Auction Blog

This week I continue my cook’s tour of eBay and all things scam related. I visited a site that I’ve actually followed for quite awhile, one that is driven by a crusty old bird named “Doc”…one of those eBay stories of a once contented seller, done wrong, who now makes it his sworn duty to expose the width and breadth of scams on the site. And to that end, ol’ Doc has done quite a job. While he concentrates on the eBay Motors side of the business, he nevertheless manages to document an incredibly wide range of bad goings-on with extensive screen captures and data.

On my last show, I pointed out that Paypal’s new security device worked well. What it underscores is that in all of the concern for phishing on eBay, it still remains the responsibility of every user to protect themselves as best they can…and one of the easiest, yet most overlooked means of defense is a good, secure password. Listen in as I describe how to make your password virtually unhackable.

HitTail’s blog points out what I’ve been saying about the cost of traffic on-line. You are paying for it, you will pay for it…even if you’re not readily aware of doing so.

A good post on TheStreet.com regarding eBay and Skype.

Haven’t heard much about drop-off stores lately, have we? There’s as site that is run by drop-off store survivors that does a very good job of educating anyone who will listen as to the economic pitfalls of drop store franchising.

Michael Rappa details the basics of doing business on-line with his post on Business Models on the Web.

A good site to begin any business on-line is one where you can search for expiring domains that may just fit perfectly for what you have in mind…the right domain with some history under its belt might just give your business a jump start.

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Links from this week’s show:

Power Press Web Site Marketing Strategy - Write press releases that will drive traffic and buyers to your website or auction. Normally $37.97, you can receive $10 Off ($27.97) by entering “lonelyboy” (omit the ” “) in the Promo Code box.

e-Junkie - The best digital download manager available. Enter code: “SELL101″ for a one month’s free service.

GoDaddy Discount - Get $96 in Free Extras with your domain name from GoDaddy.com. Each domain includes free hosting with a Web site builder, a free Blog, Complete Email and much more. Enter code “pod54″ and get 10% off your order.

eBay Motors Sucks - Don’t let the name put you off…Doc has assembled quite a bit of information and documented it well with screen captures, many of which eBay has deleted.

Auction Count Mayhem - Doc’s page on the wild swings in auction counts that he and others maintain are examples of a wide spread attack on the site.

Doc’s Example of an eBay Phishing Kit - Another example of exactly how attacks are conducted and how easily available the tools are to do so.

HashaPass - Hashapass automatically generates strong passwords from a master password and a parameter.

Google Gadget Password Generator - Similar to HashaPass.

HitTail Article on the Cost of Free Traffic on the Web - Well written article.

Am I The Only One eBay Drop-off Store Franchise Information - A great site to visit before to make the leap.

eXpiresoft - Another’s expiring domain may just be your head-start.

Crowd Clout - TrendWatching piece on the power of crowds when it comes to purchasing.

Open Source Code for eBay Listings - By creating eBay listings related to the content using a simple ASP function call you can set up variables and call eBayDisplayItems function to create unique eBay listing choosing the correct keywords and searching category.

Free Directory List - In bound links.

Tags: eBay_scams, phishing, passwords, hacking,

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Evidence of Things Not Seen; What eBay Denies in Plain Sight - Hack-Proof Passwords - Web Business Models - Expiring Domains - Crowd Clout

One of the most effective means for sellers to manipulate auction display on eBay, namely auction extensions, is apparently no longer going to be allowed. I say apparently since there has been no formal announcement from eBay. However, according to Scott Wingo’s eBay Strategies Blog, both manual and automatic extensions are now considered a form of fee avoidance. Listen in as I explain what you missed, why you missed it and how you’re going to miss it.

The London Sunday Times is trumpeting a startling headline:

“CUSTOMERS of the internet auction site eBay are being defrauded by unscrupulous dealers who secretly bid up the price of items on sale to boost profits.”

The dogged reporter who revealed this amazing bit of news is rumored to be working on an equally amazing story regarding heliocentrism and the sound of one hand clapping.

According to Slashdot, the growing popularity of Massively Multiplayer games has brought the issue of ownership rights in virtual worlds, and the appropriateness of what is called ‘real money transfer’ (RMT) into an increasingly public light. So much so that eBay is in the process of ending all auctions dealing with such “virtual property”. Confused? It is actually a quite fascinating glimpse into not only virtual worlds but also the very real idea of virtual economies. Meanwhile, rumors are surfacing that in the near future, Google’s Earth might just offer an alternative reality.
A listener writes in asking whether or not to go with eBay’s keyword suggestions for his eBay Store…its a great question and one whose answer has implications for wherever you are selling on-line.

Ever wonder what the thinking is behind those notorious Penney auctions on eBay? Listen in as I walk you through my purchase of one such auction and the “secret” information revealed.

A wholesale site for purchasing reasonable quantities from China…and one at least that appears legit….Color schemes for your auction templates might just be what you need…Revisiting Jane’s Wholesale, still alive and kicking…a one-stop site for everything related to cameras and photography, including how to take the best pics of the trickiest surfaces.

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Links from this week’s show:

Power Press Web Site Marketing Strategy - Normally $37.97, you can receive $10 Off ($27.97) by entering “lonelyboy” (omit the ” “) in the Promo Code box.

eBay Nixes Auction Extensions - Scott Wingo’s explains the why a clever, effective and long established means of working eBay auction’s display is now “fee avoidance”.

London Time’s “Revelation” of eBay Shill Bidding - Traditional media scoops the on-line world.

eBay Delisting All Auctions of Virtual Property - There goes the virtual neighborhood.

Fleamarket Guide - Where to go to scratch the itch.

CK South - Everything for the art and business of cake decorating and candy making.

Lovli Community Art Market - Community of people who make art, crafts and handmade products. Well done site.

DHGate Chinese Wholesale Site - “all of your favorite brands, from every small sparkle thing”…sounds like the real thing.

Color Schemes Site/Tool - Trust me, many of your auction templates could use a little more color coordination.

Jane’s Wholesale - Wholesale listings, escrow service.

Camera Jim’s Guide to Auction Photography - Good all around site for tips and recommendations.

Tags: eBay, Virtual_Reality, Auction_Extenders, Wholesale, Google_Earth

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Infoworld posts an interesting article about the underwhelming performance of eBay Express.

In short, the sales aren’t there and this comes as no surprise. The article cites a large seller with some 4,000 items listed in Express, resulting in 33 sales. Anecdotal reports from other sellers, both large and small, report similar results.

Why? Well, it certainly isn’t because of lack of promotion. eBay has been tub-thumping Express vigorously to its membership and via the media since April. The problem is that eBay Express is simply a repositioning of the BIN ( Buy It Now) items from the parent site without any discriminating message that sets it apart as a value or marketing statement. Express items do not represent a unique product set as they are a sub-set of items already available on the parent site.

eBay’s rationale was that “Express” would convey the idea of new items (nothing used is in Express) ready to sell, without the drawn out bidding/auction process. The trouble is, it doesn’t judged by these lackluster results. While urgency is certainly a prime motivator, the marketing of eBay Express demands that potential buyers understand, almost intuitively, the relative difference. And even if they do, that they appreciate and are rewarded for appreciating the difference so much so that they adjust their mind-set regarding the site and thus their browsing habits.

This is a formidable if not impossible task when it comes to eBay. What eBay “means” to the market as a whole has to be realistically understood by those within the company before they set about trumpeting a service that is not a direct extension of whatever the “meaning” is. In eBay’s case, the brand is about first, bargains and secondly about assortment/variety. The speed of transaction has never been a unique statement for eBay. Speed only motivates when juxtaposed (as it is on the parent site) against like-item auction format listings where potential buyers can weigh price against time. There the dynamic makes sense and can actually be used by sellers as a selling strategy by trailing an auction type listing by a listing for the same item at a Buy-It-Now price.

Divorcing the listings from this dynamic renders the BIN items listed and thus eBay Express as simply another e-commerce site, albeit one that still carries with it the inherent problems inherent to the eBay brand itself, namely trust & security…an issue that eBay has only recently begun to address directly regarding the listing of fraudulent brand-name items.

Interestingly, eBay has chosen to emphasize variety (finding “IT” on eBay) rather than the bargain aspect. Why not shout about and thus underscore your most compelling feature, price? As a brand, eBay is as well positioned as any retailer to emphasize price but rarely, if ever, does so. And this pricing advantage is for the most part lost when Express is encountered as a stand alone by buyers. If the buyer finds an item based upon natural search results (on Google, for example), where are they? Do they understand that they are in a sub-set of the site and that their usual encounter with eBay is this time different - “where are the other items/sellers I’m accustomed to seeing?” - and that the heavily advertised “IT”, in terms of variety, is missing as well.

Underestimation or overestimation of your customer’s reasonable and usual expectations when they visit your site should be of paramount concern to any e-commerce site, whether large or small. Confuse yourself about these expectations and I guarantee, your customers will follow suit.

Tags: ebay, ebay_express, marketing,

Source:
eBay Express - Promise Your Customers What They Expect