EcommerceBytes-Update, Number 168 - June 04, 2006 - ISSN 1528-6703
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From the Editor
I'm heading to Las Vegas at the end of the week to cover the eBay Developers Conference and eBay Live conference and will be talking to lots of eBay sellers, employees and vendors. I know it's going to be hot in Las Vegas, but I'm not sure what the temperature of this year's attendees will be. Much of the buzz will center around the changes in search, eBay Express, and the recent disappearance of some of eBay's largest sellers.
In general, eBay Live is a great time to catch up with friends, mingle with eBay staff and vendors, and check out the new services that will be making their first appearances at the convention.
If you are going, be sure and read Janelle Elms' insider guide to eBay Live in today's issue. (In fact, print it out and bring it with you.) Janelle is one of the most dynamic people I know and thrives on helping eBay sellers. If you ever have a chance to hear Janelle speak, don't pass up the opportunity.
For those of you not able to attend this year's show, we're going to do our best to make you feel like you're there! Read my article in today's issue about AuctionBytes coverage of eBay Live so you can keep up with what's going on from the comfort of your own computer. I've also listed some of the "off-eBay Live" events taking place. This is a great time to check out some of the alternative venues that will be making an appearance in Las Vegas.
I will be blogging as much as I can (http://blog.auctionbytes.com ), though the three days of eBay Live always fly by so quickly! You can keep up with the news coming out of the conference on our special eBay Live secion on the AuctionBytes website: http://www.auctionbytes.com/ebaylive2006 . Bookmark it, and check often! We'll be sending hundreds of pictures back to our site (http://auctionbytes.com/ebaylive2006/gallery.html ) and this year, we'll also be sending back video interviews and scenes from the convention floor on AuctionBytes TV! (http://auctionbytes.tv ).
We'd like to thank the sponsors of our eBay Live section for making this type of extensive coverage possible! Check out their links in my story.
There's been lots of online-auction news lately. A recent article points to complaints from sellers that sales have been lackluster since March (http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y06/m05/i25/s01 ). And one of the biggest news stories recently was the announcement from eBay that it had entered into an agreement with Yahoo (http://auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y06/m05/i25/s03 ).
eBay will begin testing the placement of Yahoo Search Marketing ads, which are contextual ads similar to Google AdWords, on the eBay search results pages. According to Bill Cobb's statement on the eBay Announcement board, eBay will limit such ads to displaying complementary items, not competing items, and will never place them on View Item pages.
Yahoo began placing contextual ads on its auction platform one year ago - but when it made that move, it eliminated all fees for its auction sellers. Yahoo views its auction listings as a commodity item. Listings are merely content that allow it to make money on its advertising service.
eBay will get more traffic by partnering with Yahoo, but by entering into this agreement, I think eBay is showing that it too thinks of listings as a commodity. It smacks of desperation and FOG (Fear of Google).
Here's what I would like to see eBay do:
Fix whatever is leading to seller complaints of a major sales slowdown
Dramatically improve customer service for all buyers and sellers
Improve basic functionality to make it easy to list, sell, search, bid and buy
Eliminate all plans to launch new features
Increase seller verification
Institute a high minimum feedback requirement for foreign sellers wanting to list on non-domestic sites
Clamp down on sellers who offer low prices and inflated shipping charges
Retrain every employee so they treat customers and vendors with dignity and respect
Bring buyers and sellers together, and get out of the way!
AuctionBytes.TV is running a video interview with an eBay drop-off store owner. Richard Chemel owns the ISold It store in Chatsworth, California, you can watch the interview on the ABTV features channel (http://www.auctionbytes.tv/features ). Richard has some great insights for sellers considering a drop-off store.
Finally, I'm delighted to announce that one of our writers, Lissa McGrath, had a baby girl last week, Rowan Elizabeth McGrath. Many of you know Lissa's in-laws, Skip and Karen McGrath of Auction Sellers Resource. This is Lissa's first baby and Skip and Karen's first grandchild. Congratulations to all! If you see Skip and Karen at eBay Live (Booth # 933) in Las Vegas next week, be sure and tell them congratulations!
Thanks for reading.
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@ecommercebytes.com .
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