AuctionBytes-Update Number 6 - January 23, 2000

ABOUT AUCTIONBYTES-UPDATE
AuctionBytes-Update is a free newsletter for online auction buyers and sellers. AuctionBytes-Update will show you how to make money and is useful to anyone who uses online auctions -- business people, collectors and hobbyists. AuctionBytes-Update is published by email twice a month.

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IN THIS ISSUE:
1) FROM THE EDITOR
2) AUCTIONBYTES.COM QUESTION OF THE WEEK
3) ARTICLE: SEARCHING VERSUS BROWSING - A LOOK AT EBAY'S GALLERY
4) ARTICLE: BIDPAY.COM OFFERS CLICK AND PAY SERVICE FOR BUYERS
5) COLLECTOR'S CORNER
6) ASK BILL THE POSTMAN
7) FOUND IN THE ATTIC
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1) FROM THE EDITOR

Well, dear readers, we've been busy. We continue to see incredible growth in subscribers and in visitors to the AuctionBytes.com Web site. Thanks to all the AuctionBytes.com authors, editors and contributors for fantastic stories. A new writer joins us with this issue. Journalist E.S. James took
time from her busy auctioning schedule to write about eBay's Gallery feature - ever wonder how those thumbnail pictures work? Read "Searching versus Browsing - a Look at eBay's Gallery" and find out.

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Anything goes on online auctions, as evidenced by the current offering of a T.Rex dinosaur skeleton - opening bid: $5,800,000 (5.8 million U.S. dollars). ( http://auctions.lycos.com/Scripts/ListingInfo.asp?LotNo=7153363) I was thinking of placing a bid, but my basement is full!

*****
In Boston, Need Money?AuctionWatch.com sent a note to subscribers of its newsletter on Monday. National Qualitative Centers (NQC) is conducting focus groups on Tuesday, January 25, 2000, in Copley Square, Boston. The topic? Auction Web sites. "If you are interested in sharing your opinions in this matter, please call KIMMY at (617) 424-1700 (800) 424-4274 10:00am - 5:00pm." The gig pays $60.

*****
The Auction Hound is doing well. Maggie Steiner, our 5 1/2 month-old Beagle puppy, is sniffing out stories for us to cover in the newsletter. She attended her first dog obedience class on Monday and loved it. She also loves the snow, which she saw for the first time in her life last week. But it has been bitterly cold in the Northeast, and David and I are freezing our noses off (to put it politely!) when we take her out for walks. If you see any typos in this issue, blame it on frostbitten fingers and paws. :)

-Ina Steiner, Editor
ina@auctionbytes.com

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2) AUCTIONBYTES.COM QUESTION OF THE WEEK

>>>When an auction item is returned to the seller, who should pay for the shipping?<<< (1/13/00)

VOTE NOW!! http://www.auctionbytes.com

Visit the Chat Forum at http://www.auctionbytes.com/bin/messagebbs/view.pl   to see what people have to say about this question.

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RESULTS OF OTHER RECENT "QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK"

>>> What do you consider the single most important aspect of a successful auction? (Choose among Auction Title, Description, Picture, Starting Bid, and Other.)<<< (1/6/00)

More than half (52%) of all the respondents for this week's question felt that a picture was the most important element to a successful auction. Auction Title and Item Description came in a distant second and third with 19% and 21% respectively.

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You can vote on this week's Question of the Week by going to our Web site at http://www.auctionbytes.com - voting is right on the home page. Each week we'll offer a new question to vote on, and we'll share the results of the vote on the home page and in the next issue of AuctionBytes-Update.
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3) ARTICLE: SEARCHING VERSUS BROWSING - A LOOK AT EBAY'S GALLERY
By E. S. James

A picture is worth a thousand words, but it may not be worth a quarter.

At least not according to what I found. With eBay fees rising, I set out to find how to get the most bang for my listing-buck online. A Gallery listing here, a reserve-fee there -- they can really add up at the end of the day.

For those of you unfamiliar with eBay's Gallery feature, it allows sellers to present miniature pictures (thumbnails) of their items. Buyers can browse the Gallery and view the items. EBay charges an extra 25 cents (in addition to the 25-cent listing fee) for items appearing in the Gallery.

Based on my own admittedly unscientific study performed recently on about 200 past customers, I discovered that "Search" leads to "seizure" of merchandise, and Gallery pictures may as well be hung out to dry. I asked my customers how they found their buys. Their replies were quite interesting.

A keyword search easily won the race, garnering close to nine out of 10 customer responses. "I found your items by doing a search on 'Kraft pink,' " Elaine S. replied. She picked up a pair of mint condition Homer Laughlin Kraft Pink soup bowls, bidding on the first day they were offered.

"Whenever I visit eBay, I know exactly what I want, or am looking for and use the search to pull up exact matches," one of my early customers said, adding, "I'm not a browser like most I guess."

Many said they used "Search" exclusively. "Almost all of my purchases on eBay are found with a keyword search," another added. ''I find it eliminates a lot of searching and I almost never use the Gallery pictures to look at things." Still, Gallery pictures did not go entirely ignored. Although only 8% of my respondents said a Gallery picture led them to their buy, it still means those thumbnails are thumbed-through.

EBay states on its listing page that "Gallery Items get 25% to 200% more bids." Is it true, or are they just trying to get a non-refundable quarter from me? True, yes. But squeezing the extra quarter, no, according to Kevin Pursglove, Senior Director of Communications for eBay.

"Some categories have the 25% success rate," Pursglove said. "And others truly get the 200% figure." Those numbers, he said, "[represent] a range that covers all the categories that have the gallery feature." How eBay calculated the figures and category-specific success rates is "internal information," Pursglove said.

It all depends on the shopper and the item, a member of the eBay public relations team said. EBay launched the Gallery so that users can shop visually rather than by leafing through page after page of line listings. By extension, it would make sense to list Art in the gallery. It's a visual thing. But, every shopper is different. Some prefer to lay in wait at the keyboard, like a sniper up a tree, poised to snatch a prize out of the Going-Going-Gone area. "I found you at 'Ending Today,' " said Sue C., who won an early McCoy vase against few competing bidders. But that wasn't all that sold the goods.

"I thought that your merchandise was as described," she said. "You gave a thorough description of what you had up for bid. Very important. I would definitely buy from you again."

And, sometimes, the merchandise just finds you. "I was just browsing," said Joyce S., a repeat customer. "Sometimes, I go for Closing Today and if I have time, browse through Current." But, like many, Joyce doesn't stop there. "When I see something I really like, I go to sellers' other auctions
to see what else one has to offer so I can save on shipping," she said. "Let's face it; shipping often costs as much as the item itself and we are shopping eBay for bargains."

As for me, I'm not quibbling about a quarter when it comes to selling a $100-plus item. But for a Victorian postcard? I'm not so quick to give up two-bits.

Note: For more information on the Gallery, see eBay's FAQs: http://pages.ebay.com/help/sellerguide/gallery-faq.html

E. S. James is a journalist and member of the eBay community. She is an active seller dealing mainly in art, antiques and collectibles under the ID ehs@pb.net. She can be reached by email at the same address.

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4) ARTICLE: BIDPAY.COM OFFERS CLICK AND PAY SERVICE FOR BUYERS
By Ina Steiner

You bid on online auction items without leaving the warm glow of your computer. Now you can also pay for the items with the mere click of a mouse.

BidPay.com is a service for buyers who want to purchase money orders online to pay for their auction items. Normally when you are notified by a seller that you are the high bidder, you must write a personal check or else go to the post office or bank for a postal order (80 cents) or money order ($3 or higher). You must inform the seller that you have sent payment, and then you must send the check to the seller (33 cents postage and the cost of an envelope).

BidPay.com offers a service in which you can purchase a money order on its Web site with your credit card. BidPay.com notifies the seller that payment from you is on its way and sends the seller the money order, deducting a fee from your credit card. So all you have to do is sit back and wait for your item to be delivered to you.

The first question I had when I heard about this service was why would I pay $5 when I can get a postal order from the post office for 80 cents? BidPay.com's answer: speed and convenience.

BidPay.com charges $5 for transactions up to $100 and claims to save the customer at least half an hour of their time. It also claims that many sellers ship the items to the buyer upon notification from BidPay.com that a money order has been purchased and sent, thereby speeding delivery of the purchased item by as much as a week.

If the item you are buying costs more than $100, BidPay.com charges buyers 2.25% of the item amount plus $5. At this time, it only offers services for items costing up to $500. Sellers do not pay any fee to BidPay.com. It supports major auction sites including eBay, Yahoo and Amazon.com.

Most BidPay.com customers are private individuals - about 80%. It also has a large number of clients with disabilities as well as U.S. customers who live abroad and people in the armed forces stationed in other countries.

Do not confuse BidPay.com with an escrow service - it is not one. You are paying BidPay.com only for delivery of a money order to the seller. You have the same risks as you do when you send payment yourself. Marek Bradbury of BidPay.com told us that, although they are not responsible for the items being purchased, "On a very few occasions we have banned a seller from using our services when we feel they mislead one of our buyers."

BidPay.com would not give me the names of any users because of their privacy policies. It states that the largest purchaser has used its service 170 times, and its largest seller has had over 400 orders completed. BidPay.com is privately owned, so I can not verify any information given to me. I would always advise people to use caution in giving out credit card numbers over the Web. Use your own judgement about using this service.

If you have used BidPay.com, why not post a message in our General Chat Forum to share with other readers. http://www.auctionbytes.com/bin/messagebbs/view.pl

NOTE:
At press time, BidPay.com notified us that they would be launching a new Web site with weekly contests, image hosting and other tools for sellers. We'll keep you posted.
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5) COLLECTOR'S CORNER

Visit the Collector's Corner section of the Web site for current and past articles along with reference sources, links and message boards! We will have more contributions from our other Collector's Corner Editors in the next issue!

COLLECTOR'S CORNER - STAMPS: "PRIMER ON CONDITION OF STAMPS - PHYSICAL DEFECTS AND SPACE FILLERS"
by John Kirsner, Stamps Editor

Many elements must be considered in determining the condition, or "grade" of a stamp. I will attempt to run through several basic concepts relevant to grade in a series of articles. The first issue that I will tackle relates to stamps with physical defects.

Major Physical Defects
Perhaps the most basic issue to consider when grading a stamp is identifying whether the stamp has a physical defect. Examples of stamps with major physical defects include: when a portion of the stamp has been torn off; an internal tear exists; or if the surface has been scraped off of the stamp. These types of stamps are often called "space-fillers," "seconds" or "defective." A defective stamp may have some value depending on the scarcity of the stamp. However, as a general rule, the investment value of a defective stamp is low.

For example, most stamp catalogues state that the 5 cent brown US #1, used, in nice condition, has a value of between $550-700. Recently on eBay, two examples with major defects sold. The first example, with a tear that had been closed, sold for $115. The second example, with a medium size piece that had been torn away, sold for $111. Of course, US #1 is one of the most highly prized stamps in the world and is a centerpiece of many collections. Thus, as eBay pricing demonstrates, even a stamp with a major defect can sell for perhaps 15-20% of the value of a nice specimen.

On the other hand, the 3 cent blue 1869 pictorial issue, US #114 (picturing a locomotive), used, in decent condition, sells for less than $10. Notwithstanding the age of this stamp, it is relatively common. Thus, a badly defective specimen may in fact have no value at all.

Other Defects
Other common, yet less noticeable, physical defects exist. First, some of the perforated edges of a stamp may be missing. This condition is called "pulled perfs." Second, when a stamp is removed roughly from a letter or from a stamp album, a portion of the back of the stamp may rip off and be left on the letter or album page. This defect is termed a "thin." A collector can see if a stamp has a thin by holding the stamp up to a strong light; the light will shine more strongly through the area of the stamp where the thin exists. Third, the stamp may be creased. Fourth, the stamp may have a pinhole in it. Other physical defects exist as well.

While less noticeable, all of the above examples are physical defects. As a result, the grade of a stamp with such a defect will be adversely affected, generally depending on the severity of the defect. For example, a stamp may be so heavily or repeatedly creased that it falls in the category of major defect. Yet, a stamp may have a tiny thin that is nearly impossible to see; such a stamp, that is otherwise beautiful, may, depending on scarcity, be quite valuable.

One last point: defective stamps can be fun and collectable! Many stamp collectors are "snobs" when it comes to condition and would not think of purchasing or displaying a stamp with a major physical defect. However, as we have seen, such stamps may be obtained inexpensively compared to their defect-free brethren. Also, even when a stamp is not highly prized (such as that 3 cent pictorial discussed above), it may still be very meaningful. And you could consider donating your older defective stamps to a local stamp club for children to collect.

Next time I will talk about the physical appearance, including centering.

Collector's Corner Editor John Kirsner has been collecting stamps since he was 5 years old. He still has his Minuteman Stamp album with his name on the inside front cover in crayon. John (eBay: JKLAW) lives in Columbus, Ohio, is married to Lisa, and works as a healthcare attorney.

Visit the AuctionBytes.com Collector's Corner message board for Stamps at http://www.auctionbytes.com/bin/stampsbbs/config.pl

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COLLECTOR'S CORNER - SPORTS: "WHERE TO BEGIN?"
By Wayne Tuiskula, Sports Editor

Most people probably think of baseball cards when they think about sports collectibles, but there is much more to consider. Items from the more mainstream sports like baseball, basketball, football and hockey will always be sought after by collectors. Other collectors are just as zealous in their pursuit of golf, tennis, auto racing, boxing and other sports collectibles.

Targeting In On Your Interest
When you target a specific sport, you may want to narrow it down even further. Do you want to collect only cards, autographs or memorabilia? Do you want to buy cards of the current players or cards that you might have owned when you were younger? Do you want to concentrate on a certain player or team?

If you aren't interested in cards or if you want to supplement your card collection with other sports collectibles, you've got a lot of options. In baseball alone you can collect cards, autographs, equipment (balls, bats, gloves, etc.), postcards, trophies, books, pennants, stamps, pins, tickets, magazines, programs, medallions, photos and yearbooks.

Foul Ball: Fakes & Forgeries
There is one very important thing to remember as you begin to collect. There are reproductions and fakes in sports collectibles like most other areas of collecting. Autographs are often faked. I saw a boxing glove on eBay once -the description said it had been signed by Jack Dempsey. Whoever signed it forgot the second "e" in Dempsey.

Tin advertising signs are often reproduced picturing sports celebrities. There are forged cards on the market too. When I'm not sure about something, I would rather pass on it then pay good money for a fake. You can avoid this by dealing with a knowledgeable, reputable dealer.

Please send along information on any fakes or reproductions you see, and I'll be glad to add it to this column and keep everyone informed. Also, feel free to send along suggestions for future columns to me at tuiskula@tiac.net.

Collector's Corner Editor Wayne Tuiskula has a long-time interest in sports collectibles. He and his wife Amy run estate sales in addition to their other careers. Email Wayne at tuiskula@tiac.net

Visit the AuctionBytes.com Collector's Corner message board for Sports at http://www.auctionbytes.com/bin/sportsbbs/config.pl

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COLLECTOR'S CORNER - POTTERY: ROSEVILLE
by Natalie Larson, Pottery Contributor

Back in 1984, I went to an antique show, where I spotted a cute little green vase. It was to change my life (and my bank account) forever.

That piece, marked Roseville, led me to buy a couple of books. The books showed me other Roseville patterns, which were equally beguiling. Some 200 pieces later, I'm still buying!

Roseville was founded in 1890 in Roseville, Ohio, and remained in business until 1954. It is one of the most collectible, available, and copied companies in the business. There were over 150 lines produced, some of which had up to 175 pieces in various colors.

Roseville used local clays from the Zanesville area, so the pieces all show a "buff" colored base. The fakes currently being imported from overseas are of a whiter clay or slip. The other outstanding feature of real Roseville is the glaze. Softly blended but vibrant colors are fired into the pots.

There are three things to look for when buying: color, sharpness of mold and condition. If you are serious, start with a couple of books so you will know what you are doing. Many excellent reference books on Roseville have been published, with more in the offing. A beginner should have Bomm's Book - Roseville in All Its Splendor. There are many others on the market, but this is a good starting point.

Any reputable seller will be glad to point you in the right direction. My best advice to you is to buy what you love. You will cherish it, and it's better than money in the bank, since the value of quality pieces goes up every year.

My favorite Web site is Ebay.com - there are generally about 1,500 pieces of Roseville on line at any time. For info about the fakes on the market, try ~ ~~www.inch.com/~kteneyck/roseville.html .

Natalie Elliott Larson grew up in the antique business, but didn't start collecting Roseville until 1984, at which time she got seriously addicted. She is a 12-year consultant with Mary Kay Cosmetics and a Senior Electric Engineer with Pacific Gas and Electric Company in Northern California. She
and her long-suffering husband have both 4-legged and winged "children" on their 3 acres.

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6) ASK BILL THE POSTMAN

Dear Bill the Postman,
How much will it cost to ship a watch to Germany?
Signed,
In a Hurry

Dear In a Hurry,
A timely question! Obviously it depends on the size and weight of the watch, but you have a wide variety of choices. I've created a table that can be found at the AuctionBytes.com Web site (http://www.auctionbytes.com/Yellow_Pages/Postman/billfaqs/billfaqs.ht ml ), based on a 2 lb. package. Anytime you are shipping overseas, I would recommend insurance, and some sort of proof of delivery. If you don't want the extra services, simply subtract them from the total charges. Hope that
helps!

Oh, and if the package ticks or makes noise you should tell the clerk. She will mark the box as such.

Signed,
Bill the Postman

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DO YOU HAVE A SHIPPING QUESTION FOR BILL THE POSTMAN?
Email askbillthepostman@auctionbytes.com.
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7) FOUND IN THE ATTIC
by Michele Alice

Outside there's a blanket of snow. The wind chill is 47 below. Am I thinking of skiing or skating or snow-mobiling? NO! I'm bundled up with a cup of hot cocoa, perusing my new Burpee seed catalog. Hmmm, now THERE are a couple of subjects for this column! (Results are from an eBay search conducted on 1/23/00.)

Chocolate Pot
Number of items: 249
High: $1,075.00
Low: $1.00
Average: $114.58
Sell through rate 84%
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Burpee (I can't believe the prices on some old catalogs!)
Number of items: 66
High: $99.95
Low: $2.00
Average: $21.22
Sell through rate: 61%
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Muff: (This subject included everything from a Victorian gold muff chain to rock-music gear!)
Number of items: 291
High: $500.00
Low: $1.50
Average: $41.23
Sell through rate: 75%
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Sunlamp: (Do YOU suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder? Maybe an old GE Sunlamp ad would cheer you up!)
Number of items: 13
High: $102.50
Low: $4.99
Average: $38.88
Sell through rate: 62%
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Groundhog: (Now THIS was interesting. Besides the expected Hallmark, Steiff, and Bill Murray, this subject also included cookie cutters and Groundhog Brew beer bottles!)
Number of items: 59
High: $90.01
Low: $1.00
Average: $10.54
Sell through rate: 80%

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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@bibliodata.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
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