AuctionBytes-Update Number 33 - March 4, 2001 - ISSN 1528-6703

AuctionBytes-Update is a free newsletter for online auction buyers and sellers. Read reviews of online-auction products and services, tips on being more efficient, and information about antiques and collectibles. AuctionBytes-Update is published by email twice a month. (Print it out for easier reading.)

***************************************
IN THIS ISSUE:
1) From the Editor
2) Writing To Sell - It's Not About You!
3) Taxes - Part One: Do I Have to Report My Auction Earnings?
4) OPINION PIECE: Online Auction Co-op Destined for Failure
5) COLLECTOR'S CORNER: Selling Outside Your Region, Toonerville Trolley Comic Strip
6) This & That
7) Newsflash Hightlights
8) Letters from Readers
***************************************

1) FROM THE EDITOR

The online auction industry is experiencing a shakeout. This is a normal course of events in a nascent industry. Bidder's Edge and Price Radar, two auction search tools, both closed their virtual doors this month. Price Radar cited lack of renewed funding, and Bidder's Edge cited market and financing conditions. We can look forward to lots more change this year as companies continue to experiment with new business models and look to attract sources of funding. AuctionBytes.com is here to help you cope with the changes! We'll report news, review products and services, and give you tips to help you be more efficient as auction buyers and sellers.

***
What is the best day to end an auction? We took a survey to see if the answer to the age-old question, "What is the best day to end an auction?" had changed since we last asked it in December of 1999.

Sunday is still the hands-down winner as the day to have your auction close. In fact, the Top 3 days chosen in 1999 are still very strong choices. Tuesdays have fallen to become the least favorite day to end an auction.

Here are the results of the two polls:
12/99 2/01
Sun - 41% Sun - 54%
Sat - 18% Mon - 18%
Mon - 15% Sat - 11%
Fri - 11% Thu - 8%
Tue - 6% Wed - 5%
Thu - 5% Fri - 3%
Wed - 4% Tue - 1%

***
People have started using the AuctionBytes Yellow Pages to leave reviews of products and services. If you are shopping for an auction site, software, shipping supplies, etc., check out the Yellow Pages at
< http://www.auctionbytes.com/bin/bizdirectory/biz-dir-index.pl>.
And don't forget to leave a review!

Ina Steiner, Editor
email: ina@auctionbytes.com

=================================================== =
BidBay.com - the most exciting auction site on the Internet.

Come for the auctions but stay for the atmosphere.
Auctions, Charity, Chat rooms and so much more.
Register now and receive a $100.00 credit to use on extra features.
Free Registration and Free listings for all our users.
You will find all this, nowhere else but BidBay.com

http://www2.bidbay.com

================================Advertisement=======

***************************************
***************************************
2) Writing To Sell - It's Not About You!
by Jim Crawford

Do you have an "About Me" page? You should. They are the next best thing to a fully interactive Web site and a great way to promote your auctions. As you write it, consider this...it shouldn't be about you.

You may be thinking to yourself, "Of course it's about me. It's my Web site."

Now this may sound a little harsh, but people really don't care about you. It's what you can do for them that will make your visitors sit up and take notice. It's not the same thing.

Think in terms of the benefits you provide, not descriptions of your life history. For example, you may write, "I've been an antiques dealer for 30 years." That's nice, but what have you done for me lately? Introduce the benefit by saying, "I've been in this business for 30 years, and I know quality when I see it. You won't be wasting your time looking at my inventory. It's all good."

See what I mean? I'm not suggesting you don't write about yourself, just put a little thought into your words. Tell your visitors how they are better off knowing you. It's not easy.

Make your text conversational. To test it, say it out loud. Have a friend type as you talk. Then read it out loud again. Use short words and short paragraphs. Break the rules of grammar if that's how you talk, but creative spelling is out. Spelling counts online. I will be happy if I never see the word "kewl" again.

One of the most effective words to use is "you." Count how many times you use the words "I" and "we". Redesign your message. Instead of saying "we do this," try "we do this for you." It's important. Keep in mind, the 3 most important people to your customers are: Me, Myself and I.

When writing copy, imagine that the person you are addressing is sitting across the table from you. Essentially they are. They have voluntarily chosen to come to your page to check you out. Tell them what's in it for them, right from the beginning. You've only got a few seconds to make an impression, so save your contact information until the end.

Yes, you need to include a picture of yourself. I like to know who I am writing to. Don't you? Using your picture breaks down resistance and helps people remember you. I'm asked all the time, "What if someone sees it?" Isn't that the idea? I would love it if thousands of people came to my site, saw my picture and then bought all kinds of stuff. Don't be shy. We ugly people far outnumber the beautiful people.

Use your "About Me" page to let your customers know that you are indeed a real, live person, not just an anonymous email address. You are a person to be trusted, an expert and a valuable resource.

No matter what you sell, it can be found somewhere else. No matter what your price, it's most likely cheaper somewhere else, too. You are the only unique part of the selling equation. Make sure they know not just about you, but also what you can do for them and how you do it better than anyone else.

Tell your customers, "I'm just like you." People like to work with those whom they feel are similar to them. Those who can click away with this kind of feeling will then become your best customers.

All the hard work you've put into choosing your words carefully will then be worth it.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Tell us what works best for you. Do you have a "Me Page"? Do you have a Web site or storefront? If we get some interesting results, we'll publish the links in the next issue. Send an email to ina@auctionbytes.com.

---
Jim Crawford is a stay-at-home father, entrepreneur and Internet Marketing Consultant. He likes to think of himself as a "creative resource". His Web site, The Collector's Marketing Resource Center, provides information about Web site design and marketing for the highly competitive antiques and collecting industry. Stop in for a free consultation. http://www.CrawfordDirect.com
Jim spends a considerable amount of time reading publications and researching Web sites in both the collecting and marketing industries, and enjoys networking with leaders in both. If you have a question about marketing your Web site, email him at jim@crawforddirect.com.

***************************************
***************************************
3) Taxes - Part One: Do I Have to Report My Auction Earnings?
By Mike Batsimm

The variety of things you can buy on auction sites is astounding (or appalling, depending on your point of view). But auctioneers aren't all alike. Some are clearing out the attic of old stuff. Some are supplementing their regular job with a small business on the side. And some are running full-blown businesses off of eBay. Well, guess what - since it's tax time again, Ina and Dave thought it would be a good idea to focus for a minute or two on the different tax consequences. By the way, aren't they doing a great job on this mag? Let's have a big round of applause. All right, that's enough. Sit down and pay attention. The fact is that the type of transactions you have will affect the taxation of the transactions.

> Wait a minute - what's all this about taxation? I thought the Internet was supposed to be this great tax-free haven.

Well, that would be nice, wouldn't it? Unfortunately, it isn't true. People seem to think of the Internet as this place where the laws are different, like a new state. The Internet isn't a new place - it's not a sovereign nation like Native American lands (although I guess you can gamble on it). The Internet is simply a new means with which to transact business. The laws aren't different for mail-order catalogs, or for telephone commerce. So why would they be different for the Internet? Anyway, you'd know the instant e-commerce became tax-free, because the very next day every cash register at every store in the United States would be replaced by a monitor and keyboard, and you'd have to log in to a "web site" in the checkout line to finish the transaction.

For whatever it's worth, the law says, "income, from whatever source earned, is taxable."

> Well, yeah, but I didn't get a 1099 or anything...

Right - that's where it gets interesting (at least to me). A Form 1099 is used by a purchaser of a product or service to report to the IRS and the seller that a transaction has taken place. According to the law, someone who pays more than $600 for products or services over the course of the year is supposed to send a 1099 to the seller. Well, this doesn't happen when you sell something at a yard sale, and it doesn't happen very often when you sell something online, either. Web sites like eBay are not required to send 1099s to people who sell on their sites, and, as far as I know, none of them do.

Receiving or not receiving a 1099 is no indication that a transaction is or isn't taxable. It's merely a flag to the IRS that a transaction occurred. The law indicates that even one dollar of income is includible in taxable income. So you're supposed to report the income you receive from an online sale, whether you received a 1099 or not, and regardless of the dollar amount. The $600 limit serves two purposes: 1) it keeps IRS from receiving 37 billion 1099s a year, and 2) it is a hint from IRS that they're not interested in enforcing small items because they are not cost-effective.

> Yeah, that's nice. Get to the point - how do I keep from getting audited?

OK, what happens when you don't report that income, sort of like not reporting yard sale income? Probably nothing. It's illegal, but the IRS doesn't generally spend their time on smaller-ticket items. In general, there are four things that could trigger an IRS response (note that in light of the expense and all the negative publicity IRS has received recently, they have basically dropped the random comprehensive compliance audits).

1. You omit or mis-report an item that shows up on a 1099 or W-2 form. This is the easy one for the IRS. They input all of this information into their computers, then when the tax return with the same social security number reports information inconsistent with what they have, BAM! Instant computer-generated letter telling you your return is wrong and you owe $x in additional tax and $y in interest and penalties. If you get one, make sure the IRS is correct before you send in the money. If you think they're wrong, write them a letter, or get a tax preparer to do it for you.

2. An expense or revenue item falls outside the expected range. Since IRS has hundreds of millions of tax returns in its database, it isn't surprising that they have a pretty good idea of what normal revenues and expenses look like. So, if an expense on your return is over IRS's expected range for that expense for taxpayers with your income, it increases the chances of it being selected for audit. Some of the individual tax software packages will tell you if you are out of a range in the review phase. This doesn't mean not to take the deduction, if you can substantiate it. But it does mean that you shouldn't pick that part of the return for some numerical "creative writing."

3. IRS has evidence that a taxpayer is living beyond his or her means. This might be because you report that your sole source of income is $20,000 from an online auction business, but your mortgage interest expense is $35,000, or you're paying excise tax on two Jaguars. IRS often takes this as evidence that the taxpayer is "getting greedy." Again, if this is actually true, by all means report it and be prepared to substantiate it.

4. Someone drops a dime on you. This is fairly rare, especially for small businesses, but it's not unheard of for some disgruntled former business associate, spouse, employee, etc., to notify the IRS that the taxpayer has been flim-flamming on his or her return.

NEXT ISSUE: Mike finishes this two-part series with some advice on filling out a Schedule C.
---
Mike Batsimm has wasted the last fifteen years of his life involved in tax preparation, research, and planning, including ten years in public accounting firms. He now prepares tax returns as a side job. Mike is a Certified Public Accountant in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and has a Masters degree in Taxation from Bentley College.

=================================================== =
Save $10 on Easy Auction V3 Pro.

Easy Auction V3 is coming soon. Order V2 before March 31st and get a FREE UPDATE to V3 when it is released in Q2 2001. Easy Auction V3 expands on V2 to provide more features than anything in it's class, without the high price tags and fees. Get V2 now at http://www.auctiontools.net/cgi-bin/ref.cgi?abn1

================================Advertisement=======

***************************************
***************************************
4) OPINION PIECE: Online Auction Co-op Destined for Failure
By G. Patton Hughes

On the face of it, the idea of a sellers coop auction conjures up lot of warm fuzzies. The warmest and fuzziest part is its promise of a more democratic way of making key decisions.

Second, it is a no-brainer that eBay needs a competitor. As it stands, that company, reveling it its monopoly position, will do what monopolies have always done ... maximize their profits at the expense of those who are economically weaker.

Something must be done, and the seller's co-op auction is the flavor of the day. The first lick, like the first look, seems to make sense.

The difficulty in opposing this admittedly popular idea is that it is spring, and this idea is one that at least some have fallen in love (love often being an irrational emotion.). In the haze of the crystal ball future that we all think we see, the co-op is a viable vision that is good, true and beautiful.

The first ugly truth is that another online auction simply doesn't make sense.

Online auctions are a business. eBay's success brought with it tons of imitators - by some count 2,000 or more. There are just too many online auctions right now to even rationally think about adding another.

"But a co-op is a better idea for an auction?" say proponents.

I reply that numbers are numbers, and there is no good idea for a general Consumer-to-Consumer online auction at this time. With the average sale being about $40 on sites with listing fees and $20 on free listing sites, the task of making enough to pay basic overhead is difficult to near impossible. Think, for instance, of the site with a 25-cent listing fee and a final value fee of 2.5 percent overall. That's a $1.25 for each successful sale. New sites typically convert listings to sales at 20 percent of listings or less.

Now, think about overhead. Five employees at $4,000 a month average including benefits and another $10,000 for operations, office space, licensing fees for a total of $30,000/month minimum. But that is just the beginning. Add advertising and promotion to the mix ... you do want to advertise and market the site ... and you're no where unless you're spending at least $20,000 a month doing that. Fact is, you could easily spend that among key online auction sites such as Honesty, AuctionWatch, GoTo, here, and similar sites serving the industry.

Go outside the group to include key-word buys on sites like Yahoo, print media or even cable television, and your in-house expenses increase so dramatically that you will have to hire another person just to manage the your ad agency. Real world marketing expenses, on a monthly basis, are easily in the six figures.

Instead, this plan is one based on doing the project on the cheap, cheap. I'd suggest that any quasi-credible effort is going to have a base cost of about $50,000 a month or $600,000 per year minimum. That means that with a 25 cent listing fee and a flat 2.5 percent EOA, the site would have to successfully complete 25,000 auctions per month to break even. With a 25 percent conversion ratio, you need 100,000 auctions per month with an average sale price of $40 per auction to pay expenses. (This would require a daily inventory of about 25,000 relatively decent items - not ten-cent common baseball cards.)

On its face, that seems doable. Of course, the site I'm most familiar with had ten times as many people employed and spent at least in the six figures on advertising in print, on key sites, etc., monthly, and it only came close to attaining these metrics. The fact is, the only sites that have sold this many items in two consecutive months are Amazon, Yahoo and eBay. To suggest they did it on a paltry $20,000 a month in advertising is laughable.

"That's okay," proponents say, 'because in a co-op, each one of the members is an advertising machine virally marketing to thousands of potential buyers and making it all happen."

That is a great dream and if I were an eternal and insufferable optimist, I might buy it.

We do agree that the key task is getting buyers for the goods. That is what eBay does so well. Indeed, the second position in this marketplace is, at present untenable. The reason is simple. If you are from another online auction and people ask you what you do, you almost have to say, "We're like eBay."

That should tell you something. The deck is stacked. There is no number two auction because the consumer legitimately asks, "Why settle for second best?"

Is there away around that? Sure, but don't expect your buyers trot over to the co-op site lemming-like. First, you probably aren't willing to drop eBay, so why expect your buyers to drop them? A good friend will look at the new site once, maybe twice. Unless he or she finds what they want, they're gone.

To change the online auction shopping dynamic will take a complete change in behavior. It is possible, but the answer is not another online auction site.

The final reason this is a bad idea has to do with the nature of co-ops and business. While co-ops are no more likely to fail than other business types, as a dot.com company, an online auction co-op would be operating in a very high-risk area. The most unrealistic of these expectations is that everyone will get along and promote the site effectively to the benefit of all. The political reality, played out on virtually every message board dealing with auctions, is that level of cooperation and support is not available for any site today -- including eBay. There is just too much distrust and negativity.

The fact is, online auction sellers have already been hyped and helped with the hyper-helpers benefiting from a key stock in the OAI. The stock, of course, was eBay in the heady early days. The smart entrepreneur would, rather than suggest a co-op, follow (somehow) the path of eBay or even of Gold's by offering a way for individual sellers to gain options for the new auctions' stock.

I wish it weren't so, but it is my opinion that any broad online co-op auction site is destined for failure because it just doesn't make much sense. If done right, a new online auction using a corporate structure would not only share the risks, but also the rewards from success. A co-op only shares the risks.

If the question were whether a co-op might work in a specific niche category where buyers and sellers have largely developed lasting and trusting relationships, I would feel differently. The reasons are that the risk is not great, there is not a lot of money to be made, and since the players in the market can get along, that effort has a chance of success.

The short-term truth remains. eBay won the war and everyone, at least until things change, must pay tribute to them for this astounding feat.

---
G. Patton Hughes (aka: neomax) is editor of the OAUA Newsletter. He has been writing and consulting in the online auction industry since 1996 and is credited with publishing the first online auction trade e-zine, AuctionLand Online Report. In late 1997, Hughes signed on with Auction Universe (AU) and later auctions.com, the newspaper industry's entry into the online auction field. Among his duties was penning a consumer column entitled the online auctioneer in 1997-98. While at AU, he also was instrumental in supporting early efforts of now established auction service companies such as honesty.com, OTWA.com and auctionwatch.com. Prior to his arrival in the online auction scene, Hughes background included newspaper writing and editing, custom market research, television program syndication as well as ad agency experience in media and marketing, where as media director, he was the agency's 'marketing guru.' A computer enthusiast since 1980, Hughes maintains several Internet site!
s including his home base, http://www.neomax.com.

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
While Pat feels that an auction co-op would not succeed (see above), others disagree. Here are just a few links for more information about the auction co-op movement:
< http://pub51.ezboard.com/fletsbuildacoopfrm1> <http://pub51.ezboard.com/bonlineauctionsellerscooperative>
<http://pages.zdnet.com/labellebooks/OnlineSellersCoop>
NOTE: there will be a live chat on <http://pages.zdnet.com/labellebooks/OnlineSellersCoop> tonight at 8pm EST.

Tell us what YOU think - is the auction seller co-op a viable business model? Post a message on our forum:
<http://www.auctionbytes.com/bin/messagebbs/view.pl>

***************************************
***************************************

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>AUCTION FORECAST:

David's auction forecast calls for a mixed day for Sunday, March 4, 2001:
5-day auction: Fair
7-day auction: Good
10-day auction: Bad

Click here for an extended auction forecast:
<http://www.auctionbytes.com/Email_Newsletter/calendar/calendar.htm l >
Bookmark it!

Brought to you by AuctionBytes Yellow Pages at
<http://www.online-auction-directory.com>
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@
Recommend AuctionBytes-Update to a friend! Forward this complete issue to
them, or go to
http://www.auctionbytes.com/Email_Newsletter/Recommend/recomme nd.html
and fill out the short form. A sample issue will automatically be sent to
your friend with a note from us (and you can add a note too).
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@

***************************************
***************************************
5) COLLECTOR'S CORNER

COLLECTOR'S CORNER: Selling Outside Your Region
By S. Louis Rouse

Regional Items + Online Auctions = Big Profits
An item purchased for two dollars that sells for hundreds! That is the dream of every online auctioneer. We all dream of being the next person that finds the original copy of Declaration of Independence hidden behind the dirty old print we just bought at the local flea market. Well, you may not find anything as valuable as the Declaration of Independence, but there are rare and hard to find items out there just waiting for you to buy, bring home, list online and make a tidy profit. However, you will find there are many fairly common items that will accomplish the same purpose. All it takes is doing your homework and being aware of your surroundings.

First, spend some time online at auction sites such as eBay searching through the completed auctions. Start with the categories about which you have some knowledge. If you are a pottery collector or a glass collector, look at those categories first. Structure your search to sort the items by price, because you want to see which items are bringing the "big bucks." After a few weeks of searching and making copious notes, you will see a pattern developing. In every collectible area, there are regional anomalies, items that sell well in one part of the country but just do so-so in another. These items are the object of your search. In the past, unless you physically traveled from one part of the country to another, this knowledge would not have helped you very much. But with the popularity of online auctions, you are now able to sit in your nice warm old Kentucky home and attract buyers who are at home on the range in Texas.

In my area, Blenko Glass is a good example of this principle. I have always liked the brilliant glass with amazing clarity and unusual form made by Blenko during the 1950s and 1960s. I would buy it because I liked it only to find it sat in my booth collecting dust because there just aren't many Blenko collectors here. Not long after I discovered eBay, I began to look at the Blenko auctions online. I found that the large bottles (decanters) routinely sold for $100 - $1000+. Other pieces also brought good prices. I also discovered that since Blenko only used the acid etched mark around 1959 - 1960, pieces bearing this mark brought premium prices. Whenever Blenko bottles show up at the local auctions they seldom bring more than $25 to $30, and guess who is the high bidder! I recently won one for the grand total of $3. At the end of the online auction, these wonderful bottles usually are on their way to the west coast, where they are highly prized.

Where an item is made may have a great deal of influence on its regional appeal. We recently were fortunate enough to acquire a bowl marked "John Bell, Waynesboro" for a very small price. I could not find anybody in this area that had any knowledge about it at all. An eBay search revealed that it was sure to be a winner. John Bell was selling for hundreds of dollars, mostly to collectors in the Pennsylvania area where the pottery was located during the 19th century.

I have mentioned glass and pottery items as examples simply because that is where my personal interests lie. However, every collectible category has items that have strong regional appeal. If you simply take time to find what items sell well in areas outside your region, you will no longer be butting heads with the other dealers and collectors trying to buy the items that have strong appeal in your area. Let them pay top dollar and settle for small margins on those items. You buy the things they don't want. Just smile sweetly as you hear them comment, "Why did they buy that? You can't give that junk away!" Just don't let them know you are taking profits of ten, twenty or even a hundred times your purchase price!

Louis Rouse lives in Tennessee with his wife Charlotte, who is the collector in the family (Fenton Silver Crest). In addition to selling on eBay, they offer their "finds" in malls and spend weekends at Tennnessee's largest indoor market at Sweetwater, Tennessee, where they offer an array of old pottery, glass, collectibles and new giftware. Louis maintains a Web site <http://theshowcase.freeservers.com > with an extensive list of glass and pottery links to help others in their research. You can email Louis at rousemar@usit.net (auction id: rousemark).

*****************
COLLECTOR'S CORNER: Toonerville Trolley Comic Strip Collectibles
By Ina Steiner

Have you ever heard of the Toonerville Trolley cartoon strip? They were featured on a stamp in 1995 in the "Comic Strip Classics" alongside Li'l Abner, Gasoline Alley and other classic strips. I came across an expert with a passion for the series. Asa Sparks edits "The Toonerville Trolley News." This newsletter (cost: $10) is published by Asa Sparks, Ph.D., and "provides toy and trolley collectors information on the Fontaine Fox cartoon series, Toonerville Folks. Articles include the writings and drawings of Fontaine Fox, the history of Toonerville, cartoons, videos, values of collectible items, and other interesting information related to Toonervillia." In addition, Dr. Sparks has compiled a book, "The Compleat Toonerville" (cost: $35). You can read more about Toonerville Trolley at the Unofficial Toonerville Folks Web Site published by Scott McDonald, where you can find ordering information for the above-mentioned book and newsletter.
http://users.erols.com/diesel/toonerville
Another Toonerville Web site can be found at <http://www.centerlinehobbies.com/toonerville.html>.

***************************************
***************************************
6) This & That

Some Interesting Statistics from the auction site world - if you're counting. (Note that these are self-reported figures.)

- BidBay Stats
BidBay < http://www2.bidbay.com> was launched in January 2000. It recently filed with the SEC to go public, and an inside source tells us they expect to be trading on the NASDAQ exchange by early April. BidBay says it has 5 million registered members with an average of 1.2 million items listed for sale on a daily basis. It has plans to expand worldwide to create local auction sites all connected to the BidBay site.

- Epier Stats
< http://www.epier.com>
Number of registered users: 50,000+
Number of completed transactions per day: 200+
February: membership growth rate: 78%

- Andale Counters Stats
<http://www.andale.com >
Counters are tools that allow you to see how many visitors have viewed your auction listing. Andale reports that it adds 3.7 million new counters every week and had a recent reliability metric of 99.98%. It serves more than 19 images per day in an average of 19 milliseconds per image.

- Yahoo Auctions
http://auctions.yahoo.com
The Wall Street Journal reported that Yahoo's sell-through percentage grew 550% since it recently instituted fees. (WSJ, 2/22/01)

- Bidville
http://www.bidville.com
405,026 auctions in 2,020 categories
It reports "NoBidding, Inc. has plans to be traded publicly before January 2002."

*****
Who Would Buy That???
Next time you come across something a little weird or kooky on eBay, send it on over to Drue and Shauna at the "Who Would Buy That" Web site <http://www.whowouldbuythat.com >. Drue and Shauna show a lovely lack of good taste as they troll the Web for auction oddities that include Deer Poop Earrings, Possum Fur Nipple Warmers, Black Market Baby Bears,...

*****
ePier: "No Big Brother" Policy
In an obvious dig at eBay, epier.com has a clear policy on the rights of users to email each other: <http://www.epier.com/nobigbrother.asp>
EBay recently restricted the ability of its users to email each other directly. EBay now forces users to use an eBay tool to contact one another. While eBay cited concern over Spam email as the reason for the policy change, many believe eBay's policy was to discourage "off-system" transactions.

=================================================== =
CRATERS & FREIGHTERS HELPS YOU SELL THOSE LARGE AUCTION ITEMS

Many online auction sellers (and buyers) will tell you that the BIG PROFIT is in the BIG ITEMS.
They know the solution that makes it SIMPLE...CRATERS & FREIGHTERS.

We're your one-stop source for any shipping needs. Anything. Going anywhere. Anytime. We're a full service company offering expert crating and packing.
We ship nationwide. Worldwide. And we pick-up. With full insurance coverage.

Shipping is our business. Get a FREE e-Quote today:
www.cratersandfreighters.com/cgi-bin/gocf.cgi?ref=4MGSJ
Call toll-free: 1-800-736-3335

================================Advertisement=======

***************************************
***************************************
7) Newsflash Highlights
See Web Site for Full Details and Continuous Coverage
Go to <http://www.auctionbytes.com > and click on Newsflash.

March 3, 2001
eBay Partners with Eppraisals

March 2, 2001
PriceRadar.com Dives off the Screen
Bidder's Edge and eBay Settle Lawsuit
Warning: UPS Software May Be Harmful to Your Computer's Health
Eppraisals.com Offers Discounts to eBay Users
eBay University Goes "Online"

March 1, 2001
AuctionWatch to Begin Charging for Some Services
Earthquake Rocks Seattle, Washington
eBay's Spam Policy Backfires: Follow-Up
eBay Challenges Company over Domain Name
North Carolina Auctions Seized Property
eBay Cracks Down on Copyright Violations

February 28, 2001
eBay's Spam Policy Backfires
321Gone Revamps Web Site
Wanted: PropertyRoom.com, a Police Auction Site

February 27, 2001
eBay's Favorite Searches Supplants Personal Shopper
Half.com Profile
FairMarket Introduces Discount Shopping Online

February 26, 2001
Salon Scrutinizes PayPal
eBay Next to Be Questioned about Nazi Memorabilia
"Stealing for Dummies"
Korean Auction Sites Agree to Merge in Defensive Move against eBay
Debit Cards Enter Online Payment Market
PayPal Announces Changes to Buyer-Complaint Process

February 23, 2001
eBay Implements Long-Awaited Policies
Yahoo! Auctions Sees the Glass Half-Full
Certified Comic Book Sale

February 22, 2001
Andale to Offer Seller Storefronts; eBay Explores Its Own Storefront Service
eBay to Buy French-based iBazar
Insider Trading at eBay

February 21, 2001
FairMarket Merchants Allowed on eBay Platform

February 20, 2001
Online Auction Site BidBay Files for IPO
Looking for Number 2
Yahoo Auctions to Purchase Australian Auction Site
Stan Lee Media Files for Bankruptcy
The Auction Tango
N-E-S-T-L-E-S, Nestle to Use MarketPlace Software from FreeMarkets

BE SURE AND VISIT OUR WEB SITE FOR COMPLETE DAILY AUCTION NEWS!
AND NOW YOU CAN SIGN UP TO RECEIVE NEWSFLASH VIA EMAIL!
The "Newsflash" column brings you DAILY online auction news. Go to
http://www.auctionbytes.com/Email_Newsletter/newsflash/newsflash.ht ml for the latest online auction news and announcements.
Or subscribe by sending a blank email to: auctionflash-subscribe@topica.com

***************************************
***************************************
8) Letters from Readers

Dear Ina,

I will start by telling you a little about my background with ebay. I have been selling on ebay for a very long time - June of 1996 I believe. It is even hard for me to remember how it was, but I will try to paint a picture for you.

99% of all items (minus computers and such) were listed under misc. collectibles; misc. collectibles was approximately two pages long with each page containing 100 items. At that, time there was not even a pottery category. I remember when they added the pottery category. I called a friend and told her about the new addition and told her there were all of 8 items listed, I wonder who will even bother to look.

What has bothered me for a long time is the fact that no one at ebay has ever realized that we (the sellers) are in actuality partners in business, and we have built this successful business together from the ground up. We have invested our time (and time is money) bringing our expertise and our money to this partnership.

Since we are partners and we (the sellers) have not agreed to be silent partners, we need to have more of a say with what goes on, i.e., hardware upgrades, selling tools, category additions, etc.

I believe this to be especially important for the simple fact that no one on ebay's staff has ever been allowed to sell on ebay, so how in the hell would they really know what we need or want.

Analogy . . . Would you hire an architect (no matter how talented) to design your new kitchen if he/she had never cooked or cleaned a kitchen or even put anyway groceries? I sure would not.

I think we need an elected body of representatives from the ebay community to be assembled. These representatives would be voted in by the ebay community members only and would be our voice.

I do not know about you, but I never list anything unless I feel it is going to bring me enough profit to make it worth my time. I figure each item takes approximately 1.5 hours from start to finish. This 1.5 hours includes finding the item (thrift shops, estate and yard sale for me) sometimes cleaning it up, taking and editing images, researching said item's value, and which category will bring the most money for it, answering bidders questions, end of auction notifications, funds received and item shipped emails, packing item, driving to post office and standing in line at post office.

With all that said I am not going to do all of that for less than $25 unless I just want it out of here, this sometimes does happen. LOL

When ebay first went public, they had 77 employees, and I believe there is something like 700 now. Of that 700, there are way too many Chiefs and not enough Indians. I can visualize one of their power meetings, with the suits trying to think of new ideas on how they can generate more revenue because if they don't they will lose their jobs. These new ideas always seem to stab the sellers in their backs.

Signed,
Kathi

Thanks, Kathi, for taking the time to explain how you feel. I sense a lot of frustration on the part of many sellers. As Kevin Pursglove, eBay's spokesperson, told me, eBay is changing and maturing. If there is a group who is no longer served by the eBay model, I believe new venues will be introduced and tested. Online auction users, sellers in particular, are a resourceful and talented bunch. (They could teach the "suits" of this world quite a bit!) And yet, most of the auction users I know believe in having a bit of fun while making an honest living. So keep me posted on what you find works and what doesn't work. Supply and demand will eventually sort things out.
-Ina

******************
We received a letter from a long-time reader today. She received an intervention email from eBay after she posted in one of the Site's chat forums. These letters are warnings that eBay automatically sends to users when its profanity checker catches what it perceives as a "Bad Word." The reader's letter included no vulgar words. The profanity checker put two words together - even though they were separated with a period, comma and space! We have XXXX out the profanity in this letter, received by our reader from eBay:

Comment too vulgar.
Sorry, our vulgarity-checking program has determined that your comment may
contain the word "XXXX" [highlighted in red].

Sometimes the program is wrong, however, and will piece together perfectly friendly words to make a word that sounds dirty. For example, let's pretend that "dingo" is a vulgar word. If you leave a post that reads "Merchandise received in good order," the program will piece together "received in good" and give you this warning message.

If this happened to you, just change your post a little (e.g., "Merchandise received in fine order") and the program will let it through. Sorry for the inconvenience, but we strive to ensure a pleasant experience for all of those in the eBay community, and in some cases, we may be overly protective just to be safe.

****
As eBay writes in its letter, sometimes their checker extracts profanity from a series of innocuous words. The problem is that the warning email that eBay sends to the user CONTAINS the profanity that it thinks the person has used...and the email may not be received by the person for whom it was intended.

As our reader replied to them:
Ebay:
I am APPALLED at the "intervention" message (at the bottom of this letter) I received from you regarding the following posting I was about to place on Car Chat. HOW DARE YOU SEND ME a note that contains vulgarities that I've never used in my life!!! My 10-year old daughter was sitting next to me, and questioned me about it!! There are NO vulgarities in MY message - ONLY YOURS!!! - however, I was not allowed to post this message.

******************************************************** **********************
Please use the AuctionBytes Yellow Pages when you are shopping for supplies and services for online auctions and collectibles!
<http://www.online-auction-directory.com>
******************************************************** **********************

AuctionBytes-Update ISSN 1528-6703
AUCTIONBYTES.COM CONTACT INFORMATION
Editorial: ina@auctionbytes.com
Advertising: advert@auctionbytes.com or 508-655-5697
Letters, Comments, Suggestions: feedback@auctionbytes.com
Want to Write for AuctionBytes-Update? Go to http://www.auctionbytes.com and click on "write for us" to view author guidelines. If you are interested, send email to ina@auctionbytes.com.

Ina Steiner, Editor, Publisher and Co-founder: ina@auctionbytes.com
David Steiner, Webmaster, Technical Editor, President and Co-founder:
dsteiner@auctionbytes.com
Michele Alice, Contributing Editor
AuctionBytes.com
c/o Steiner Associates
PO Box 668
Natick, MA 01760
508-655-5697
-----------------
Thank you for subscribing to AuctionBytes-Update. AuctionBytes-Update email newsletter may be freely distributed in its entirety, so please pass it on. (Individual sections MAY NOT be copied and/or distributed without written permission of the publisher.)

The Fine Print:
No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Steiner Associates makes diligent efforts to obtain accurate and timely information. However, Steiner Associates disclaims any liability to any party for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions in AuctionBytes-Update, whether or not such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident or any other cause. Scratch scratch.