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EcommerceBytes-Update, Number 64 - February 17, 2002 - ISSN 1528-6703
This & That
1) Speeding up Delivery of Media Mail Packages
By David Steiner
We have an interesting discussion going on in our Book Forum about the use of Delivery Confirmation through the USPS Web Site. The discussion led to some observations that Media Mail has been moving very well lately, some attributing it to the use of Zip +4 on their labels. After speaking to a USPS representative, and a user in our forums who is an ex-Postal employee, it doesn't appear as though Zip +4 would account for the speed up in Media Mail delivery. In short, the bulk mail processing centers still only sort parcels by 5 digit codes.
Our contact at the USPS does say that since the Anthrax scares late last year, mail volume has been down, possibly accounting for the faster delivery times, although this is only anecdotal.
There is agreement, however, about what you CAN do to help delivery times: make sure your packages have Clearly Printed Labels.
View the entire thread at http://www.auctionbytes.com/forum/phpBB/viewtopic.php?topic=275&forum=5&83
The discussion of Plus-4 zip codes starts at the bottom of page 4.
2) Can Visitors Find Products on Your Web Site?
By Ina Steiner
Jakob Nielsen is an expert in Web site usability. He is a strong proponent of simple design. He has co-written an article for Information Week with Donald A. Norman called, "Web-Site Usability: Usability On The Web Isn't A Luxury."
"On the Internet, it's survival of the easiest: If customers can't find a product, they can't buy it." You can find the article here:
http://www.informationweek.com/773/web.htm
Jakob has his own Web site at http://www.useit.com, and you can sign up to receive his bi-weekly column on Web usability.
Whether you have a Web site or are presenting items on storefronts or auction sites, the lesson is clear: present your items clearly, eliminate clutter, and don't be tempted to use bells & whistles because they are "cool."
3) Community-Wide Garage Sales
By Ina Steiner
John Lundgren has gotten into garage sales in a big way. He writes about the concept of community-wide garage sales on his site at:
http://www.garagesalebonanza.com/warrensburg.html
4) PhotoPoint Images Are Safe But Still Unavailable
By Ina Steiner
Last December we told you that image-hosting site PhotoPoint "disappeared" from the Internet. Photopoint was popular with auction sellers who stored auction images on the site. There is now a Status Update on the site here:
http://www.photopoint.com/statusupdate.html that says, in part:
"I would like to assure people that their photos have not been lost, and are safe. However, due to the bandwidth, hardware, and labour costs, we are unable to put the site online. Pantellic Software is insolvent, and had no choice but to close it's offices and lay off all employees on December 15th."
You can find a posting from Dale Gass, CEO of Pantellic Software Inc., owners of the PhotoPoint service at:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/628202/posts
For a useful chart of image-hosting services, try Andromeda Software's "Guide to Online Photo Albums" at:
http://www.andromeda.com/people/ddyer/photo/albums.html
5) New AuctionBytes Moderator
By Ina Steiner
AuctionBytes is happy to announce that Kim Pierce is the new moderator of the Co-op and Specialty Auction forum. (If his name sounds familiar, it's because he is the author of the Spam article in this issue.)
Kim Pierce has enjoyed collecting and selling paper ephemera on and off line for several years, starting back in the 70's with sports cards, comics and magazines. He has promoted and operated a number of small collector shows. Kim also owns and operates The Auction Blue Book & Information Exchange Web Site at http://abbie.8k.com, where sellers can enter their Web site and auction info in a FREE online database to attract more buyers.
Kim has been posting brief descriptions of specialty auction sites, with links, in the AuctionBytes Co-op and Specialty Online Auction Forum at http://www.auctionbytes.com/forum/phpBB/viewforum.php?forum=2&120 Drop in and recommend a few of your favorite niche auction Sites!
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