EcommerceBytes-Update, Number 103 - September 21, 2003 - ISSN 1528-6703
| Next
From the Editor
Congratulations to eBay CEO Meg Whitman, CBSMarketwatch.com CEO of the Year. CBSMarketwatch has a financial/stock-market perspective, and Meg Whitman has made terrific strides in many areas, especially for stockholders.
With our focus on users, here's what Whitman could do to make AuctionBytes CEO of the Year:
Create a more viable customer support system
Reduce fraud on the site
eBay might think of itself as a technology company, but in reality it is a service business. Phone companies, credit card providers, investment brokers provide toll-free numbers. If you have a problem, you can pick up the phone to resolve it.
When eBay suffered a 3-hour outage last month, it would be hard to imagine Meg emailing eBay's hosting facility to check the status of the servers. More than likely, she was on the phone attempting to get the situation resolved.
Meg's own customers can't do the same. If eBay has cancelled your auctions, suspended you, or you are a victim of fraud, unless you are a top-tier PowerSeller, you can't reach a customer service representative by phone. You might have a problem as devastating to your business as a power outage, but users are left in the dark about how to get a problem fixed.
Well, Meg might say, there are millions of eBay users, how can eBay be expected to answer their phone calls? The Global Consumer Group of Citigroup had 120 million card holders at the end of 2002 and offers excellent phone support, including phone support for their c2it service that competes with PayPal. (eBay had 28 million active users at the end of 2002.)
eBay's net revenue surpassed $1 billion in 2002. If users can resolve their customer service problems, they can get back to buying and selling, thereby making more money for eBay!
eBay introduced a new Live Help system, which I applaud. If I have a generic question about a policy or feature, I can generally get a satisfactory answer through Live Help (though the wait times have increased significantly the last few times I've used it). I go to eBay's home page and look for the "Live Help" button, and I'm chatting live with a real person! And by the way, an eBay executive reported at an industry conference that Live Help paid off for eBay immediately.
Why not expand Live Help to Live Customer Support? Have a question about your account? Log in and chat real time with a real person. eBay believes Gold PowerSellers deserve a dedicated contact person they can reach by phone. Just nudge the door open a little bit for the rest of us.
Meg Whitman acknowledged that it took the site meltdown of 1999 for her to realize she needed to invest more resources in technology. And it paid off handsomely. As CEO of the Year, I hope she will step up to the plate and avoid a customer service meltdown. I think it will pay off, not just for stockholders, but for users as well.
eBay is not alone in having less than perfect customer service. All CEOs should make this a priority.
Fraud continues to be a problem online, and we hope eBay is giving it the attention it deserves. In this issue, we are publishing the results of our eBay-fraud survey. The majority of respondents feel fraud is a problem on eBay and on other sites.
I was curious about how readers feel the media cover fraud and what kinds of stories they would like to see reported. 65% of respondents said they would like to see stories about the challenges of selling on eBay. What do you think? Post a note in the forum if you have specific story ideas. What challenges do you face as an online seller?
http://www.auctionbytes.com/forum/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=6238
In this issue, Delinda Burger talks about strategies for eBay sellers that are stay-at-home parents (there's some challenges for you!) We also continue the series on the problem of unsolicited email. And speaking of email, were you an AT&T Broadband user who got switched to Comcast? If so, you should let us know your new email address. Comcast will stop forwarding email to ATT addresses at the end of the year. If you need to let us know your new email address, send an email to feedback@auctionbytes.com
And thanks for reading.
Ina Steinerina@auctionbytes.com
About the author:
Ina Steiner is co-founder and Editor of EcommerceBytes and AuctionBytes.com and has been reporting on ecommerce since 1999. She's a widely cited authority on marketplace selling and is author of "Turn eBay Data Into Dollars" (McGraw-Hill 2006). Her blog was featured in the book, "Blogging Heroes" (Wiley 2008). Follow her on Twitter at @auctionbytes and send news tips to ina@auctionbytes.com .
You may quote up to 50
words of any article on the condition that you attribute the article to
EcommerceBytes.com and either link to the original article or to
www.EcommerceBytes.com.
Email this story to a friend. Next
EcommerceBytes Blog
AuctionBytes Blog
Letters to the Editor
Related Stories
Related Stories
Question of the Day - November 06, 1999, Issue #1
Future Editorial Topics for AuctionBytes.com (Print Newsletter): - November 06, 1999, Issue #1
Letter from the Editor - November 19, 1999, Issue #2
AuctionBytes.com News - November 19, 1999, Issue #2
Question of the Day - November 19, 1999, Issue #2
From the Editor - December 05, 1999, Issue #3
Question from a Reader - December 05, 1999, Issue #3
AuctionBytes.com Question of the Week - December 05, 1999, Issue #3
Revising your Auction Description - December 05, 1999, Issue #3
From the Editor - December 19, 1999, Issue #4
Question from a Reader - Going Going Gone Auctions - December 19, 1999, Issue #4
AuctionBytes.com Question of the Week - December 19, 1999, Issue #4
AuctionBytes.com Question of the Week - January 09, 2000, Issue #5
From the Editor - January 23, 2000, Issue #6
AuctionBytes.com Question of the Week - January 23, 2000, Issue #6
Letter to the Editor - February 07, 2000, Issue #7
AuctionBytes.com Reader Questions - February 07, 2000, Issue #7
Letters to the Editor - February 20, 2000, Issue #8
AuctionBytes.com Reader Question - February 20, 2000, Issue #8
From the Editor - March 05, 2000, Issue #9
AuctionBytes.com Reader Question - March 05, 2000, Issue #9
From the Editor - March 26, 2000, Issue #10
AuctionBytes.com Reader Question - March 26, 2000, Issue #10
From the Editor - April 11, 2000, Issue #11
AuctionBytes.com Reader Question - Sniping Elimination? - April 11, 2000, Issue #11
From the Editor - April 23, 2000, Issue #12
AuctionBytes.com Reader's Question - April 23, 2000, Issue #12
AuctionBytes.com Reader's Question - May 07, 2000, Issue #13
AuctionBytes.com Reader Question - May 21, 2000, Issue #14
From the Editor - June 04, 2000, Issue #15
AuctionBytes.com Reader Question - June 04, 2000, Issue #15
From the Editor - June 18, 2000, Issue #16
Letters from Reader-Automotive Auction Sites & Brokering Items - July 02, 2000, Issue #17
Beware Charity Auctions - July 02, 2000, Issue #17
Products and Services - July 16, 2000, Issue #18
From the Editor - August 06, 2000, Issue #19
Contest Winners!! - August 06, 2000, Issue #19
From the Editor - August 20, 2000, Issue #20
Letters from Readers - September 10, 2000, Issue #21
From the Editor - September 24, 2000, Issue #22
Stake Your Claim! - September 24, 2000, Issue #22
From the Editor - October 08, 2000, Issue #23
From the Editor - October 22, 2000, Issue #24
Letter from Reader - November 05, 2000, Issue #25
From the Editor - December 03, 2000, Issue #27
TAG Notes Daily Auction Newsletter - January 07, 2001, Issue #29
From the Editor - January 21, 2001, Issue #30
eBay's Gears Up for Sunday's Super Bowl, Reveals Silly Survey Results - January 22, 2001, Issue #2
Letters from Reader - February 04, 2001, Issue #31
'Shields Up,' Scotty! - February 18, 2001, Issue #32
African Art Makes Its Way Across the Atlantic - February 18, 2001, Issue #32
Earthquake Rocks Seattle, Washington - February 28, 2001, Issue #30
From the Editor - March 18, 2001, Issue #34
From the Editor - April 01, 2001, Issue #35
Okay, This Isn't Auction News, But,... - April 04, 2001, Issue #55
From the Editor - April 22, 2001, Issue #36
AuctionBytes Message Boards - May 06, 2001, Issue #37
From the Editor - May 20, 2001, Issue #38
From the Editor - June 03, 2001, Issue #39
Buying & Selling Online - June 03, 2001, Issue #39
Why Not Run Another Online Auction Story? - June 03, 2001, Issue #39
eBay Low-Life - Too Bad to Be True?! - June 24, 2001, Issue #109
From the Editor - July 01, 2001, Issue #41
From the Editor - July 15, 2001, Issue #42
New England Guide to Shows & Auctions - July 15, 2001, Issue #42
Lessons of an eBay Virgin - August 01, 2001, Issue #131
'Open Up' to Auction News - August 05, 2001, Issue #43
Truck from Summer Movie Offered on BidBay - August 12, 2001, Issue #138
From the Editor - September 02, 2001, Issue #45
BidBay Offers 'Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back' Van - September 03, 2001, Issue #154
HP and Compaq to Merge - September 04, 2001, Issue #155
Events in September - September 09, 2001, Issue #46
The Photo Review to Hold Annual Benefit Auction on November 3rd - September 20, 2001, Issue #166
Arab Sheikh Donates $5 Million to U. S. Disaster Relief Efforts - September 24, 2001, Issue #168
Butterfly Ballots Banned in Florida, Machines to go up on eBay - September 26, 2001, Issue #170
Two Boston Area Auctions Today (September 30, 2001) - September 30, 2001, Issue #48
Events Calendar for October - September 30, 2001, Issue #48
AuctionBytes Forum Roundup! - September 30, 2001, Issue #48
'Pooh'-py Underwear - September 30, 2001, Issue #172
From the Editor - October 21, 2001, Issue #51
USPS to Mail Postcards This Week - October 21, 2001, Issue #51
Discount Shoppers Turn to eBay - October 22, 2001, Issue #187
Half.com Warns of Shipping Delays - October 23, 2001, Issue #188
eBay Investor WebCast - October 28, 2001, Issue #52
BOOKS! - October 28, 2001, Issue #52
Halloween Chat for Collectors - October 30, 2001, Issue #193
New Episode of 'Flea Market Finds with the Kovels' - November 06, 2001, Issue #198
Boston-Area Toy Auction - November 11, 2001, Issue #54
Tech Problems: Life on the Internet - November 11, 2001, Issue #54
From the Editor - November 11, 2001, Issue #54
From the Editor - November 18, 2001, Issue #55
From the Editor - December 02, 2001, Issue #57
From the Editor - December 09, 2001, Issue #58
New Packing & Shipping Forum - December 09, 2001, Issue #58
Letter to the Editor - December 09, 2001, Issue #58
From the Editor - December 16, 2001, Issue #59
Signature File - December 16, 2001, Issue #59
Letter to the Editor - December 16, 2001, Issue #59
Letters to the Editor - December 23, 2001, Issue #60
Robertson Stephens Downgrades eBay; Deutsche Bank Maintains 'Buy' Rating - January 02, 2002, Issue #230
Will Elvis Bring Luck to Fans? - January 07, 2002, Issue #233
Taking Down the Christmas Tree - January 09, 2002, Issue #234
eBay to Release Q4 Results Tuesday - January 14, 2002, Issue #237
From the Editor - February 03, 2002, Issue #63
From the Editor - February 17, 2002, Issue #64
Letters to the Editor - February 17, 2002, Issue #64
From the Editor - March 03, 2002, Issue #65
More Email Address Changes - March 03, 2002, Issue #65
Collectibles Extravaganza Hits Boston Today (March 3) - March 03, 2002, Issue #65
From The Editor - March 17, 2002, Issue #66
Miscellaneous Updates - March 17, 2002, Issue #66
Letters from Readers - March 17, 2002, Issue #66
From the Editor - April 07, 2002, Issue #67
Letters from Readers - April 07, 2002, Issue #67
From the Editor - April 21, 2002, Issue #68
Buyer’s Market Classifieds - April 21, 2002, Issue #68
Letters from Readers - April 21, 2002, Issue #68
From the Editor - May 05, 2002, Issue #69
Buyer's Market Classifieds - May 05, 2002, Issue #69
From the Editor - May 19, 2002, Issue #70
From the Editor - June 01, 2002, Issue #71
From the Editor - June 16, 2002, Issue #72
From the Editor - July 07, 2002, Issue #74
From the Editor - July 21, 2002, Issue #75
From the Editor - August 11, 2002, Issue #76
From the Editor - August 25, 2002, Issue #77
From the Editor - September 08, 2002, Issue #78
From the Editor - September 22, 2002, Issue #79
From the Editor - October 20, 2002, Issue #81
From the Editor - November 03, 2002, Issue #82
From the Editor - November 17, 2002, Issue #83
eBay Selects CSG Systems for Billing Solution - January 10, 2003, Issue #459
From the Editor - January 19, 2003, Issue #87
eBay Founder Reports Decrease in Share Holdings - February 14, 2003, Issue #484
From the Editor - February 16, 2003, Issue #89
From the Editor - March 09, 2003, Issue #90
From the Editor - March 23, 2003, Issue #91
From the Editor - April 06, 2003, Issue #92
eBay UK Runs 10p Pricing Promotion through May 3 - April 08, 2003, Issue #515
From the Editor - April 20, 2003, Issue #93
From the Editor - May 04, 2003, Issue #94
From the Editor - May 18, 2003, Issue #95
From the Editor - June 01, 2003, Issue #96
Letters from Readers - June 01, 2003, Issue #96
From the Editor - June 22, 2003, Issue #97
From the Editor - July 13, 2003, Issue #98
Letters from Readers - July 13, 2003, Issue #98
From the Editor - July 27, 2003, Issue #99
From the Editor - August 10, 2003, Issue #100
Letters from Readers - August 10, 2003, Issue #100
From the Editor - August 24, 2003, Issue #101
Letters from Readers - August 24, 2003, Issue #101
From the Editor - September 07, 2003, Issue #102
Letters from Readers - September 07, 2003, Issue #102
From the Editor - September 21, 2003, Issue #103
Letters from Readers - September 21, 2003, Issue #103
From the Editor - October 05, 2003, Issue #104
From the Editor - October 19, 2003, Issue #105
Letters from Readers - October 19, 2003, Issue #105
From the Editor - November 02, 2003, Issue #106
Letters from Readers - November 02, 2003, Issue #106
Furniture Cover Company Sells $1 Million on eBay - November 12, 2003, Issue #646
From the Editor - November 16, 2003, Issue #107
Letters from Readers - November 16, 2003, Issue #107
eBay Enhances Help and Adds Return Policy Feature - December 04, 2003, Issue #660
From the Editor - December 07, 2003, Issue #108
Letters from Readers - December 07, 2003, Issue #108
From the Editor - December 21, 2003, Issue #109
Letters from Readers - December 21, 2003, Issue #109
From the Editor - January 04, 2004, Issue #110
Letters from Readers - January 04, 2004, Issue #110
From the Editor - January 18, 2004, Issue #111
Letters from Readers - January 18, 2004, Issue #111
From the Editor - February 08, 2004, Issue #112
Letters from Readers - February 08, 2004, Issue #112
From the Editor - February 22, 2004, Issue #113
Letters from Readers - February 22, 2004, Issue #113
Online Auction News Roundup - February 27, 2004, Issue #708
From the Editor - March 07, 2004, Issue #114
Letters from Readers - March 07, 2004, Issue #114
From the Editor - March 21, 2004, Issue #115
Letters from Readers - March 21, 2004, Issue #115
From the Editor - April 04, 2004, Issue #116
Letters from Readers - April 04, 2004, Issue #116
From the Editor - April 18, 2004, Issue #117
From the Editor - May 09, 2004, Issue #118
From the Editor - May 23, 2004, Issue #119
From the Editor - June 06, 2004, Issue #120
Letters from Readers - June 06, 2004, Issue #120
AuctionBytes Soundoff: Letters from Readers - June 20, 2004, Issue #121
From the Editor - June 20, 2004, Issue #121
From the Editor - June 22, 2004, Issue #787
From the Editor - July 11, 2004, Issue #122
From the Editor - July 25, 2004, Issue #123
From the Editor - August 08, 2004, Issue #124
From the Editor - August 22, 2004, Issue #125
From the Editor - September 12, 2004, Issue #126
AuctionBytes Soundoff: Letters from Readers - September 12, 2004, Issue #126
From the Editor - September 26, 2004, Issue #127
AuctionBytes Soundoff: Letters from Readers - September 26, 2004, Issue #127
Letter from Reader: eBay Seller Copes with Florida Hurricanes - September 28, 2004, Issue #857
From the Editor - October 10, 2004, Issue #128
From the Editor - October 24, 2004, Issue #129
AuctionBytes Soundoff: Letters from Readers - October 24, 2004, Issue #129
From the Editor - November 07, 2004, Issue #130
From the Editor - November 21, 2004, Issue #131
From the Editor - December 05, 2004, Issue #132
From the Editor - December 19, 2004, Issue #133
From the Editor - January 09, 2005, Issue #134
From the Editor - January 23, 2005, Issue #135
AuctionBytes Soundoff: Letters from Readers - February 06, 2005, Issue #136
From the Editor - February 06, 2005, Issue #136
From the Editor - February 20, 2005, Issue #137
From the Editor - March 06, 2005, Issue #138
From the Editor - March 20, 2005, Issue #139
From the Editor - April 03, 2005, Issue #140
From the Editor - April 17, 2005, Issue #141
From the Editor - May 08, 2005, Issue #142
From the Editor - May 22, 2005, Issue #143
From the Editor - June 05, 2005, Issue #144
From the Editor - June 19, 2005, Issue #145
From the Editor - July 10, 2005, Issue #146
From the Editor - July 24, 2005, Issue #147
From the Editor - August 07, 2005, Issue #147
From the Editor - August 21, 2005, Issue #149
From the Editor - September 04, 2005, Issue #150
From the Editor - September 18, 2005, Issue #151
From the Editor - October 09, 2005, Issue #152
From the Editor - October 23, 2005, Issue #153
From the Editor - November 06, 2005, Issue #154
From the Editor - November 20, 2005, Issue #155
From the Editor - December 04, 2005, Issue #156
From the Editor - December 18, 2005, Issue #157
From the Editor - January 08, 2006, Issue #158
From the Editor - January 22, 2006, Issue #159
From the Editor - February 05, 2006, Issue #160
From the Editor - February 19, 2006, Issue #161
From the Editor - March 05, 2006, Issue #162
AuctionBytes Feature: First Item Sold Online - March 19, 2006, Issue #163
From the Editor - March 19, 2006, Issue #163
From the Editor - April 02, 2006, Issue #164
From the Editor - April 16, 2006, Issue #165
From the Editor - May 07, 2006, Issue #166
From the Editor - May 21, 2006, Issue #167
From the Editor - June 04, 2006, Issue #168
From the Editor - June 25, 2006, Issue #169
From the Editor - July 09, 2006, Issue #170
From the Editor - July 23, 2006, Issue #171
From the Editor - August 06, 2006, Issue #172
From the Editor - August 20, 2006, Issue #173
From the Editor - September 03, 2006, Issue #174
From the Editor - September 17, 2006, Issue #175
From the Editor - October 08, 2006, Issue #176
From the Editor - October 22, 2006, Issue #177
Moniker.com Live Auction for Domain Names Heats Up - October 27, 2006, Issue #1398
From the Editor - November 05, 2006, Issue #178
From the Editor - November 19, 2006, Issue #179
From the Editor - December 03, 2006, Issue #180
From the Editor - December 17, 2006, Issue #181
From the Editor - January 07, 2007, Issue #182
From the Editor - January 21, 2007, Issue #183
From the Editor - February 04, 2007, Issue #184
From the Editor - February 18, 2007, Issue #185
From the Editor - March 04, 2007, Issue #186
From the Editor - March 18, 2007, Issue #187
From the Editor - April 01, 2007, Issue #188
From the Editor - April 15, 2007, Issue #189
From the Editor - May 06, 2007, Issue #190
From the Editor - May 20, 2007, Issue #191
From the Editor - June 03, 2007, Issue #192
From the Editor - July 01, 2007, Issue #194
From the Editor - July 22, 2007, Issue #195
From the Editor - August 05, 2007, Issue #196
From the Editor - August 19, 2007, Issue #197
From the Editor - September 02, 2007, Issue #198
From the Editor - September 16, 2007, Issue #199
From the Editor - October 07, 2007, Issue #200
From the Editor - October 21, 2007, Issue #201
From the Editor - November 04, 2007, Issue #202
From the Editor - November 18, 2007, Issue #203
From the Editor - December 02, 2007, Issue #204
From the Editor - December 16, 2007, Issue #205
From the Editor - January 06, 2008, Issue #206
From the Editor - January 20, 2008, Issue #207
From the Editor - February 03, 2008, Issue #208
From the Editor - March 16, 2008, Issue #211
From the Editor - April 06, 2008, Issue #212
From the Editor - April 20, 2008, Issue #213
From the Editor - May 04, 2008, Issue #214
From the Editor - May 18, 2008, Issue #215
From the Editor - June 01, 2008, Issue #216
From the Editor - June 15, 2008, Issue #217
From the Editor - July 06, 2008, Issue #10
From the Editor - July 20, 2008, Issue #219
From the Editor - August 10, 2008, Issue #220
From the Editor - August 24, 2008, Issue #221
From the Editor - September 07, 2008, Issue #222
From the Editor - September 21, 2008, Issue #223
AuctionBytes-Update Archives
You can read past newsletters going back to 1999 - click on a year and you'll be taken to all 24 issues from that year, which you can read in full-text!AuctionBytes-Update - 2010 AuctionBytes-Update - 2009 AuctionBytes-Update - 2008 AuctionBytes-Update - 2007 AuctionBytes-Update - 2006 AuctionBytes-Update - 2005 AuctionBytes-Update - 2004 AuctionBytes-Update - 2003 AuctionBytes-Update - 2002 AuctionBytes-Update - 2001 AuctionBytes-Update - 2000 AuctionBytes-Update - 1999
Subscribe
RSS Feeds
Twitter
Contact Us
