AuctionBytes-Update Number 55 - November 18, 2001 - ISSN 1528-6703

Please recommend this newsletter: <http://www.auctionbytes.com/Email_Newsletter/Recommend/recommend. html >

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IN THIS ISSUE:
1) Online Auction Feedback
2) IS THAT PHOTOGRAPH OLD? Part 3
3) This & That
4) Collector's Corner
5) PayPal Follow-Up
6) AUCTIONBYTES FEATURES
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FROM THE EDITOR
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Welcome to new subscribers who saw us on the Boston television program Chronicle!

AuctionBytes-Update is published weekly (we also have a daily Newsflash newsletter). You can also find cool tools and resources on the Web site. We show you how to successfully sell online on auction sites and storefronts. We have many writers who contribute their expertise and knowledge, and we write about collectibles as well. Check out our rogue's gallery at <http://www.auctionbytes.com/Write_For_Us/WriterBios/writerbios.html >.

We received letters from local readers who saw the program, which featured the topic of yard-saling! Although it is mid-November in the Boston area, there were still a fair number of yard sales yesterday. Our cover is blown - we were spotted at a few by people who said, "I saw you on TV - any good buys here?!"

Lots of people were running around getting ready for Turkey day. I am totally unprepared for the holidays - Christmas is a mere 5 weeks away. I will be making my annual day-after-Thanksgiving trip to the mall at 7am Friday to do my part to help the economy. I think I'll finish up the rest of my shopping online. As well as shopping on auction sites, there are some great stores in various "Storefronts" - you can find a list of Storefronts here: < http://www.auctionbytes.com/stores/stores.html>.

Happy Thanksgiving from David, Maggie and me!

Ina Steiner, Editor
Email: ina@auctionbytes.com
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1) Online Auction Feedback
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by Ina Steiner

Every time you conduct a transaction on an auction site, your trading partner rates your performance. This is called feedback, and it is the foundation of the trust that must be present in order to buy and sell online with perfect strangers.

However, feedback you accrue on one site is not visible to members on other auction sites. And the largest auction site - eBay - does not let its users tout their feedback profile anywhere, other than on eBay itself.

A company called Virtual Feedback has created a service to get around this problem. And these days, with many buyers and sellers not wanting to be tied down to one single venue, the time could be ripe for "mobile feedback."

We first wrote about Virtual Feedback in July 2000. The service is alive and well and available at <http://www.virtualfeedback.com>. You must register in order to leave a rating, but you can look up someone's rating without being registered. There is no charge to either read or leave a rating.

If you register with Virtual Feedback, you can put a logo on your Web site and auctions to show how many times you've been rated; when users click on the logo, they will be taken to the Virtual Feedback Web site where they can read the ratings.

ePier's ProfileRate.com
ProfileRate.com is a brand new service for "mobile feedback." ePier launched the service last week. While the site will apply to transactions on all auction sites, not just ePier, currently the only option listed is for rating ePier transactions. James Kim, ePier CEO, said that, "eventually, when there is a critical mass of users, we would like to nail one's identity to an immutable ID such as the social security number so that one's true colors will be shown."
<http://www.profilerate.com>

Note that with the two above-mentioned services, people must leave feedback twice - once on the auction site where the transaction took place, and once on the feedback site itself.

Reliable Merchants - A Different Approach to Feedback
Edith Reynolds introduced Reliable Merchants to AuctionBytes readers in February. The site was founded by then 17-year-old whiz kid Steven Ebin, who developed a mathematical algorithm to analyze an auction-seller's "reputation."

The system rates sellers - specifically, eBay sellers. Participating sellers display a "Reliable Merchants" seal if they can meet the Reliable Merchants standards. The system ranks a seller's feedback as 95 or over, the seller is eligible for inclusion in the Reliable Merchants family.

Reliable Merchants is a tool that sellers can use to show potential bidders that they are reliable, and is basically a marketing tool - one that the company says is effective, since it accurately shows people that you are a "reliable" seller. There is a fee for using the Reliable Merchants service ($12/quarter which equals $48/year), and they are currently offering a free two-month trial.
<http://www.reliablemerchants.com>

Whatever your approach to feedback, it is an important part of the online buying and selling process. And you can be sure that there are entrepreneurs out there right now trying to come up with new systems to make it better!
---
A note on reviewing these services: none of these services have a way to easily see what a review will look like. I would urge these sites to have a button where new users can click and actually see a sample listing.

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2) IS THAT PHOTOGRAPH OLD?
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A Three-part Series on Judging the Age of Photographs
Part 3: How to use a black light to identify many fakes and reprints
By David Rudd

In the first part of this series, we looked how to identify the most common photographs from the 1800s. In part two, we look at photographs from the early 20th century, in particular, photographs made before 1920. Here, we discuss the use of black lights to identify many fakes and reprints.

For collectors of Pre-World War II paper material - including photographs, sportscards, publications, posters, postcards, advertisements and more - there is a sophisticated yet inexpensive and easy-to-use tool for quickly identifying many modern reprints and fakes. This tool is called an ultraviolet light or black light. While there are many uses for black light in collecting and beyond, this article shows how it can be used to identify modern paper and cardboard.

How Black Light Works
A black light allows the collector to see things not seen under normal daylight. Black light is outside the human's visible spectrum, meaning that it cannot be seen by human eyes. However, in an otherwise blackened room, different materials can fluoresce (glow) under black light. Most of us have experienced black lights that make the whites on our shirts or shoes glow brightly. Some materials fluoresce brightly, some not at all, and the rest somewhere in between. Fluorescence can differ in color. For example, some inks fluoresce yellow, some brown and some blue. The quality of fluorescence happens at the atomic level of the material.

Identification of Modern Papers Using Black Light
Black light is effective in identifying many, though not all, modern paper stocks.

Starting in the late 1940s, manufacturers of many products began adding 'optical brighteners' and other new chemicals to their products. Optical brighteners are invisible dyes that fluoresce brightly under black light. They were used to make products appear brighter in normal daylight, which contains some black light. Optical brighteners were added to laundry detergent and clothes to help drown out stains and to give the often advertised 'whiter than white whites.' Optical brighteners were added to plastic toys to makes them brighter and more colorful. Paper manufacturers joined the act as well, adding optical brighteners to many, though not all, of their white papers stocks.

A black light can identify most cards, posters and other paper items that contain optical brighteners. In a darkened room, optical brighteners will usually fluoresce a very bright light blue or bright white. To find out what this looks like, just shine a recently made white trading card or most types of today's white printing paper under a black light.

If paper stock fluoresces very bright, it almost certainly was made after the mid-1940s. It is important to note that not all modern papers will fluoresce this way, as optical brighteners are not added to all modern paper stocks. This means that if a paper doesn't fluoresce brightly, this does not mean it is necessarily old. However, with very few exceptions, if a paper object fluoresces very brightly, it could not have been made before World War II. I would guess that well over 90% of modern reprints and fakes of Pre-World War II trading cards and photographs contain optical brighteners that can be identified with a black light.

Before declaring objects fakes and making a citizen's arrest on your grandmother, it's important to gain experience. This means using a black light to examine and compare the fluorescence of a variety of items. When examining photographs, make sure you shine the black light on all sides, as some have a coating on the fronts.

The collector should also follow all safety rules for the use of black lights. If used correctly, they are safe, but, for example, the user should not look directly at the light. Boxed black lights should come with directions. It is recommended to buy a longwave black light as opposed to a shortwave black light. Shortwave is important in the examination of some stamps and other objects, but longwave is safer.

Where to Buy a Black Light
Black lights and ultraviolet lights are widely available and have a wide variety of uses. Geologists use them to identify minerals, collectors of glass use them for authentication. They are even used to find scorpions at night. Black lights are sold by many science, hobby and rock stores. I bought mine and tested it out at a hobby store in my hometown of Seattle. Black lights can also be purchased online. I have seen hand-held models offered for well under $20 each at eBay and online stores.

NOTE: Part 1 of this series can be found online at <http://www.auctionbytes.com/Email_Newsletter/53/53.html#photos>.
Part 2 can be found at <http://www.auctionbytes.com/Email_Newsletter/53/54/54.html#photos >.
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David Rudd is Director of Art & Collectable Examination at Cycleback < http://www.cycleback.com> in Seattle and is author of the books 'Authentication and Forgery Detection of Prints and Antique Photographs' and 'Guide to Identifying Early Photographs: a Pocket Manual.' He is a member of the
International Directory of Photography Historians, Association of Art Historians and the International Association of Paper Historians.

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3) THIS & THAT
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eBay Changes Search Interface
eBay launched a new Search interface on Wednesday night. "Whenever you conduct a search from anywhere on eBay, the Matching Categories box will display a list of up to three top-level categories that contain items matching your search query. Each top-level category will also show up to three sub-categories. All of these categories are ranked by the number of items found in each category."
< http://pages.ebay.com/search/items/catsearch_learn.html>

In the past, after searching for an item, you could click on "Search Completed Items" to view auctions that had already ended. Now you can find the same feature called "Ended Items" in the left-hand column under "Show Only."

After you do a search, here are the three main sections in the left-hand column:

BASIC SEARCH - you can further modify your search or click on "Advanced Search"
MATCHING CATEGORIES - this lists the categories that contain your search term
SHOW ONLY - "Ended Items," "Items Near Me"

While it takes some getting used to, this new search interface could be helpful. For example, if I am looking for a turkey platter, and I enter the search term "Turkey," in the left-hand column under "Matching Categories," I will see three broad categories: Collectibles, Stamps, and Pottery & Glass, with subcategories underneath.

I can click on "Housewares & Kitchenware" under Collectibles. I can definitely ignore "Stamps"!

After a few clicks on further subcategories, I can go right to "Serving Trays" and find several nice turkey platters - just what I was looking for. I was able to narrow my search to 7 items that fit my shopping needs, as opposed to scrolling through pages and pages of auctions - there were 3,902 auctions with the word "Turkey" in the headline.

This won't work for all searches, and it could backfire for some sellers who may find they need to place their auction item in multiple categories to make sure the item is found. (And eBay charges extra fees for putting items in more than one category.)

But hopefully this feature will allow buyers to find items more quickly and easily so they won't give up their search in frustration!

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New Auction Site: AuctionSaloon.com
From "Kountry Stores" to the "Helpin' Hands" member forum, AuctionSaloon.com provides an atmosphere of the old West to its auction site. Site owner David "Andretti" Anderson has created what he refers to as "an auction site for members, by members." The site offers free basic listings, free image hosting, free email, a free "Verified Member" program, and free chat boards.

For enhancements, the site offers various options for fees - see
<http://www.auctionsaloon.com/help/fee_schedule.cfm>. Users may also, at their option, purchase their own exclusive categories, Kountry stores, and their own dotcom stores. Items in all 3 options are accessible by using the site's search engine. Users are also allowed to link to their own sites, via their auctions or the site chat boards.

AuctionSaloon.com says it maintains a zero tolerance policy for deadbeat buyers & sellers, has virtually moderation-free chat boards, and has an average response time of 12 hours or less for the majority of the technical problems reported by members and staff.

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BidBay Runs Holiday Promotion
BidBay is giving new members 100 "BidBay Bucks" simply for registering. The special points can be used to make purchases in the "BidBay Bucks" category of the site, which lists thousands of products, ranging from toys to jewelry to sports cards. In addition to the 100 "BidBay Bucks" new users receive, all members can earn additional "Bucks" by winning online contests and through a variety of other tasks.

"We want to help those families out this holiday season that might be having a difficult time making ends meet, but they still want to give gifts to their loved ones," said BidBay CEO and Founder George Tannous. BidBay.com, founded in January 2000, says its has over 4.6 million registered users and well over one million items listings. For more information on "BidBay Bucks," visit
<http://www2.bidbay.com/help/faq.cfm?id=88&rid=0>.

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OAUA Board Accepting Nominations
The Online Auction Users Association (OAUA) Board of Directors will appoint Officers at its next meeting. All officer positions are open and consist of: Chairperson of the Board, President, Chief Operations Officer, Secretary, Treasurer, and Vice President.

OAUA officers serve one-year, volunteer terms. Officers run the OAUA's dayto- day operations, under the general direction of the Board of Directors.

Nominations for officer positions will be accepted through midnight PST on November 20, 2001. Members interested in being considered for one of these positions should email secretary@auctionusers.org and include a brief description of their qualifications.

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4) Collector's Corner
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Jewelry Expert Chats with Collectors
The CollectingChannel.com held a live chat last week with a leading jewelry expert. Peter Shemonsky, Director of Fine Jewelry & Timepieces at Butterfields, participated in a live chat in the CollectingChannel.com "Meet the Experts" Chat Room on Tuesday evening.

There were some excellent questions, and Peter gave helpful, expert advice. For example, a question was asked, "There always seems to be so much confusion about Bakelite. Is there a simple home test that can be done to determine if a piece is authentic Bakelite?"

Now, I've read something about sticking a warm pin in the piece, which actually damages it, depending on if it is real Bakelite or not! So I was very happy to hear the EXPERT answer:

"Yes, since true Bakelite is petroleum based, if you rub it against a soft cloth, to get it warm, it will smell like oil/rubber," Shemonsky answered.

If you want to learn some other interesting things about jewelry, you can find the fulltext of the transcript at:
<http://www.collectingchannel.com/cdsDetArt.asp?PID=111534&MC=8>

Thanks to Ron McCoy of the CollectingChannel.com for letting me include this tidbit. Note: I announce upcoming events like this one in the NewsFlash newsletter, so be sure and check it daily.

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5) PayPal Follow-Up
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In a recent issue, Izzy Goodman wrote about PayPal <http://www.auctionbytes.com/Email_Newsletter/53/53.html#paypal>. A reader followed up with a question, which I've included below, followed by Izzy's response.

Hi,
I loved the PayPal article and read it carefully. I've never had a chargeback, but don't want one! Never had a stolen card either. From what I understand about how PayPal deals with international customers, it is a little different than we who are in the US and I don't understand why PayPal doesn't do this same thing with us.

A customer (from London) signed up to use PayPal to pay me via his credit card. He informed me that Paypal puts two small charges on his card and he has to get or access his credit card bill to get those charge amounts, then enter that in before he will be able to use the card through PayPal. Seems to me this is the way it should be with *all* people who try to use a card through PayPal. If the card is stolen, the person who has the card will not have the bill, and probably will not have access to account records (either by phone or internet) to verify what those small charges are and input them into PayPal's system. I know it takes a little longer to first get a card verified in that manner, but it seems to me it would be better protection for us all.
-Michele

Dear Michele,
Putting a credit on a credit card (even one for two cents) costs the merchant about $1. So it costs PayPal over $1 to verify the London credit card. They do not want to spend this kind of money for every one of their ten million users. (PayPal charges $1 to the foreign accounts for the verification. U.S. customers don't like being charged for anything.)

In the U.S., address verification is available. It is part of the charging process. So when PayPal sends the seller the info about the payment, they send along the cardholder's address and tell the seller to ship there only. If the seller ships somewhere else, it is the seller's problem if the card turns out to be fraudulent. Fraudulent U.S. credit cards are not really a big problem on PayPal. Out of the U.S., address verification is not available, so PayPal has to do the two-deposit verification method. Fraudulent credit card use outside of the U.S. (or folks who charge something with PayPal and later claim they didn't do the charge) is a big problem.

Another possible reason is that Paypal promotes itself as a fast way to pay. Right now if you use a U.S. credit card, you have immediate access to $250 on your credit card. If buyers had to wait until Paypal verified their cards, it would hold up the deal for a week or two. I don't think too many sellers would be pushing it then. In any case, U.S. credit cards don't really need that much verifying. If sellers shipped to the cardholder's address only, it would cut out most of the fraud.

Izzy
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Yisroel (Izzy) Goodman moderates the AuctionBytes "Online Auction Services" forum and writes frequently for AuctionBytes about his assessment of online payment services. Post a message or ask a question about online payment services on the forum: < http://www.auctionbytes.com/forum/phpBB/viewforum.php?forum=7&76 >

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6) AUCTIONBYTES FEATURES
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GET DAILY NEWS: Read news about the online auction and collectibles world. Send a blank email to: auctionflash-subscribe@topica.com

SHOP FOR AUCTION-RELATED PRODUCTS: Go to the AuctionBytes Yellow Pages where you can find supplies for collectors, auction-management software and more.
http://www.auctionbytes.com/cgi-bin/bizdirectory/biz-dir-index.pl

POST A QUESTION: The AuctionBytes Discussion Forums are a great place to post a question and learn about selling online.
http://www.auctionbytes.com/forum/phpBB/index.php

READ BACK ISSUES: Read 2 years of AuctionBytes newsletters!
http://www.auctionbytes.com/Email_Newsletter/email_newsletter.html

CHECK THE AUCTION FORECAST: Dave's Interactive Auction Calendar forecasts whether it's a good day to start your online auction.
http://www.auctionbytes.com/Email_Newsletter/calendar/calendar.html

Go to http://www.auctionbytes.com and find links to these features and more (look for links in the left-hand column).

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AuctionBytes-Update ISSN 1528-6703
Ina Steiner, Editor, Publisher, Founder: ina@auctionbytes.com
David Steiner, President, Founder: dsteiner@auctionbytes.com
Michele Alice, Contributing Editor
AuctionBytes.com
c/o Steiner Associates
PO Box 668
Natick, MA 01760
508-655-5697
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