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EcommerceBytes-Update, Number 121 - June 20, 2004 - ISSN 1528-6703
This & That: Online Auction Roundup
1) USPS Proposing Flat Rate Box for Priority Mail
By Ina Steiner
Reminder: AuctionBytes does not endorse the products and services featured in the "This & That" column, which often features new Web sites. (Anyone can set up a Web site.) Fraud is becoming widespread in the online auction world, and you should think twice before giving private information or User IDs and passwords to any third party.
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The U.S. Postal Service is moving forward on its proposal to offer customers two Priority Mail Flat-Rate Box options. Much like the Flat-Rate Envelope, provided by the Postal Service since 1991, the proposed Flat-Rate Box would afford customers a single, predetermined rate regardless of the actual weight or destination zone of the parcel. The proposal filed with the Postal Rate Commission calls for a two-year trial of the Flat-Rate Box with a choice of two different box shapes, the dimensions of which are 14" x 12" x 3.5" and 11.25" x 8.75" x 6", and a postage rate of $7.70 each.
2) AuctionBytes Introduces New Discussion Forum and New Moderator
By Ina Steiner
AuctionBytes has a couple of new additions in our discussion forums this week - a new forum devoted to marbles and a new moderator for the Jewelry & Gems forum.
Bob Block has collected marbles for the past 30 years. Bob has written several books on the subject (Schiffer Publishing), as well as numerous articles and media appearances. His firm, The AuctionBlocks, is the oldest and largest auctioneer of marbles in the world. You can learn more than you would ever want to know about marbles at his site MarbleCollecting.com (http://www.marblecollecting.com). You can find the new forum at:
http://www.auctionbytes.com/forum/phpBB/viewforum.php?f=36
Rita Perloff has been a vintage jewelry dealer and collector for over 20 years and tries to learn a little more about her interests every day. Her involvement in vintage jewelry stems from her collection of Czech vintage glass figural beads and she sells both at her Web site, Remember When Vintage Jewelry (http://www.rememberwhenvintage.com), and has been online with TIAS since 1997.
The Jewelry & Gems forum is located at http://www.auctionbytes.com/forum/phpBB/viewforum.php?f=30
3) eBay Announces ''Best in Stores''
By Ina Steiner
eBay announced the winners in its "Best in Stores" contest. Winners will be honored at the Stores breakfast Friday morning of eBay Live.
http://pages.ebay.com/storefronts/bestinstores.html
Speaking of eBay Stores, they just announced a new feature called Stores Custom Listing Header so Store sellers can have their Store branding appear in all their eBay Listings.
http://pages.ebay.com/storefronts/latestnews.html
4) PayPal Fee Changes
By Ina Steiner
PayPal is changing its fee structure beginning in August (http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y04/m06/i17/s02), but they will be allowing sellers who currently qualify for the 2.2% merchant rate to remain at that rate for 1 year. PayPal told us, "Because of the "grandfather clause" in the pricing change, no sellers will see an immediate rate increase."
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