Auction Blog

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 is not clear. The result is the sort of chaos you would expect from an issue that has festered and plagued both sites for so long. Good sellers as well as bad are feeling the heat; listen in as I explain why its all happening now and why its a much larger issue than just fugazi Fendis.

What to make of Google’s announcement that it will drop merchant fees for Google Checkout through 2007?

A site where you can find 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 buy more on-line but a recent study points out that buyers are searching from the top of their browser, rather than through shopping portals.

A report that a program has been developed that can sniff out fraudulent eBay sellers by interpreting their selling patterns and associations.

Valuable tips on making your auctions or website as buyer friendly as possible.

I examine one particular seller who is making the most of selling straight from the shelf of a huge home furnishing superstore.

M-bags for overseas book selling, an eBay Typepad Widget and a Google gadget to hurry along last minute Christmas buyers.

A web site that demonstrates how defining and marketing to a specific need can easily differentiate you from any other seller selling like items.

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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 list 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).

Researches Announce Anti-Fraud eBay Data Mining Techniques - Detecting on-line auction fraud before it happens.

10 Tips to Make Your Auction or Web Site Customer Centric - Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Don’t Leave These Elements Off Your Auction or Site - 6 essential elements.

eBay Seller Specializing in Big Box Ikea Items - Specialize on what is in the store but not on the store’s web site.

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 - Allows users to list the items they’re selling on eBay within their TypePad blog.

Alzheimer’s Store - Excellent study on how to identify the market and then gather the right items to sell.

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More:
eBay, Overstock.com Hammer Fraudulent Listings - Free Google Checkout - Bill Me Later - Anti-Fraud Program - PayPal Coupons - Ikea - M-Bags - eBay Typepad Widget

How about an interest-free loan for 6 months from your friends at eBay and
PayPal?

If you qualify for PayPal Buyer Credit (hurry, it expires 12/31/06), you can pay no interest and make no payments for 6 months if you spend $500 or more on a transaction.  For
transactions from $50 to $499, the term is 3 months.

eBay clearly intends this to be a holiday shopping promotion but there is no
rule that says you can’t use it to bootstrap yourself into a nice little
profit-making sideline.  Here’s an idea how you might do it:

Remember we talked about scrap metal a few weeks back?  Many of these eBay
precious metal lots contain jewelry that can be repaired or even fashioned into
new items.  You can get just about everything you need to fix gold and silver
jewelry right there on eBay, plus packing materials and labels.  Instant
business.  Roll your profits over and now that you have real cash money, you
can source merchandise from outside of eBay too.  Just keep growing and keep
going.

Even simpler:  Use this promotion to buy commodity items on eBay.  By
commodity, I mean items that keep their value.  Hold for a few weeks and sell
on eBay in January when traditionally sales are brisk.  Sure, you’ll pay eBay
and PayPal fees, but now you have cash and as in the above example, you can
source stuff from anywhere.  When you pay off the loan in late May, the pile of
cash that’s left over is all yours.  Pretty good for starting with zero!

I’m just scratching the surface here.  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,

Read more here:
eBay Interest Free Loan

How about an interest-free loan for 6 months from your friends at eBay and
PayPal?

If you qualify for PayPal Buyer Credit (hurry, it expires 12/31/06), you can pay no interest and make no payments for 6 months if you spend $500 or more on a transaction.  For
transactions from $50 to $499, the term is 3 months.

eBay clearly intends this to be a holiday shopping promotion but there is no
rule that says you can’t use it to bootstrap yourself into a nice little
profit-making sideline.  Here’s an idea how you might do it:

Remember we talked about scrap metal a few weeks back?  Many of these eBay
precious metal lots contain jewelry that can be repaired or even fashioned into
new items.  You can get just about everything you need to fix gold and silver
jewelry right there on eBay, plus packing materials and labels.  Instant
business.  Roll your profits over and now that you have real cash money, you
can source merchandise from outside of eBay too.  Just keep growing and keep
going.

Even simpler:  Use this promotion to buy commodity items on eBay.  By
commodity, I mean items that keep their value.  Hold for a few weeks and sell
on eBay in January when traditionally sales are brisk.  Sure, you’ll pay eBay
and PayPal fees, but now you have cash and as in the above example, you can
source stuff from anywhere.  When you pay off the loan in late May, the pile of
cash that’s left over is all yours.  Pretty good for starting with zero!

I’m just scratching the surface here.  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,

Here is the original:
eBay Interest Free Loan