About.com eBay

Sniping on eBay, Revisited

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:31:08 +0000

Image: Dydel / Dreamstime

An earlier article on sniping generated a lot of email feedback and posted comments, so with the holidays fast approaching, it's time to revisit the question of eBay sniping and address two of the biggest concerns readers had. First, the question of safety. Is sniping risky, or is it safe? Then, the question of value. Does sniping actually work?

The answers to these questions aren't necessarily clear cut and can vary depending on the service you choose and the competition you're facing. So is sniping worth it for you? Read on for thoughts that may help you to decide.

Sniping on eBay, Revisited originally appeared on About.com eBay on Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 at 19:31:08.

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eBay News: Lesson Plans on eBay and The Inside Source

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:54:40 +0000

In another example demonstrating that anything can be bought and sold on eBay, teachers and educators are increasingly finding that they can increase their income by selling their lesson plans and exercises to other teachers using eBay listings. With the practice becoming more common, questions about ethics, legality, and academic integrity are being raised. More at:

• The New York Times
• UPI

Meanwhile, eBay continues to publicize the launch earlier this month of The Inside Source, a new eBay lifestyle and fashion magazine targeting readers of traditional glossies who may have an interest in shopping online through eBay. The magazine is being overseen by the former director of digital media at Lifetime, and will also include content related to trends and search numbers that may be of interest to some sellers. More at:

• Min Online
• Media Bistro

eBay News: Lesson Plans on eBay and The Inside Source originally appeared on About.com eBay on Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 14:54:40.

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Analyze Your Search Visibility

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:52:47 +0000

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  Nikolais /
  Dreamstime

Your sales performance on eBay often depends on your search performance. If you're not aware of how well your listings are performing in eBay's search rankings, you may be missing out on sales. eBay's free Selling Manager service offers a tool to help you examine, on an item-by-item basis, your search results visibility. Find out where you rank in relation to your competitors and what they're doing that might help you as well. Read on to learn how to use eBay's the search visibility analysis tool.

Analyze Your Search Visibility originally appeared on About.com eBay on Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 at 17:52:47.

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eBay News: Settlement Reached with Skype Founders

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:23:16 +0000

eBay has reached a settlement in the dispute with Skype founders over intellectual property related to the Skype software. Under the terms of the detail, the founders will join the investment consortium in exchange for increased rights to the software for Skype, enabling the sale. More at:

     • The Wall Street Journal
     • The Money Times
     • The New York Times

Meanwhile, the list of things that can be bought on eBay has grown one item longer as iPhone app developer Brice Milliorn has decided to sell his entire iPhone app business, including the rights and source code to over 80 iPhone apps, using an eBay auction. Starting bid is a cool hundred grand. More at:

• IT Business Net
• Cult of Mac

eBay News: Settlement Reached with Skype Founders originally appeared on About.com eBay on Saturday, November 7th, 2009 at 12:23:16.

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Take eBay Wherever You Go

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:25:11 +0000

Image: Dolgachov / Dreamstime

If you're not already a mobile web junkie, you may think that your phone isn't feature-packed enough to eBay on the go, or that eBay on smaller displays like those of most mobile phones is an implausible proposal at best. In fact, most mobile phone users have some kind of eBay capability on the go, and some have it in spades. Read on for quick tips on bringing eBay to your mobile.

Take eBay Wherever You Go originally appeared on About.com eBay on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 00:25:11.

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eBay News: iPhone App Success, Abortion Foes' eBay Plans

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:14:17 +0000

eBay's free iPhone app is a small player in a big pond (the iPhone itself only has a 15 percent share of the mobile market), but it's paying solid dividends for eBay. The app has generated over $400 million in sales for eBay thus far, with iPhone shoppers having bought everything from clothing and books to cars and boats using their iPhones. More at:

• TechCrunch
• Mobile Marketer

In more controversial news, a group of anti-abortion activists is planning to use an eBay auction to generate funding for the defense of accused abortion doctor killer Scott Roeder. On auction will be a host of anti-abortion mementos and memorabilia. eBay hasn't yet taken a public position on the proposed listing or its policy compliance. More at:

• First Coast News, Florida
• The Wall Street Journal

eBay News: iPhone App Success, Abortion Foes' eBay Plans originally appeared on About.com eBay on Tuesday, October 27th, 2009 at 00:14:17.

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Dealing with Payment Holds and Chargebacks

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:37:39 +0000

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  Hkuchera /
  Dreamstime

From time to time as an eBay seller you may find that someone else is hanging on to money that you feel belongs to you. At times, you may even feel as if you're being dealt with unfairly. You're sure you've held up your end of the bargain, and now you're not getting paid. What gives? What are these holds and chargebacks, and why do they happen, and what can you do to avoid them? Read on to find out.

Dealing with Payment Holds and Chargebacks originally appeared on About.com eBay on Sunday, October 18th, 2009 at 15:37:39.

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eBay News: Stamps.com Price Change, eBay Layoffs

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:39:21 +0000

Los Angeles based Stamps.com has announced a new, lower price point—free—for the integration of its shipping and postage services with eBay as a selling platform, with some caveats. The formerly $15.99-per-month service competes with PayPal's own offering by supporting a host of selling platforms. More at:

• AuctionBytes
• SocialTech.com

In the meantime, eBay has announced a small round of layoffs as a "fine tuning" measure ahead of what is expected to be a positive earnings report for the third quarters. More at:

     • The Los Angeles Times
     • AuctionBytes
     • The Wall Street Journal

eBay News: Stamps.com Price Change, eBay Layoffs originally appeared on About.com eBay on Thursday, October 15th, 2009 at 16:39:21.

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Shop and Sell Better with RSS

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:02:39 +0000

Image: Tumanyan / Dreamstime

If you're not already using eBay's RSS feeds, it's probably because you don't think they have much to offer you as a buyer or seller. If this sounds like you, the possibilities of RSS might surprise you. If you're an eBay shopper, RSS helps you monitor and manage collections of your favorite items, sellers, or stores in real time; if you're an eBay seller, RSS can take your item listings into the blogosphere and even into Twitterspace.

If you've been meaning to try RSS but haven't yet found time to get started, read on for a crash course in taking your eBay trading to the RSS level.

Shop and Sell Better with RSS originally appeared on About.com eBay on Wednesday, October 7th, 2009 at 14:02:39.

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eBay News: Upcoming Changes and Google Wave on eBay

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:51:19 +0000

eBay has recently announced several pending changes that may be of interest to eBay buyers, sellers, and community members. eBay Blogs will be closed on October 31st, 2009 due to lack of interest. Bill Me Later will be rolled out on eBay in the weeks to come in what is supposed to be a transparent transition for sellers. Finally, the new Top-Rated Seller status is now appearing in listings. More at:

• eBay's General Announcements Board
• eBay's Developers Program Blog

In other news, the upcoming test of Google's new Wave service has eBay traders actively buying and selling Wave invitations. If past experiences with Google's Gmail service are any indication, there is indeed good money to be made in the Google invitations market. More at:

     • MediaPost News
     • The Christian Science Monitor
     • The Voice of Network Convergence

eBay News: Upcoming Changes and Google Wave on eBay originally appeared on About.com eBay on Wednesday, September 30th, 2009 at 16:51:19.

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