eBay announced on July 8 that it had reached an agreement to acquire online payment service PayPal http://www.auctionbytes.com/pages/abn/y02/m07/i09/s01. There is concern about what this will mean for auction users since PayPal's only serious competition, eBay's BillPoint service, will be phased out. A service from Citibank called c2it http://www.c2it.com/?ab is free for buyers and sellers, but has limitations on the amounts a user can send and receive daily, requires disclosure of a social security number to register and can be difficult for new users to sign up for. There are other payment services available as well. Check out the Payment Services chart that Izzy Goodman put together last year at http://www.auctionbytes.com/paymentratings/paymentratings.html.
The new Links Library http://abbie.auctionbytes.com has over 250 links in it already in various areas of collecting. Thanks to the librarians who are working so diligently to add helpful resources to our users. There are still plenty of categories left that need librarians. Remember, if you take on a category, you can put a 468x60 banner at the top of that page that links to your Web Site, auctions or storefronts. It's a great way to get some traffic to your site. (Another great way to advertise is the Buyers Market at http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/market.)
We are taking Maggie the Auction Hound and heading up to the coast of Maine for vacation. We will be back in time to publish our August issues, don't worry. In the next issue, Mike Hanna explains how he "cornered the market" on some Disney fabric and shares tips on acquiring inventory for resale.
A big "Thank You" to all of the companies who support us by advertising in AuctionBytes. Craters & Freighters is a long-time supporter, and they offer door-to-door packing and delivery service to individuals and businesses. Sold your piano and wondering how to pack and ship it? Craters & Freighters is easy and safe.
Our other advertisers include Vision-One (wholesale resources for online sellers), online auction sites ePier and uBid, Cargo Reservations (shipping service), Infopia Marketplace Manager (auction- and marketplace-management tools) and Inphonics Wireless Rebidding for eBay (bid on eBay auctions using your cell phone). Links to these companies can be found at the bottom of the newsletter.
And thanks to all of our readers. David and I appreciate your support!
Ina Steiner is Editor of AuctionBytes.com and author of "Turn eBay Data Into Dollars" (McGraw-Hill 2006). She has a background in marketing and research in the high-tech and publishing fields. If you have story ideas, comments or questions, send them to ina@auctionbytes.com.
