account and did not get a notice or a phone call about the FP30 program was my quandary. 

Here I thought everyone knew...

OK - for those of you who did not know about this change ( I know, another change at eBay - groan in unison), here is eBay's explanation of the program.

Fixed Price - 30 Days

Starting September 16, we are lowering the listing fee for all items sold via the fixed price format to only 35 cents, and a special rate of only 5 cents through the end of the year for Buy It Now™ fixed price listings in the Media categories (Books, Video Games, Music and DVDs/Movies) using pre-filled item information. (See our new Fixed Price fee structure here.)

Accordingly, we are shifting the majority of our costs for most categories to the back end (final value fees), which you only pay if you're successful in selling an item. In extremely competitive e-commerce categories such as Consumer Electronics, Cameras and Computers, we're decreasing final value fees. This means we're giving you an even bigger incentive to list these types of items on eBay.

In addition to the pricing change, we're extending the listing duration of all Buy It Now™ fixed price listings to 30 days, up from seven with an option for automatic renewal. For sellers whose items that may take longer to sell, this change will be a huge cost reduction and time saver. Taken together, these two big changes – 35 cents for up to 30 days - represent a 70 percent reduction in listing fees on fixed price items

My original take on Fixed price 30 days is that its a good thing but as with all things eBay - it depends...

Depends upon: Continue reading “FP30 eBay Listing Format Fixed Price 30 Days – Velocity and IT Dilemma” »

Jet Blue Breaks eBay Terms of Service Offering Numerous "Mystery" Auctions

Posted on by
Reply

Jet Blue has gained a lot of notoriety with the recent announcement the Airline would be auctioning off flights on eBay. Unfortunately the big box retailer of airfare and travel packages apparently has not read the eBay rulebook or terms of service and has begun breaking the very same rules standard sellers on eBay must abide by within the first week of Jet Blue/eBay operations.

Jet Blue offers Mystery Auctions on eBay - breaking an eBay policy announced May 19, 2008 by: John McDonald of eBay Trust and Safety.

John McDonald - eBay

John McDonald - eBay

Mystery Auctions prohibited
Due to the high rate of claims and bad buying experiences related to these listings, starting early June, the Chance Policy will now also include Mystery Auctions as a prohibited item.

Mystery Auction by Jet Blue ended at $3,350.00 with 40 Bids

The Jet Blue listing above offered a "Mystery Auction" with the following ad text:

PACK YOUR PASSPORT AND SUNSCREEN AND JET AWAY TO A “MYSTERY” TROPICAL DESTINATION
Plus, get a complimentary $100 food and beverage credit**
Get ready for an exciting travel adventure! This JetBlue Getaways vacation package includes roundtrip flights for two (2) and five day/four nights accommodations at a 4 star Marriott resort in one of JetBlue’s tropical destinations such as St. Maarten, Bermuda, Cancun, Aruba, or Puerto Plata.
Your final destination will be revealed at the end of the auction so bid now! VALID PASSPORT AND DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED
FLIGHT DETAILS
Roundtrip flight on JetBlue Airways for two (2) people:

JFK -New York, NY (or valid connecting city via JFK) to Mystery Destination

Please note - VALID PASSPORT AND DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED

The Chance Policy on eBay Defines Mystery Auctions This way:

Mystery Items:

Mystery items are listings where the seller doesn't specifically identify the contents, number, quality or condition of the items for sale. Mystery item listings are not permitted.

We suppose Jet Blue could say that a flight to an unknown destination which requires a Passport is not a mystery... but how many regular eBay sellers would be allowed to dance this fine line of semantics? As an eBay seller myself, I am painfully aware of how the rules can be very specific in some cases and not so much in others. In this case, I think Jet Blue got a "pass' from eBay...

The fact is Jet Blue offered an item for sale on eBay and they did not define what exactly the bidders would receive in exchange for the $3,350.00 final bid.  Jet Blue auctioned off a chance to receive an undefined item. This is the definition of a Mystery Auction and Jet Blue called it a Mystery Auction boldly in the description. Resulting in a clear violation of the eBay terms of service and the listing should not have been allowed.

eBay has allowed numerous instances "Mystery Auctions" as presented by Jet Blue however, as of the date and time this publication several of these Mystery listing have closed with winning bidders who obstensably have no idea what it is they have won or where they may go... No "Mystery Auctions" are currently live on eBay however.

The point here is not that Jet Blue is defrauding anyone. I have every confidence the winners of these packages will receive their money's worth from the airline... The point is eBay has turned its head away from a violation of listing policies for one of the new big box vendors they recently have courted with rumoured discounted fee structures and other incentives, something they swore would never happen.  eBay made a promise to the long standing sellers and users of the eBay platform which stated that something like this would or could never occur...

Well it has, on multiple occasions.

For the record, I have stated in public that I am not against Jet Blue offering flights or travel packages on eBay... I am against them getting away with breaking eBay terms of service that the rest of the community of sellers must abide by...

What do you think?

Free Product Sellers Seminar September 17th – See You There!

Posted on by
Reply

Learning about online sales is a ever more involved and challenging task. Where to go, what to read, who to listen to and the ever important How much does it cost?

We are all familiar with the numerous seminars and trade shows held around the country. Some with low registration fees and others with seemingly outrageous up front attendance fees which eliminate all but the most serious attendees.  Add other expenses to the registration costs like hotel, airfare, gasoline, food and the costs of attending even the most modest of seminars begin to intimidate would be Internet marketers.

What to do, if you want to learn, but you don't want to spend?

Well, how about a free 3 day conference which provides experts from around the world - For Free?

Thats right - Completely Free The Product Sellers Seminar Sponsored by: Michelle Waters of Product Sellers Talk Radio

Major Change In eBay View Item Page Due – During Holiday Season

Posted on by
Reply

From the eBay Developer blog comes a bit of news... 

We all know eBay has been testing a new look and feel for the view item page. I agree the format should be changed a bit to freshen up the entire eBay site. But take a look at the changed design and then read the rest of the story....

New View Item Page in Sandbox

Posted by Laurel Kline in Product News & Sandbox
Wednesday, Sep.10.2008, 5:43 PM PT

 

Want to see how your listing will look in the new View Item page? Head on over to http://sandbox.ebay.com!

The new View Item page is now live in the Sandbox for all listings. This lets you test your listing templates to make sure they'll look good in the new page.

The domain split for the item description is also live. We suggest that all developers and template creators list in the Sandbox so you can test how your template works. You'll be able to catch any unexpected interactions with the iFrame.

The new View Item is being displayed to a small number of users now, but is scheduled to roll to the entire site before the holiday season.

You heard it direct from eBay - this switch is going to occur site wide prior to the Holiday Season!

I know many merchants are already in holiday season mode, my clients have been getting ready for months, so what exactly do the eBay developers mean by "before the holiday season"? Continue reading “Major Change In eBay View Item Page Due – During Holiday Season” »

Jet Blue – Airfare at Auction Site eBay – Fly Cheap – Bid Often

Posted on by
Reply

This is breaking news and I have not had the time today to dedicate to writing a real post about Jet Blue Airways joining eBay.  I apologize, but this will simply be the standard press release until I can sit down and flesh out a real post.

Let me just say this move has potential for eBay, Jet Blue and consumers - I see no reason why any standard eBay seller would be against this...

It's not any of us have a fleet of jet aircraft ready and available to compete with Jet Blue. Jet Blue is not moving in on anyone sellers niche on eBay like Buy.com has and Jet Blue negotiated a sweet deal with eBay - So What. If eBay is a dealing mood, why shouldn't any smart company like Jet Blue not take advantage of the opportunity?

In any case, I have to run... I will edit this post or create a new one at a later date... In the mean time, let me know what you think? Is this some awful conspiracy against travel agents? Has eBay gone off their rocker? Well, OK thats a given, but....

JetBlue Airways is Nickel-and-Diming Fares! Flights and Vacation Packages Now Up for Bid On eBay Starting At Five and Ten Cents* Each

300+ Roundtrip Flights, Two Getaways Vacations and Four,
Four-Star "Mystery Destination" Packages Up for Bid

Bidding Open Today Through September 14 At www.jetblue.com/ebay

Airline Becomes First to Sell Last-Minute Flights and Packages On eBay

NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Value airline JetBlue Airways Corporation (Nasdaq:JBLU) today announced it is auctioning more than 300 roundtrip flights and six JetBlue Getaways Vacation packages on eBay, the world's largest online marketplace, with opening bids starting at a nickel or a dime (*taxes and fees apply). Customers can join in the online auction action at www.jetblue.com/ebay from today through September 14.

The first airline to sell last-minute flights and packages on eBay, JetBlue, JetBlue is offering flights and packages to more than 20 destinations, including four mystery JetBlue Getaways Vacation packages -- two "No Passport Necessary" and two "Pack Your Passport" -- to exciting undisclosed locations. Each mystery Getaways vacation package includes flights for two and hotel accommodation at a four-star Marriott property.

"We're putting the price of spontaneous weekend trips this fall into the hands of our customers," said Don Uselmann, Manager of Business Development for JetBlue Airways. "This is their chance to compete to get the best deals on flights and vacation packages to many of JetBlue's most exciting destinations -- on their own terms. And no matter what flight they win, our lucky eBay customers, like every JetBlue customer, will enjoy our award-winning in-flight experience -- 36 channels of DIRECTV, 100 XM Satellite Radio stations, Dunkin' Donuts coffee, lots of legroom, and delicious brand name snacks and sodas -- for free**."

JetBlue's three-day, five-day and seven-day auctions on eBay include one and two person roundtrip, weekend flights in September from cities including: Boston, Chicago, New York, Orlando, Salt Lake City, Fort Lauderdale and Southern California. In addition, JetBlue Getaways Vacation packages, including airfare and a four-night hotel stay for two are also up for bid to Las Vegas and Nassau, Bahamas. Outbound travel packages take place on Thursdays and Fridays, returning Sundays and Mondays. All travel must be complete by Monday, October 6, 2008.

Trading Assistant Jobs – Business Owner Offers Full Time TA Employment

Posted on by
Reply

Maybe we should start a job board for Trading Assistants ? 

It does not come up real often, but listings like the one seen below are posted all over the country from time to time. 

Business owners really do not have the time to learn all of the ins and outs of listing merchandise on eBay or elsewhere on the internet (although they should take the time). Hiring a Trading Assistant full time could be a good move.

Think about it... the deal is good for both parties, the TA gets the satisfaction of selling stuff on eBay and a regular pay check, and the business owner gets years of experience dealing with the ins and outs of a very confusing marketplace.  One caveat however, the TA in question should be a specialist with experience in the types of products the business owner is marketing. 

At famousfashionsfound.com we are looking for someone to write and manage ebay listings for our products.  Take a look at the website to see the kinds of products we sell.  If you have experience selling on ebay and have an interest in fashion, we could use your help.

If you have experience with multiple language auction sites, even better.  Leave a comment with some information about your experience and a contact method.  (These comments will not be published.)

Please email us at:
     info@famousfashionsfound.com

Famous Fashions Found
     869 E. 4500 South, Ste. 302
     Salt Lake City, UT  84107
     USA

Amazon vs eBay? – Cliff Aliperti's Inside Scoop on Amazon FBA

Posted on by
10
Cliff Aliperti - Guest Blogger

Cliff Aliperti - Guest Blogger

Cliff Aliperti is known in some circles (Twitter - Land) as the eBay buyer/Amazon seller.

Cliff Aliperti specializes in paper goods and collectibles and is a long time eBay seller and buyer. He has a nifty blog/website called "things and other stuff" which focuses on his passion for these items he collects and sells.

Recently Cliff has ventured into the world of Amazon and Amazon FBA as a merchant and he is quite active on Twitter discussing with excitement his daily purchases on eBay and then subsequent sales on Amazon through the FBA program.

I asked Cliff to explain Amazon FBA to our readers here at the Trading Assistant Journal because we are always aware of the desire to look outside of eBay and learn about eBay competition. Naturally Amazon is one of the first places eBay sellers think about when considering a switch.

I think Cliff's frank and honest story reveals two constants.

  • It is not always greener on the other side of the fence - but sometimes it is cooler.
  • The tournament is always easier to win - When you know how to play the game.

I want to extend my personal thanks to Cliff for this amazing insight into Amazon FBA, not only is it a great story, but when told from the perspective of a long time eBay seller it brings the ring of truth rarely found in these types of reviews. Thanks Cliff!

Amazon FBA from a eBay Powersellers perspective: by: Cliff Aliperti

You ever get that feeling that you're dealing with a bunch of idiots who know less about the company that they work for than you do?

This was my start to selling on Amazon.

I'd never sold on Amazon before, wait, that's not true.  At the time of my return in Spring 2008 I had one seller feedback from an old Z-Shops sale back in 2000.  That was almost embarrassing.

Then sometime in 2007 I signed up for one of their web stores under a free trial, quickly became confused, then irritated, then shut down well before the trial was up.  I left shaking my head content to continue selling on eBay.

Then I started reading Randy Smythe's My Blog Utopia! and his adventures with something called FBA and little by little the thought of trying out Amazon one more time sprouted.

Amazon FBA

Amazon FBA

Amazon FBA

FBA is the acronym for Fulfillment by Amazon.  Basically, you take your product, list them for sale on Amazon, click a button to convert them from merchant fulfilled (ie: you pack it up and ship it out after a sale) to fulfilled by Amazon.  Then you just have to put some identifying labels on your goods, box 'em up, ship 'em out, and sit back while Amazon fulfills your customers orders.

The Goods Will Move! Continue reading “Amazon vs eBay? – Cliff Aliperti's Inside Scoop on Amazon FBA” »

How Big is eBay? Global Aquisitions and Investments

Posted on by
Reply

eBay Global
eBay Global

One way to measure a company is by its acquisitions.

eBay has not been overly successful in the eyes of investors with a majority of its acquisitions. To be sure, there are some notable flops in the list below. 

However the flops fly, there are also some superstar Investments in this list. 

I thought we would present a list of all of the eBay purchases over the years in one place, (at least all we could find) just to give everyone a better idea of how big and what kind of global reach eBay really has.

(Not all aquisition prices found) - Believed to be accurate but not guaranteed

1998-07-16 Up4Sale.com Online auction  United States]
1999-04-27 Butterfield & Butterfield Auction house  United States $260,000,000
1999-05-18 Billpoint E-commerce payment systems  United States
1999-06-22 Alando Auction house  Germany $43,000,000
2000-06-13 Half.com Online marketplace  United States $318,000,000
2000-12-12 Precision Buying Service E-commerce payment systems  United States
2001-01-08 Internet Auction Co. Online auction  South Korea $120,000,000
2001-03-05 iBazar Online auction  France $66,000,000
2001-10-01 MercadoLibre.com Online auction  Argentina 
2002-07-08 PayPal E-commerce payment systems  United States $1,500,000,000
2003-01-31 CARad.com Online auction  United States
2003-07-11 EachNet Electronic commerce  China $150,000,000
2004-06-22 Baazee.com Online auction  India $50,000,000 
2004-08-14 Craigslist Classified advertising  United States $250,000,000 (25% Stake)
2004-11-10 Marktplaats.nl Online auctions  Netherlands $290,000,000]
2004-12-16 Rent.com Classified advertising  United States $415,000,000
2005-05-18 Loquo Classified advertising  Spain
2005-05-19 Gumtree Classified advertising  United Kingdom
2005-06-02 Shopping.com Online shopping  United States $620,000,000
2005-06-30 OpusForum.org Classified advertising  Germany
2005-09-13 Skype Voice over Internet Protocol  United States $2,600,000,000
2006-03-09 Meetup.com Social network service  United States $10,000,000 
2006-04-24 Tradera Online auction  Sweden $48,000,000
2007-01-10 StubHub Electronic commerce  United States $310,000,000
2007-05-03 GittiGidiyor Electronic commerce  Turkey
2007-05-30 StumbleUpon Canada $75,000,000

Various Sources - Including Wikipedia,.com

Did eBay buy anything this year?

Free Shipping Incentive on eBay – Will sellers take the bait?

Posted on by
Reply

As reported by Sue Bailey (Biddy) in Tamebay:

Free shipping incentives

From October to December, sellers who offer free shipping will get free subtitle on their listings, and double PowerSeller discount if they’re eligible for this.

As an incentive for free shipping, this is a little weak...

eBay subtitles have never had much impact on sales as they are not indexed in search. The money spent on subtitles is usually just funds tossed to the wind except in very specific cases, so how does eBay expect a free subtitle incentive offer to inspire knowledgeable sellers to give away free shipping?

Double Powerseller discounts might be a good thing, if one qualifies and if the seller dashboard reports the DSR's correctly.

In my case the seller dashboard says I qualify for a discount, but no discount was applied.  I wonder how many other sellers have encountered this mysterious issue? i.e. These are not factors which can be depended upon for business planning when the seller dashboard can change on a daily basis and the Powerseller discount is grabbed at a date and time that suits eBay for calculation purposes.

Free shipping is a myth

Nothing in life is free and shipping is no exception. The cost of "free" shipping is always added to the final selling price.

In the case of eBay, offering "free" shipping only increases eBays take on every transaction.  Now with the increase in final value fees, offering free shipping increases a sellers costs in two ways. eBay final value fees and PayPal payment fees are both calculated on the final selling price of an item.

Sellers Take The Bait?

Offering a 50 cent incentive for a feature most sellers do not use, in exchange for higher costs on the back end is a crafty way to increase eBays take...

But will sellers take the bait?

Also from Tamebay:

Special deals for Media categories

Until the end of the year, IFs for listings in Media categories which utilise pre-filled information are just 5c. This should help off-set the pain of a 15% FVF for the under-$50 sale price tranche.

Likely to cause more anger amongst Media sellers, however, is the introduction of maximum shipping prices. Perhaps some US Media sellers would like to comment on this, but the prices set seem very low to me: $4 for an antiquarian book looks like an impossibility. Sellers will be required to offer at least one shipping option within the maximum permitted range: they will also be allowed to offer other more expensive options for expedited or international shipping.

Very good points Sue Bailey!

Media sellers may have to subsidize the shipping costs for rare or heavy items in their category, this will only lead to increased pricing and a reduction in competetive advantage (if any existed) with Amazon.com in the media categories.

eBay seems to have a plan and I am all for changing things up... but some of these recent changes may take a while to completely understand.

Free Shipping is Never Free, if sellers are supposed to offer Free shipping, why does eBay not offer free listing?

It costs much more to deliver an item than it does to display that same item on a web page.