Please be aware there is a glitch on eBay, and although eBay posted an announcement stating that they've rolled back the code that may have been related to the problem, it might be wise to check your account activity (http://auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y05/m12/i17/s01). Thanks to readers for emailing me about the problem. I also wanted to point out again that eBay is coming out with a new Sell Your Item form (http://auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y05/m11/i22/s02), be sure and test it out and send feedback to syialpha@ebay.com before it's too late.
Over the past few weeks I have gotten several emails from people having problems with paying for shipping labels through PayPal. PayPal says there isn't a problem. If you use this feature, it's a good idea to check your invoices carefully if you've had problems printing labels.
US postage rates increase on January 8, 2006, the first increase since 2002 (the single-piece rate for First-Class mail goes from 37 cents to 39 cents). A company called Window Book has a tool that allows you to calculate domestic postage for parcels and mail, both at current and future rates, and calculate international postage rates, as well as other nifty things postal-related. The company is letting AuctionBytes readers download and use the tool for free for one year by visiting (http://www.windowbook.com/pbc-auctionbytes). The tool is for U.S. users and is compatible with Windows only (sorry to our Mac users). You can enter the weight of a package, select delivery method, and it tells you the cost of postage; clicking "compare rates" allows you to see what the rate will be as of January 8.
eBay sellers are now able to automatically revise and extend active listings thanks to a new tool from Vendio (http://auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y05/m12/i16/s01). The tool is open to all sellers, unlike Ethical's Sell-through extender tool, which caused a stir over the summer (http://auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y05/m09/i26/s01). While Vendio's tool is very interesting for sellers, buyers may become confused when listings change in mid-stream. If you use these tools, remember to keep the buyer in mind.
AuctionBytes has a new blog at Blog.Auctionbytes.com (http://blog.auctionbytes.com). The AuctionBytes Blog provide news, commentary and speculation. Readers of the blog are welcome to add their own comments.
Happy holidays, and thanks for reading. We'll see you in the new year!
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.
