eBay's CEO Meg Whitman showed she was out of touch when she told analysts that sellers were not as upset over the fee hikes that go into effect on Tuesday as they were when eBay hiked fees in February 2005 (http://auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y06/m08/i11/s01). Perhaps that's because Whitman thinks it's just about the fees. But when eBay told sellers things were so "out of balance" that Store listings were screwing things up for eBay.com, it motivated a lot of people into searching for ways to become less reliant on eBay. Many sellers have said it's tough to run a business on a marketplace that feels like a moving target.
I've been reporting on the seller unrest since the July announcement about the fee hikes. The strike by UK sellers on the 15th got widespread attention, including reports on the BBC radio, television and online outlets. Australian sellers are striking on the 21st, and US sellers on the 22nd. You can find our coverage in the AuctionBytes Newsflash newsletter, whose articles appear on our home page daily. And for my thoughts about Store vs. Core, see my blog post, "Why eBay Is Wrong about Store vs. Core" at http://blog.auctionbytes.com
eBay drop-off store franchises got some critical press in the August issue of Franchise Times. The magazine reported that many drop-off store franchisees are facing financial crisis, and the ones who are making money do not depend on the original business model of selling items dropped off by individuals.
Coincidentally, I interviewed Michael Banks about eBay drop-off stores recently and am including it in today's issue. Note that this is not the same person as freelance writer Michael A. Banks who contributes to AuctionBytes-Update (including an article in today's issue).
I'm still researching whether there's a way to link to the Franchise Times article online, as it is a must-read for anyone considering going into the business. Thanks to the reader who let me know about the article.
Readers be warned, eBay is cracking down on sellers who violate its excessive shipping & handling policy, and some sellers say it is targeting certain categories and is going too far. I'll report more on this issue and what eBay has to say in this week's Newsflash newsletter.
Google Checkout is a new service that facilitates online payments. On Wednesday, I conducted a video interview with Benjamin Ling, Product Lead for Google Checkout, who answered questions about the nuts-and-bolts of the new checkout service.
Google Checkout is still in its infancy, and we'll continue to watch developments. Please feel free to share your experience with the new service.
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.
