Economists are fascinated with eBay. The online auction service provides a substantial venue for them to study marketplace dynamics and the validity of new and established economic theory. While eBay affords economists an opportunity to conduct their experiments, much of their work provides auction users scientific insights to give them the edge in both buying and selling online. One such study, published last year in the journal Advances in Economic Analysis & Policy, indicates that within reasonable parameters, eBay bidders are more willing to pay $11.00 total for a CD when the price is broken out by product cost ($7.00) plus shipping and handling ($4.00) than $10.00 for a CD where the shipping and handling are free. Read more
Vigilante Justice Against eBay Fraud
Filed Under eBay Fraud | Leave a Comment
The P-P-P-Powerbook is an amusing story about one man’s successful vigilante fight against eBay fraud. When it became apparent to the seller of a Mac Powerbook that the bidder was using a fraudulent, fly-by-night escrow service to bilk him out of $2,000, our hero devised a scheme to keep his computer, make the fraudster pay a hefty import duty and delight and amuse and international audience as it went down.
This is a couple of years old – but new to me.
No Listing Fees for Certain Listings on eBay US – 15 August 2007
Filed Under Industry News & Analysis, Sellers' Insights | Leave a Comment
Tomorrow, 15 August 2007, there are no insertion fees for eBay US fixed-price and auction style listings with a starting price of $9.99 and a purchase of a Gallery image. Granted, you are only saving $.40 per listing, but it adds up – especially if you selling something with a slim profit margin.
TIP: I like to have a bunch of listings ready to go when opportunities like this pop-up. eBay rarely gives you much notice, and it can take some time to prepare an auction for listing. So, for some of my less-profitable, less popular stuff I have sitting around the house, I’ve got my postage figured out, photos taken, descriptions written and templates ready to upload — all ready for free listing days.
Sellers are Concerned About eBay’s “Best Match” Search Results
Filed Under Best Match, Industry News & Analysis | 1 Comment
Update: Download the FREE eBook Best Match Made Simple
In an attempt to improve the buying experience, eBay announced the “Best Match” sorting option in the Search & Browse results. Best Match is designed to sort the auction listings returned from a search query based on relevance vice “Ending Soonest” or “Lowest Price” criteria. In its original concept, buyers using this feature were to be presented with a list of results sorted algorithmically based on the “item’s title and description, plus past buyer behavior for similar searches.” Read more