The survey results are in! Last month, we asked you to share your thoughts on eBay's recent changes to search and its new Top Rated Seller program. The results were published in three parts in AuctionBytes News:
Part 1 - the launch of eBay's new Top Rated Seller program; Part 2 - recent changes to search; and Part 3 - sellers prediction of their holiday sales performance on eBay this year compared to last.
Sellers had a lot to say about eBay changes, and you can leave your comments on the AuctionBytes Blog
eBay is launching its holiday marketing campaign on Monday. Last year, eBay skipped TV advertising in favor of coupons and a tie-in with Microsoft Cashback, but this year, they've got an integrated marketing campaign that includes television advertisements as well as print and an online - and a "real life" - component: an eBay "pop up" store will travel across the country to show customers a "vast selection of new, in-the-box merchandise that eBay sellers are offering."
Whether or not the ad campaign will boost eBay's traffic, the worst in 5 years (link to traffic graphs), has yet to be seen. You can leave a comment on the AuctionBytes Blog about your thoughts on the new "Come to think of it, eBay" Holiday campaign (link).
eBay CEO John Donahoe is taking a page from Meg Whitman's playbook and granting exclusive interviews to Wall Street media. On Friday, eBay's head of Marketplaces Lorrie Norrington gave the Wall Street Journal a preview of eBay's new marketing campaign, and on Sunday evening, Mr. Donahoe will be featured in an interview on CNBC's program hosted by Maria Bartiromo.
Let's face it, he's got a lot of convincing to do to shareholders and analysts. If you've been reading AuctionBytes News, you know that Amazon.com had an extraordinary third-quarter, with sales up 28 percent and profits up 68 percent for the July, August, September time period. eBay had a dismal quarter in comparison - revenue was up overall, but the Marketplaces business unit recorded a 1% year-over-year decline. Overstock.com will report its numbers on Tuesday.
On a serious note,...you may be an organized person when it comes to financial matters and estate planning, but there are special steps you need to take if you're an online seller that you might not have considered. Have you given any thought to how your loved ones would cope if you became incapacitated? In today's issue, Barbara Weltman explains what happens to your PayPal account if something happens to you.
Today's issue also features a profile of TIAS.com, a marketplace for antiques and collectibles; a fun "First Item Sold Online" story about a special auction find; a Collector's Corner column on Lesher dollars; and letters from you, our readers. Also in today's This & That column you can read about changes to eBay Radio, and a new radio network on wsRadio geared to multi-channel online sellers, with a new program that features AuctionBytes News.
Thanks for reading.
