AuctionBytes-Update Number 60 - December 23, 2001 - ISSN 1528-6703
Please recommend this newsletter: <http://www.auctionbytes.com/Email_Newsletter/Recommend/recommend.html
>
***************************************
IN THIS ISSUE:
1) Selling on Amazon - One Bookseller's Experience
2) A Letter to 'Santa' Bezos
3) An Expert Comments on Google Catalog Search
4) This & That
5) Holiday Shopping Results
6) Letters to the Editor
***************************************
===============
FROM THE EDITOR
===============
If you are like me, and are very confused about the options buyers
and sellers have on Amazon, take heart! Contributing writer Edith Reynolds, who owns The John Bale Book Company with her husband Donato Gaeto, will explain it all in today's issue. She has figured out how
booksellers can take advantage of Amazon, and clears up the confusion over Amazon Auctions, Z-shops and Marketplace.
There's a lot to explain - you may find it easier to print it out and read it.
Speaking of confusion, eBay's Checkout feature continues to befuddle buyers and sellers.
Checkout links continue to show up in End of Auction (EOA) messages, even for sellers who have opted out
of Checkout. Several sellers reported that their EOA messages listed Shipping & Handling costs as set to $0.00, causing customers to think (understandably) that shipping is free.
We checked our
own EOA emails from December 10th and found inconsistencies in the messages. Several EOA emails stated "Winning bidder, to complete this sale via Checkout, click here:" with a link. Other EOA
emails had no link to Checkout, and stated, "The winning bidder and seller should contact one another within three business days to complete the sale. Winning bidders should send payment directly to the
seller." We checked our preferences, which were still set to, "No, do not display eBay's Checkout button." This problem evidently applies only to the checkout button on the "View
Auction" page and has nothing to do with Checkout links elsewhere.
If you are having problems with eBay's Checkout feature, I would suggest you contact eBay support and let them know: <http://pages.ebay.com/help/basics/select-support3.html>.
Reports of holiday shopping activity continue to roll in. So far, it looks like online shopping is up from last year (about 8.3%), while total
retail spending is up only about 1.8%. Look for more facts & figures, including the number one reason for shopping online, in "Holiday Shopping Results" in this issue. I've also included some
consumer resources in today's "This & That" section in case you have a problem with a purchase (online or offline).
I want to take a moment to thank everyone who wrote for AuctionBytes
this year. We look forward to more stories about online auction selling and about collectibles in the coming year. David and I couldn't do this alone, and we are proud to have the best writers in the
industry!
We also want to thank our friends and family for their unwavering support. We are celebrating Christmas today with my parents, and will be celebrating on Tuesday with David's family. I feel
so grateful that we can take time to be with our families. Now is the time to be together and appreciate one another.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from David, Maggie and me!
Ina Steiner, Editor
Email: ina@auctionbytes.com
PS: We'll see you January 6th, when we go back to a twice-monthly format.
===============================================
SEASONS GREETINGS!
On behalf of all of us at Craters & Freighters,
We wish you a joyous holiday season and a Happy New Year.
Thank you so much for your continued support.
Best Wishes For Peace On Earth,
Your Packaging & Shipping Experts,
CRATERS & FREIGHTERS - Call 1-800-736-3335
http://www.cratersandfreighters.com/cgi-bin/gocf.cgi?ref=4MGSJ
================================Advertisement=======
==========================
1) Selling on Amazon - One Bookseller's Experience
==========================
by Edith Reynolds
Amazon.com spells success despite its consistent failure to turn a profit. No other book site on the Internet enjoys the same name recognition. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has attained
superstar status. It's lauded as one of the most customer-friendly spots within the World Wide Web. And its foray into the used book market has been profitable for independent booksellers. But changes within
the fixed-price, used market portion of the company have left a legacy of confusion.
What are the company's strong points? Since Bezos founded Amazon.com in 1995, it's the 48th most recognizable brand
name and serves a customer base of over 29 million people. It is a company that has acted quickly to compete on this emerging business landscape and has managed to stay afloat when other companies have
failed. Amazon lives on while etoys.com and pets.com have become nothing more than a memory. Its customer mission, according to Bezos, is to be the "earth's most customer-centric company." There's no doubt
about that, it is exceptionally customer friendly. But for independent used booksellers, the friendly Amazon landscape may be confusing. Still, it's a sales venue that's hard to beat.
David and
Denise Carlson of dandgalleries.com are among the booksellers whose sales have been strong on Amazon. "You have to sign up, Edith," Denise advised me on more than one occasion. "You won't believe the number
of sales they generate." Denise is an exceptionally bright woman whose advice is worth considering, especially since she and her husband are international booksellers with a flourishing business in New
Jersey.
Since the attack 9/11, our own Internet book sales declined, so I was ripe to take the advice. Until then, we'd listed our books on Advanced Book Exchange (abe.com), Alibris, Barnes &
Noble, Half.com, and through the two ABAA related sites. Our next step was to determine what portion of Amazon.com suited our business best. There were several options: auctions, Z-shops, and Marketplace.
AMAZON OPTIONS
In 1999, Amazon.com had the good sense to acquire Bibliofind.com, a used-book site developed by Michael and Helen Seltzer that had a strong following among dealers and a rock-solid
reputation. Adding this venue to the auctions already offered by Amazon, and their follow-up deal with Sotheby's to provide high-end auctions, Amazon was poised to be both customer- and seller-friendly. As
eBay moved toward its Great Collections concept by acquiring Butterfield's auction house and the fixed-price concept of eBay storefronts, it seemed Amazon was preparing to go toe-to-toe with eBay.
Amazon suddenly surprised everyone when it closed the doors on Bibliofind and developed two related sites called Z-shops and Marketplace. Z-shops were designed to make unsold auction items and older books a
fixed-price site for customer seeking out-of-print titles. It was the site designated to take over the Bibliofind dealers. Newer books with ISBN numbers were relegated to the Marketplace, where books appear
listed alongside Amazon's new titles. Amazon advertises: "Buyers and sellers can buy and sell used and collectible books, music, DVDs, videos, console-based video games, electronics items, tools, and
photography equipment on the same page where Amazon.com sells that item new."
Now, it seemed that ex-Bibliofind members had to split their inventory and focus on two venues instead of one. Each
has its own pricing structure and costs.
MARKETPLACE
Marketplace items appear directly on Amazon's product detail pages. To list items, go to the Amazon.com detail page for the item you'd like to
sell, and click the "Sell yours here!" button that appears in the blue box under the product image.
Marketplace sellers may list an unlimited number of items for free. A $.99 commission
plus a 15% commission is charged per sale.
The requirements set out by Amazon for this form of selling are: Used books must be listed at a price at least 10% below the Amazon.com price. Collectible
books must be signed, out of print, or otherwise unique--you will have an opportunity to detail why your copy is collectible. Such books must be listed at a price greater than the list price. New books may
be sold at any price, but be aware that listings for new books will only appear on product pages when Amazon.com is out of stock.
Marketplace sellers must register for Amazon's payment plan, which
includes a $2.23 reimbursement to sellers for shipping directly to customers.
Z-SHOPS
While Marketplace items show up in Z-shops, sellers wanting to list items directly in Z-shops and create a
Z-shop Storefront must register for a "Pro-Merchant" account at a cost of $39.99 a month. The monthly fee covers an inventory of 40,000 books. Any book over this figure is charged a 10 cent/month
listing fee. There are other costs related to bold headings, etc., but the $39.99 is the basic fee.
Z-shop sellers pay closing fees when a sale is made. For items selling for one penny to $25, Amazon
charges 5% of the sale. On sales up to $1,000, each sale is charged $1.25 plus 2.5% of any amount greater than $25. If an item sells for more than $1,000, Amazon collects $25.63 plus 1.25%.
AUCTIONS
Amazon charges a 10 cent listing fee for each item (unless you have a Pro-Merchant account). The closing fees are the same as for Z-shops (see above).
PRO-MERCHANT ACCOUNT BENEFITS
Amazon
pushes the Pro-Merchant account and offers incentives. The $.99 sale commission is waived for Marketplace listings (sellers still owe the 15% commission per sale). The ten cents listing fees for Auction
listings are waived. And it is the only way to set up a Z-shop Storefront. Amazon provides a bulk loader for listing and makes it easier to relist items and rebates on monthly Bid for Featured Placement
fees.
WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?
Is this better than the old system employed by Bibliofind.com? It's certainly more confusing, especially following what had been a simpler approach. Bibliofind
operated in much the same fashion as does Advanced Book Exchange (abe.com). Customers and sellers come together directly, which allows the individual dealer to maintain an identity. Amazon allows for an
"identity," but it is in a less direct manner. And the process for each sale on the seller's end is time consuming.
I find that now, each Amazon sale results in three separate emails sent to
the seller, so the first task every morning is to glean out the redundant messages. Payments through Amazon's system come with set fees for shipping ($2.23 given to the seller for media rate shipments). With
Z-shops, a purchase takes buyers to a secure site that explains that shipping charges must be added separately. If a shipping charge is not included in the description, buyers are prompted to contact the
dealer directly. (This means another email.) Sellers can get around this by including charges in their listings, but many of the venues (including Amazon's Marketplace) won't allow you to list shipping
charges within the books' descriptions. If you load your inventory to multiple sites, it's impossible to work around this nagging problem.
CONCLUSION
For sellers like Charles Agvent, whose
inventory is more upscale, Amazon doesn't offer the same clout as the ABAA related sites. Charles was a Bibliofind aficionado and lauds the simple, direct approach that linked customer to seller without a
heavy-handed middleman.
Our own experience shows Amazon sales consist of more than half our current Internet sales. For sellers like us, with substantial inventory and many low-cost titles, the sales
generated make the effort worthwhile, just as Denise Carlson predicted.
---
Edith Reynolds is a former newspaper and magazine writer. She and her husband Dan own an antiquarian bookstore, The John
Bale Book Company in Waterbury, CT. For the past nine years, they have specialized in early Americana and rare bindings. They are members of the ABAA - Antiquarian Booksellers of America Association, ILAB -
International League of Antiquarian Booksellers, IOBA - International Online Booksellers Association, and OAUA - Online Auction Users Association. Edith manages online sales. In addition to their bookstore,
they sell on eBay and at book fairs. Visit Edith and Dan's Web site <http://www.johnbalebooks.com
>. eBay IDs: TAXTER, TAXTER2 , USIANA, BALEBOOKS
--------------------------
AMAZON LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION:
OVERVIEW
<
http://s1.amazon.com/exec/varzea/ts/announcement-list-zshops/slp/ref=gw_bt_si/ 103-4564720-8858265>
MARKETPLACE - INDIVIDUAL SELLERS
<
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/548722/103-4564720-8858265>
Z-SHOPS
<
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/537918/103-4564720-8858265>
AUCTIONS
<
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/537894/103-4564720-8858265>
PRO-MERCHANT ACCOUNT
<
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/537972/103-4564720-8858265>
=======================================
AuctionHelper, Inc. creates auction management tools that
automate the time-consuming components of the online auction
process. The services and tools are superior to any other
management tools on the market because they have been created
by some of the highest volume sellers on eBay for the purpose
of increasing sales for their own business.
Due to this background, the tools not only allow for sellers
to save time when listing and invoicing, but also allow sellers
to maximize their efficiency and sell more products. Visit
http://www.auctionhelper.com/abytes.html
today to receive a free thirty-day trial with no risk or obligations.
================================Advertisement=======
==========================
2) A Letter to 'Santa' Bezos
==========================
by Edith Reynolds
I had no problems with Amazon, my business relationship and feedback was perfect.
Heck, they even sent me a nifty baseball cap with their logo when I made a suggestion. So when I applied to open a Z-shop and join the Marketplace, I was stunned to receive a friendly but disappointing email
from the company that said I was denied. They did state that the denial wasn't credit-related, but no other explanation was afforded. More than being outraged by the callous dismissal, my feelings were hurt.
It didn't make sense. Why would Amazon turn its back on more than 16,000 salable titles and offend a good customer and seller?
Denis Gouey of "And Books Too" in Torrington, Connecticut, (and
who sells on eBay as Bibliopegist) made it his personal crusade to find out why. Denis loves a challenge and was determined to discover the root of the denial. He found the reason was simple. Because I was a
former auction-lister, I already had a Z-shop account. All I had to do was use the information from this to load up my inventory instead of reapplying. Amazon wouldn't recognize the duplicate information.
Why didn't they say so?
Then again why didn't they leave Bibliofind alone? And why don't they make a profit?
Good questions all. Maybe the answer is that Amazon doesn't need to worry about
the little things. They're busy selling books, gadgets, and other things. Maybe they're like Santa's elves, too busy filling Christmas orders to worry about the feelings of sellers who don't realize they're
already part of the Amazon team. So maybe taking the Christmas approach will prove helpful. Instead of writing to Santa, maybe a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is in order. Mine would read:
Dear Jeff Bezos:
I am very pleased you were once voted man of the year, because Amazon is a remarkable company and provides my company with strong and consistent sales. But could you provide an easier way
to do so? All the various places within the company that sells my books confuses me. And the redundant emails take up a lot of time. Couldn't we simplify things a bit so that we keep costs lower in order to
make more money?
I forgive you for hurting my feelings, after all, the increased sales you brought me did much to assuage my wrath. But there may be others out there who don't have Denis Gouey to sort
things out. They may have lots of books to sell that will generate more commissions for your company. And who knows, you may turn a profit.
After all, with the waived fees for Pro-Merchant accounts,
the free shipping policies sometimes used for holiday promotions, and the various shipping restrictions, it's a tad more difficult to keep track of commissions and payments. And selling through Amazon.com
isn't the only game in town. Many of your sellers have to contend with multiple Internet-based companies that sell books.
It's not that we don't appreciate what you've done for us. It's just that a
lessening of the headaches would be nice. It may give us more energy to provide additional inventory for the Amazon coffers. You could opt for something less time consuming like Barnes & Noble, Half.com,
and Alibris do; they provide a table that lays out the daily sales with all the information right at hand. And it requires only one email a day!
Sincerely,
Edith
Yes, that's what I'd like Jeff
Bezos to bring me for Christmas or even making it a New Year's Resolution would make me happy.
Traversing the Amazon landscape isn't always easy. It is a site designed to sell new products, yet it is
a site that wants to capitalize on the rare book market.
The seller must always remember, they are guests in the Amazon house and that means putting up with some nagging idiosyncrasies. But 29
million customers make it worth your while to explore their confusing landscape. It will be up to you to find ways to make it easy for customers to know your shipping costs. (I developed a table on our own
Web site that lists the mailing costs by weight and each email request is calculated by that.)
Just remember, Amazon may not seem like it's promoting individual booksellers, but the customers do come
when you have a book they want and offer it at a good price. Once the sale is made, introduce yourself to that customer with information about your company and give the customer a "roadmap"
directly to your store.
And remember, Amazon may be difficult to contact when you have a problem, but when you finally get to make a suggestion, you may get lucky like I did. A baseball cap may turn
up in your mail!
---
Edith Reynolds is a former newspaper and magazine writer. She and her husband Dan own an antiquarian bookstore, The John Bale Book Company in Waterbury, CT. For the past nine
years, they have specialized in early Americana and rare bindings. They are members of the ABAA - Antiquarian Booksellers of America Association, ILAB - International League of Antiquarian Booksellers, IOBA
- International Online Booksellers Association, and OAUA - Online Auction Users Association. Edith manages online sales. In addition to their bookstore, they sell on eBay and at book fairs. Visit Edith and
Dan's Web site <http://www.johnbalebooks.com>. eBay IDs: TAXTER, TAXTER2 , USIANA, BALEBOOKS
==========================
3) An Expert Comments on Google Catalog Search
==========================
On December 19th, we reported in Newsflash that search site Google is beta-testing a "Search Catalogs" feature of over 700 mail-order catalogs. You can
enter a search term, like leather boots, and find all leather boots from across all retailers included in the Google Catalog database - with pictures! Right now, there is no charge, but it is likely Google
will charge the catalog companies in the future. (Read <
http://www.msnbc.com/news/673852.asp?0si=-> for more information.)
We were curious what this might mean to eBay, so we talked
to search expert Chris Sherman, the author of several books including The McGraw-Hill CD ROM Handbook and "The Invisible Web: Uncovering Information Sources Search Engines Can't See," co-authored
with Gary Price. Chris is also Associate Editor of SearchEngineWatch.com <http://www.searchenginewatch.com/searchday/searchday.html>.
AB: Chris, I read
your article in Search Day about Google Catalogs. I think the implications for eBay are mind-boggling. eBay is chasing retailers and distributors and manufacturers to sell practicals on its site. But they
keep a tight control on how auction sellers can market themselves. (You can't link to your own Web site in your auction description; you can't even save a high-bidder's email address to email to them in the
future, even though they bought from you.) Here Google is telling them to come to its site, and Google will send people right to the merchants' own Web sites! So, is it possible that Google Catalogs will
impact eBay sales?
CS: I honestly don't know if what Google is doing with catalogs will have an impact on eBay or not. Even though Google has killer search technology, there's a separate issue that
may ultimately be more important -- reputation and brand values.
eBay's rep and value is as an intermediary for people buying and selling stuff on the web. They're unquestionably the best. Google's
rep and value is in providing absolutely unbiased, "non-commercial" search results. What happens to Google's rep now that they appear to be cutting deals with merchants and catalog vendors? Will
the web community take a different view of them, and trust them less when it comes to search? It's a very tricky question for them. And it may have an impact on their core business, to the extent that they
scale back their catalog efforts. It's very unclear at this point.
Also, plenty of others have tried to compete with eBay, unsuccessfully. Even some major players who should have been able to make
inroads. Shaking a leader off a throne is a difficult task, so I wouldn't be too quick to write off eBay just yet.
AB: Is it possible eBay would try to get listed in Google Catalogs, or have it be a
paid option for auction sellers? What would Google think of that?
CS: I doubt Google would list eBay, since they aren't really a catalog vendor with a relatively fixed inventory, and secondly, since
eBay doesn't allow crawlers on their site, as I understand it.
---
Chris kindly offered to keep us posted on Google Catalog Search. If you want to keep up with news about Google, Yahoo and the other
search engine sites, be sure to sign up for Chris Sherman's newsletter, SearchDay at <
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday>. It's free!
==========================
4) THIS & THAT
==========================
U.S. Consumer Resources - Shop Smart
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business
practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. To file a complaint, call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters Internet,
telemarketing, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies worldwide.
The FTC also has a
page of resources that is extremely useful: <
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/holiday/index.html>.
If you have a problem with an online service and cannot get
satisfaction from the company, you should consider filing a complaint with the attorney general in your state, and contacting consumer agencies.
The FirstGov Web site from the U.S. government has a
page with links to each state government homepage: <
http://www.firstgov.gov/state_gov/state.html?ssid=1008351356032795_172>
Click on your state. Look for a link to the attorney
general; if you can't find one, then click on "consumer."
Finally, the Consumer Action Web site has a link to state, county and city Government Consumer Protection Offices: <http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/crh/state.htm>.
***
Auction for America Charity Program Ends This Week
eBay posted a reminder that the last full day to list items for the Auction for
America charity program is December 25th. Listings submitted on or before the end of the Auction for America program will continue to run for the duration of the listing.
eBay announced that, until
this point, items pertaining to the World Trade Center or the Pentagon were allowed on eBay only in Auction for America. Beginning December 26th, auctions of World Trade Center or Pentagon items are allowed,
as long as the listing adheres to eBay's Offensive Items policy found at <http://pages.ebay.com/help/community/png-offensive.html>.
***
Television Programs - Wednesday, 12/26/01:
1) Today Show: Sell Unwanted Gifts on eBay
Marsha Collier, author of "eBay for Dummies" and "Starting an eBay Business for Dummies,"
will be on the Today Show the day after Christmas. Marsha says, "The segment will be about selling your unwanted Christmas gifts on ebay. I'll have items posted and tell stories about how safe eBay
is."
2) Flea Market Finds with the Kovels
Flea Market Finds with the Kovels on HGTV on Wednesday, December 26, will feature: beaded baskets, box labels, styrene toys, doorknobs, snowshoes,
imported finds, electric power tools, architectural salvage, oil cans, pottery bargains, and a ceramic polar bear.
Flea Market Finds with the Kovels airs weekly on Home and Garden Television on
Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. ET, 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. CT, 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. MT, and 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. PT.
***
Microsoft Issues Critical Security Warning for Windows XP Users
Microsoft's new operating system, Windows XP, has a serious security flaw, and the company has issued a patch. This affects people using
Microsoft Windows ME or XP, or who have installed the Windows XP Internet Connection Sharing client on Windows 98 or 98SE. Microsoft strongly urges all Windows XP customers to apply the patch immediately.
<
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/security/bull etin/MS01-059.asp>
<http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,49301,00.html>
==========================
5) Holiday Shopping Results
==========================
Let's see what the analysts are saying about holiday shopping so far:
Total Holiday Shopping Slowed in November,...
USA Today reports that after a record-breaking spending spree in October,
consumers cooled their heels in November. But in December, according to a key index from University of Michigan, an improved stock market and hopes for economic recovery overshadowed concerns about job cuts.
<http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2001-12-21-spending.htm
>
***
...But Online, November Saw Increased Spending from Previous Month,...
Total U.S. spending on online sales
increased from $3.6 billion in October to $4.9 billion in November, according to The Forrester Online Retail Index. The number of households shopping online increased to 16.8 million in November, from 13.7
million in October. Consumers spent an average of $293 per person in November, compared with $265 in October.
<http://www.forrester.com/NRF>
***
...And Third Quarter Online Sales are up from Same Quarter Last Year
The Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce announced today that the estimate of U.S. retail e-commerce sales for the third quarter
of 2001, not adjusted for seasonal, holiday, and trading-day differences, was $7.472 billion, an increase of 8.3 percent (±3.0%) from the third quarter 2000. Total retail sales for third quarter 2001 were
estimated at $786.6 billion, an increase of 1.8 percent (±0.4%) from the same period a year ago.
<http://www.census.gov/mrts/www/current.html>
***
Why Do People Shop Online? Convenience!
The convenience of shopping online remains the primary driver of shopping site traffic and sales, according to Retail Forward.
Top Reasons for Shopping Online:
Can shop anytime: 84%
Easier than shopping at stores/via catalogs: 65%
Dislike dealing with holiday crowds at malls/stores: 62%
Access to products, brands, stores not available where I live/work: 45%
Received special promotion(s) to purchase online: 38%
Source: Internet Users Consumer Panel, November 2001, Retail Forward, Inc.
***
Where Do People Shop Online? At Work!
Online shopping at work accounts for nearly half of all shopping
activity, according to Nielsen/NetRatings Holiday eCommerce Index. The market research firm also noted that the top 4 e-tailers (excluding auction sites) for November in terms of traffic were 1) Amazon, 2)
Columbia House, 3) ToysRus, and 4) Barnes and Noble. Traffic to Amazon is more than three times as large as the next e-tailer, reaching 31.5 million unique visitors.
Source: Nielsen/NetRatings Holiday eCommerce Index
<http://www.nielsen-netratings.com
>
***
How are YOUR Holiday sales?
Did you shop online this year?
Post a note in the forums at <http://www.auctionbytes.com/forum/phpBB/viewforum.php?forum=3&260
>
=======================================
If you sell Antiques, Crafts, Collectibles,
Art, Jewelry or Gifts online. We can help.
Since 1995 TIAS.com has been showing
merchants how to get their merchandise sold.
Find out why TIAS merchants succeed.
http://www.makeashop.com
======================Advertisement=======
==========================
6) Letters to the Editor
==========================
Ina,
Thank you so very much for
posting the item about eBay's free listing day. It's something I would never have otherwise known about!!! And I was also able to let other eBay friends know about it as well. So THANK YOU...THANK
YOU...THANK YOU...!!!!!
-D
***
Hi Ina,
I liked your recent idea about adding something with outgoing emails to my customers, prospects, inquiries, vendors, suppliers, etc.
I USE THIS P.S. ON MOST OF MY OUTGOING EMAILS.
"P.S. Get the edge with AuctionBytes! Try their free newsletter:
http://www.auctionbytes.com . It's useful news on auctions."
I
modified it a bit. I know it's a subtle change, but I really don't want my customers to know "I have the edge with AuctionBytes!" I just want them to think of me as a nice seller. Now, if there's a
way for them to get "the edge" in online auctions, I think they would really like that. I try to make all my emails from the customer's point of view.
Best wishes for the holidays,
Bob
***************************************
***************************************
AUCTIONBYTES.COM SPONSORS - Please visit our sponsors!!
Craters & Freighters
http://www.cratersandfreighters.com/cgi-bin/gocf.cgi?ref=4MGSJ
Vision-0ne
http://www.123wholesaleresources.com
AuctionHelper
http://www.auctionhelper.com/abytes.html
AuctionHog
http://www.auctionhog.com
Bargain and Haggle
http://www.bargainandhaggle.com/newuser/index.asp?c=510
TIAS
http://www.tias.com
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@
Recommend AuctionBytes to a friend!
Forward this complete issue to them, or go to
http://www.auctionbytes.com/Email_Newsletter/Recommend/recommend.html
and fill out the short form. A sample issue
will automatically be sent to your friend
with a note from us (you can add a note too).
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@
***************************************
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
-----------------
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.)
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. |