A new service for eBay users is launching called Receller (http://www.receller.com). You can send Receller a digital photo of an item you wish to sell, and a Receller "Listing Coach" calls you back and posts the item on eBay on your behalf. I'm waiting for the company to provide more information, so keep your eyes on the Newsflash newsletter (headlines are on the AuctionBytes homepage). I have lots of questions: how might this service impact eBay drop-off stores? Could this service circumvent the legislation that some states are attempting to impose on eBay drop-off stores? Stay tuned.
Terapeak is providing us with a list of hot searches on eBay, published in AuctionBytes Newsflash once a week. They recently tweaked the report, and I think it's even more useful:
http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y05/m10/i05/s06
We've been working hard on AuctionBytes.TV. In the near future, you'll start to see programming produced by some very recognizable names in the ecommerce industry, as well as the collectibles field. We're very excited about this new way of presenting content. The latest edition of News in Review is now online and contains a commercial featuring Maggie the Auction Hound, our 6-year-old beagle. http://auctionbytes.tv/cgi-bin/video-manager/frame.pl?news&10062005 David also produced our first educational program, "Making an Inexpensive Seamless Background for your Photography."
http://auctionbytes.tv/cgi-bin/video-manager/frame.pl?education&10052005
If a picture says a thousand words, video is an encyclopedia. In today's issue David reviews a tool for taking product photography called D-Flector. He put a link to a video clip at the end of the article to demonstrate visually how the kit works.
Also in this issue, Edith Reynolds discusses Amazon's policy change that in effect bans bookselling aggregators from its site, including Abe.com and Alibris. This will have a major impact on those two companies and on booksellers. Edith is Editor of The Bookologist (http://www.bookologist.com) where she posts on an ongoing basis, and we'll be running "The Bookologist Report" in this newsletter so you can keep tabs.
I'm wrapping up my book, "Turn eBay Data Into Dollars," which will be on bookshelves in December. The process has been fun, hard, sometimes painful, and extremely time-consuming. I'm looking forward to the day when I can say, it's finished!
My friend and neighbor Helen has put me in the Halloween spirit with the decorations in front of her house. And that can only mean one thing - it's the holiday shopping season already! We wish you well as you gear up for one of the busiest seasons of the year for online sellers.
Thanks for reading.
About the author:
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.
