Monday, April 07, 2008
Campaign Collectibles
Campaign season is heating up... check out this article on collectibles featuring Presidential candidates.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Atari 2600 Makes Antiques Roadshow
Not sure how I missed this but a segment on collecting Atari 2600 vintage game systems and cartridges turned up on an episode of Antiques Roadshow a while back. (I say that because the clip features Dan Elias, who hasn't been the host for at least a couple seasons.)
FYI, I discovered the clip on The Auction Rebel, a terrific, informative website from seller Gary Hendrickson. Sign up for Gary's newsletter feed and get his free report on more than 200 non-fiction books that sell for $25 or more on eBay.
FYI, I discovered the clip on The Auction Rebel, a terrific, informative website from seller Gary Hendrickson. Sign up for Gary's newsletter feed and get his free report on more than 200 non-fiction books that sell for $25 or more on eBay.
Maybe the Grilled Cheese Sandwich Needs Company
Seems like eBay has only been making news lately with its fee hikes, feedback changes, seller boycotts, and rivals who are trying to turn the site's perceived problems into a marketing strategy.
Nice to see the site getting noticed for a good old oddity – a pretzel shaped like the Virgin Mary.
Nice to see the site getting noticed for a good old oddity – a pretzel shaped like the Virgin Mary.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Got $3 Million? World's Largest LP Collection for Sale on eBay
From Wired Listening Post:
A physical music collection purported to be the largest in the world is on sale on eBay, with a minimum reserve bid of $3 million. The collection includes more than 6 million songs on 3 million records and 300,000 compact discs. If you were to buy the whole thing on iTunes by the song -- not that you'd be able to find all of them -- the collection would run you $5,940,000 (in that sense, $3 million is a bargain).
Update 2/22/08: The auction ended with a winning bid of $3,002,150.00... I'll be curious to see if this item ends up being relisted.
A physical music collection purported to be the largest in the world is on sale on eBay, with a minimum reserve bid of $3 million. The collection includes more than 6 million songs on 3 million records and 300,000 compact discs. If you were to buy the whole thing on iTunes by the song -- not that you'd be able to find all of them -- the collection would run you $5,940,000 (in that sense, $3 million is a bargain).
Update 2/22/08: The auction ended with a winning bid of $3,002,150.00... I'll be curious to see if this item ends up being relisted.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
eBay Announces New Fees and Changes to Feedback
By now you've all read the changes in eBay's fee structure. In a nutshell, insertion fees were lowered, commission fees were raised, and gallery was made free (about time). I haven't crunched the numbers yet for my average sale, but I don't think the fee changes are going to affect me all that much. I'll probably be paying eBay about the same, though more on the back end.
As for the feedback changes, that's the big paradigm shift that people are having trouble coping with. Starting this spring, sellers will no longer be allowed to file negative (or neutral) feedback for a buyer while nothing will change for buyers.
I've been selling on the site for years and have only had a handful of situations where I felt like the only thing I could do was leave a negative: a non-paying bidder who had the nerve to leave negative feedback saying they'd never received the item and an overseas buyer whose inability (or unwillingness) to comprehend overseas shipping led to the most drawn out and unpleasant time I've ever spent on the site.
Unfortunately, those handful of situations led to me breaking with my practice of leaving positive feedback once an item shipped. As far as I had been concerned, you paid and that was your end of the bargain. Anything else is up to me.
Frankly, I think these changes are simply going to push me back in that direction. I really have little recourse as a seller and I have to trust that buyers are going to be honest and trustworthy and not use feedback extortion to try and gouge me. If I see an increase in this, well, my days on eBay may be numbered.
As for the feedback changes, that's the big paradigm shift that people are having trouble coping with. Starting this spring, sellers will no longer be allowed to file negative (or neutral) feedback for a buyer while nothing will change for buyers.
I've been selling on the site for years and have only had a handful of situations where I felt like the only thing I could do was leave a negative: a non-paying bidder who had the nerve to leave negative feedback saying they'd never received the item and an overseas buyer whose inability (or unwillingness) to comprehend overseas shipping led to the most drawn out and unpleasant time I've ever spent on the site.
Unfortunately, those handful of situations led to me breaking with my practice of leaving positive feedback once an item shipped. As far as I had been concerned, you paid and that was your end of the bargain. Anything else is up to me.
Frankly, I think these changes are simply going to push me back in that direction. I really have little recourse as a seller and I have to trust that buyers are going to be honest and trustworthy and not use feedback extortion to try and gouge me. If I see an increase in this, well, my days on eBay may be numbered.
PA-Based eBay Sellers Targeted for Prosectution
Prosecutors might have been better off not picking somebody with such an engaging story behind them. I can't imagine they look too good going after a woman who started selling on eBay so she could stay at home with her daughter... who had a brain tumor!
Monday, January 28, 2008
The Wait is Almost Over
From AuctionBytes:
eBay plans to webcast the Ecommerce Forum keynote address at Tuesday's annual meeting of top sellers, during which it will announce much anticipated changes. eBay President and CEO Elect John Donahoe told analysts during last Wednesday's conference call that the company would announce changes this week to key areas including pricing and feedback.
eBay plans to webcast the Ecommerce Forum keynote address at Tuesday's annual meeting of top sellers, during which it will announce much anticipated changes. eBay President and CEO Elect John Donahoe told analysts during last Wednesday's conference call that the company would announce changes this week to key areas including pricing and feedback.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
What's the Word on eBay's Best Match?
Lots of anticipation as eBay gets ready to announce what users assume will be a new fee structure for the site, with such previously taboo concepts as volume discounts being whispered about in some circles.
Also of interest is the site's new search technology, known as 'Best Match'. Knowing how eBay's search results were delivered was fairly straightforward but this new technology should prove to be more challenging – an possibly more rewarding for those sellers who put in the time to figure out what keywords work best. And, just as important, what keywords have a negative impact.
AuctionInsights – a blog I'd never read till this morning but have immediately bookmarked – has a thorough look at the technology's patent application and what it might mean to sellers.
My Blog Utopia has a look at how users are potentially "gaming the system", a concept that sellers will have to get used to if they're going to remain competitive... and at the top of the search listings.
Also of interest is the site's new search technology, known as 'Best Match'. Knowing how eBay's search results were delivered was fairly straightforward but this new technology should prove to be more challenging – an possibly more rewarding for those sellers who put in the time to figure out what keywords work best. And, just as important, what keywords have a negative impact.
AuctionInsights – a blog I'd never read till this morning but have immediately bookmarked – has a thorough look at the technology's patent application and what it might mean to sellers.
My Blog Utopia has a look at how users are potentially "gaming the system", a concept that sellers will have to get used to if they're going to remain competitive... and at the top of the search listings.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Evel Knievel RIP
Evel Knievel is dead at age 69. Part of my childhood died along with him and, if you grew up in the 1970s, you probably know what I mean.
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