Pre-orders for .co domain names are now available

March 16, 2010

As an inveterate collector of domain names, I have to resist the temptation to gather every possible domain suffix. I want the .com – maybe the .co.uk if that’s where my customers are likely to be, the odd .net and .fr… but generally I can resist… Read more

Written by Sue Bailey · Filed Under Ecommerce | 7 Comments 

Gumtree unveil revamped forums

March 15, 2010

Gumtree have just revamped the Gumtree forums and integrated social media into the site. If you’re not a regular Gumtree user you probably didn’t even know they have a forum, but if you have a Facebook account you can use now use Facebook Connect to… Read more

Written by Chris Dawson · Filed Under News | Comments Off 

Book report: Fake – Forgeries, Lies and eBay

March 14, 2010

I’ve been an eBay seller for more than a decade now, and in that time I’ve watched the site move from happy community where people cheerfully set envelopes of cash around the world, to a marketplace that continually operates under a cloud of… Read more

Written by Sue Bailey · Filed Under News | 9 Comments 

eBay.eu eBay International Market goes live

March 13, 2010

eBay International Market launched this week, and can now be accessed at www.eBay.eu. for buyers in Russia, Czech Republic, Greece, Norway, Denmark and Sweden. The new site will display fixed price listings from sellers who offer shipping to the… Read more

Written by Chris Dawson · Filed Under News | 16 Comments 

eBay and Alibaba in talks to bring PayPal to AliExpress?

March 13, 2010

eBay is in talks with Alibaba to get PayPal offered as a payment option on the new AliExpress wholesale marketplace, according to rumours appearing in the WSJ. The two companies have long been rivals, but an alliance could now make sense…. Read more

Written by Sue Bailey · Filed Under News, Paypal | 7 Comments 

eBay.com expands automatic UIDs for all sellers

March 11, 2010

automated unpaid item disputes will be available to all sellers by the end of this month. Sellers will be able to opt in to automatically open an unpaid item case if they have not received payment after a specified amount of time: the Unpaid Item… Read more

Written by Sue Bailey · Filed Under eBay, eBay.com | 6 Comments 

The Mystery of the Missing Refund Button (solved)

March 11, 2010

A few people have been having problems over the last day or so refunding PayPal payments. The normal “refund” link at the bottom of the payment details page has gone – leaving some sellers thinking they were unable to refund at all. Fortunately, the… Read more

Written by Sue Bailey · Filed Under Paypal | 8 Comments 

eBay Canada item location tests in Best Match

March 11, 2010

eBay Canada are starting starting this week giving different priority based on Item Location. Best Match on the Canadian site has for some time given a boost in search to domestic items, in the belief that buying from your own country is a… Read more

Written by Chris Dawson · Filed Under eBay | 18 Comments 

50% off auction insertion fees on eBay.com today

March 11, 2010

If you sell on auction style listings in the US then today’s a good day to save some money on fees. eBay.com are holding a one day promotion today (11th March). As with previous promotions you’ll need to have 12 month Detailed Seller Rating of… Read more

Written by Chris Dawson · Filed Under CLD | Comments Off 

eBay open up SM Apps to all sellers

March 10, 2010

eBay have just announced that Selling Manager Applications on eBay.com have been opened up to all sellers, and are no longer restricted to sellers scribed to Selling Manager or Selling Manager Pro. The apps cover everything from merchandising… Read more

Written by Chris Dawson · Filed Under eBay, eBay.com | 6 Comments 

How do I answer this question from a buyer?

March 10, 2010

It’s cold in the warehouse and cold fingers don’t make for accurate typing. In my defense I’d like to point out that “W” and “S” are very close together on the keyboard and that it’s a lovely White… Read more

Written by Chris Dawson · Filed Under News, Selling Tips | 20 Comments 

eBay Dev Con registration open

March 9, 2010

Registration for the eBay Developers’ Conference is now open. Early bird tickets, available til April 9th, are $99; those with student ID can get in for just $49. The conference runs from June 8th to 10th in San José, California. There’s also what… Read more

Written by Sue Bailey · Filed Under Events | Comments Off 

eBay UK’s feedback trial continues

March 9, 2010

We’ve noted in previous posts that eBay are trialling a new style of feedback: this has been around for some buyers on eBay UK for a while now, but for the first time yesterday, I got the trial version too. It seems there are a couple of versions… Read more

Written by Sue Bailey · Filed Under eBay, eBay.co.uk | 33 Comments 

myHermes: Win a Sony HD TV Competition

March 8, 2010

myHermes, the parcel delivery company are offering the chance to win a superb Sony HD TV. All you need do to enter is answer the (very simple!) question “What does myHermes.co.uk deliver?” on the competition website and you’ll be entered into the… Read more

Written by Chris Dawson · Filed Under Events | Comments Off 

ChannelAdvisor announce Catalyst speaker line up

March 8, 2010

ChannelAdvisor have announced the speaker line up for the Catalyst conference scheduled for the 12th-13th April. Speakers from Dell, OfficeMax, The Hut Group (much loved as one of the eBay Outlets) and Speedo will join more familiar speakers from… Read more

Written by Chris Dawson · Filed Under Events | Comments Off 

Royal Mail and CWU reach long term agreement

March 8, 2010

Roger Poole who has been chairing negotiations between the Royal Mail and CWU has announced an agreement has been reached to end the risk of industrial action. The agreement was overwhelmingly endorsed by the Union’s Executive Committee and CWU… Read more

Written by Chris Dawson · Filed Under News | Comments Off 

eBay survey sellers on Item Condition attribute

March 5, 2010

eBay are considering a change to the “item condition” Item Specific that sellers use to describe their items. They say that buyers sometimes misunderstand the condition of an item which leads to disappointment and leaves the seller trying to resolve… Read more

Written by Chris Dawson · Filed Under eBay, eBay.co.uk | 31 Comments 

[Updated] eBay UK to launch new fashion site for brands

March 5, 2010

Photo credit: CTR on Stock Xchang. eBay UK has announced that it is to launch a new fashion sub-site for branded clothing. Mark Lewis, eBay UK’s MD, made the announcement at the Retail Week Conference. The new site, at fashion.ebay.co.uk,… Read more

Written by Sue Bailey · Filed Under eBay, eBay.co.uk | 23 Comments 

PayPal, graphs and the trouble with feedback

March 4, 2010

PayPal sent out a marketing email this week to UK-based eBay sellers, trying to encourage them to banish cheques and postal orders from their listings. The justification, they said, is that DSR scores left by buyers who’ve paid with PayPal are so… Read more

Written by Sue Bailey · Filed Under Paypal, Selling Tips, Soapbox | 18 Comments 

Is this really the best eBay has to offer?

March 4, 2010

Today’s eBay UK deal of the day makes for interesting reading. The are being sold by an Irish-registered seller, but are shipping from Singapore. I’m rather surprised that eBay UK has chosen to promote this deal, as there are a number of… Read more

Written by Sue Bailey · Filed Under Soapbox | 17 Comments 

Problems with eBay Shops/Stores categories on all sites

March 3, 2010

eBay UK have just put out an announcement regarding “Global Shops Issues”. Here is the announcement: We’d like to advise members of multiple issues with Shop Categories which they may be experiencing. Currently affected are multiple areas of a… Read more

Written by Sue Bailey · Filed Under Glitches | 4 Comments 

Royal Mail and CWU “close to deal”

March 2, 2010

The long-running dispute between Royal Mail and the Communication Workers’ Union may be coming to an end, as the two parties are said to have struck a provisional deal on the company’s modernisation plans. Industrial action in the second half of… Read more

Written by Sue Bailey · Filed Under News | Comments Off 

eBay Germany Motors’ fee changes

March 1, 2010

As of 30th March, eBay Germany Motors prices are changing. The good news is that picture pack will be free; the slightly less cheery news is that FVFs, reserve price fees and buy it now fees are all increasing. Check out the full details in… Read more

Written by Sue Bailey · Filed Under eBay, eBay.de | 6 Comments