A few months ago, I told you about Microsoft’s $200 in free advertising and many of you took Brother Billy up on his offer, as did I. Apparently the spirit of giving has spread over to Yahoo, this time to the tune of $100 in free advertising on the Yahoo network. Check the link on [...]

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Google reaches in the spare change drawer and plunks down $3.1 billion for Doubleclick, the Sith Lord of Behavioral Marketing (odds are the first pop-up your pop-up blocker ever blocked was from Doubleclick)…and as Larry & Sergei’s reach grows even broader, it is important to consider what this portends for your business. Ultimately, “Do No [...]

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Ever grow weary of the endless days of the same-old on eBay…the dull humdrum of questions from buyers, missing packages, fee increases? Well, it doesn’t have to be so bad. In fact, you can have a positively “out of body” experience by simply frequenting a host of auctions featuring items such as ” Somniferum Poppy [...]

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Yet another example of a hijacker, this time in Britain, stealing eBay accounts by simply cracking stupid, easily guessed passwords. While eBay ignores such simple steps as qualifying passwords as to difficulty before allowing their use, isn’t it about time you took the time to make the hijacker’s job just a little more difficult? Common wisdom [...]

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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 [...]

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Earlier in the year, a hacker who goes by the name of Vladuz ( supposedly a Romanian), posted screen shots of what was purported to be an internal screen shot of eBay’s internal computer systems. More recently, he has managed to hack his way into eBay’s boards posing as a customer service manager, a [...]

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In a New York Times article, eBay’s President of Marketplaces John Donahoe reveals that after two years at the helm, its about time the staff begins to communicate with one another via Skype and by getting the engineers and the businesspeople to make nice. He also allows that: “Selling newer products on eBay ‘didn?t make any [...]

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The Wall Street Journal reports that eBay and MySpace are in discussions regarding a possible partnership. The idea is to let MySpace users buy and sell items from each other using eBay’s online-commerce technology and its PayPal payment system. Meanwhile, CitiGroup meets with eBay officials and comes away with a targeted list of goals that eBay [...]

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There’s a little company in Redmond Washington that launched a very ambitious site, namely: Windows Live. Strangely enough, there hasn’t been much written about the scope of the effort (some 17 Beta releases) and one particularly that should be of interest for e-commerce sellers, Live Expo. Two weeks ago, I launched an item in Live [...]

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eBay has finally caught up with such radical web 2.0 forces such as J.C.Penney,Woolworth’s and Sears by instituting markdowns in fixed price and store listings. Its a good move to consider using them..that is if you know how and why…listen in as I explain a tactic that is as old as retailing itself. Meanwhile, [...]

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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 [...]

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Well, I’ve finally finished my edit of “The Power Press Web Site Marketing Strategy” and I’m happy to announce it’s finally ready. And as a way of saying thanks, I’d like to extend a special offer to my listeners and readers. Normally $37.97, you can receive $10 Off ($27.97) by entering “lonelyboy” (omit the ” “) in [...]

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Last week Amazon launched Endless.com. This week eBay buys StubHub…one company demonstrating imagination, moxie and insight into its brand while the other goes the route of checkbook expansion. UC Berkeley study confirms what eBay cannot admit; that feedback manipulation is active, blatant and threatens the system. PayPal announces password key “fobs” to strengthen security. Customers (like you) demand [...]

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Amazon’s announcement of its new shoe and handbag site, Endless.com, is about much more than shoes. Listen in as I examine what I believe the real story is and what it means for on-line selling in general. Launched by an award winning veteran of Electronic Arts, the new auction site zeeDive debuts with a very interesting [...]

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Fed-up with all of the changes on eBay and Overstock? Do you think that there ought to be a place where the listings are free and the traffic deep? Then you need to take a minute and venture into the wild and woolly environs of Craigslist. Selling Gold and Silver bullion…maybe you’ve got the Midas Touch [...]

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Behavioral Marketing sounds Orwellian..and perhaps it is. In any case, by understanding your customers not only in terms of the product they are seeking but also in terms of how they search the web, you can effectively drive sales to your most profitable venue. Listen in as I describe how I use eBay auctions to legally [...]

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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 [...]

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Recent controversial changes at Overstock.com Auctions have resulted in an interesting and often heated exchange regarding the future of the marketplace. Listen in as I examine what is being planned, what mistakes were made and where the conversation is headed. Whether or not you actually sell on Overstock, the evolving dialog presents fascinating lessons for [...]

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A close examination of the Top Guides on eBay reveals that a sure-fire way to be popular is to write something anti-PayPal or scam oriented….not exactly what Meg & Bill had in mind. And the number one guide writer, IMHO, is wasting a great opportunity to build out his own site. Microsoft’s adCenter (Their Google Adwords [...]

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An article in the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) asserts that the Big Box stores are making inroads on the internet, making up ground on upstarts like Amazon, eBay and Overstock…maybe yes, maybe no…what can a small seller do? Thinking about starting your own e-commerce store?…or maybe you’ve already made the leap. In either case, wouldn’t [...]

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