March 27, 2008

eBay blogs & comments

Hi everyone

Just a quick note to let you know about a new site that I found that deals with everything eBay related. Just click on the link and it should take you straight there, if that doesn't work just copy and then paste it into your browser. There is a lot of info and comments and there is no charge.

http://arashmoto.com/ebaycomplaints/index.php

Regards
Steve H

Posted by Steve Haddock at 01:17 PM

August 25, 2007

Online auction sites

When people think of online bidding and auction sites, they think of eBay first. This is because eBay is arguably the most popular and successful of all of them. However, there are many more out there, and there may be advantages to using those that are less known to the general public. Some have a large variety of things just like eBay, but others have a niche market and do quite well with those things. When searching for something special, don’t forget to find the smaller ones to see what they have to offer.

Continue reading "Online auction sites"

Posted by Dave Bromley at 12:30 PM

July 06, 2007

A Brits view of eBay Live

by Dave Bromley
Last month eBay held their 6th eBay Live convention in Boston and I decided to take the opportunity to visit the event. The fact that it was held on the east coast of the USA meant it was easier and cheaper to get than the previous years event held at Las Vegas. However, it appears that Las Vegas is the place eBayers want to go to as it was estimated 10, 000 visitors came to the Boston event compared to the 15,000 the year before.

Continue reading "A Brits view of eBay Live"

Posted by Dave Bromley at 09:01 AM

June 20, 2007

Ebay and Google –Handbags in the playground

Talk about two big kids, eBay and Google have fallen out. Most of this occurred while I was away in the USA and surprisingly I missed most of the details at the time.
At eBay Live the first I heard of it was at a luncheon when an eBay executive described their decision to withdraw their advertising from Google as part of a routine advertising test. Believe that if you will.

Basically what appears to have happened is that Google decided to host a party to promote its Checkout service (a rival to Paypal) during the eBay Live event and invite many of the attendees. This upset eBay who promptly announced it was halting all of its advertising on Google. EBay is by far the largest advertiser and spends millions of dollars a year with the company. Google then cancelled the proposed party and that is position at the moment.

Interestingly I did read a report that someone wearing a Google shirt was ejected from the eBay Live Gala dinner. Which unless you like eating poor food and listening to over loud music in a venue that looked like an aircraft hanger was no great hardship.

Almost certainly this little spat will be over soon, both companies need each other. Google wants the income and eBay the traffic that their ads generate. However, I cannot help feeling that eBay tends to over react to any form of competition.
Remember the fuss they kicked up over Alibaba setting up an exhibition at a neighbouring hotel at last year’s eBay Live.

I don’t know what the lasting effect of the publicity will be but I do not see how eBay can emerge as a winner from this affair,so come on guys, kiss and make up.

Posted by Dave Bromley at 12:31 PM

April 18, 2007

EBay drop off shop company in trouble?

It is rumoured that the drop ship shop company Online Revolution may be going into receivership. The company launched last year holds the UK franchise for iSold It which is one of the largest international chains of eBay drop off shops.

Continue reading "EBay drop off shop company in trouble?"

Posted by Dave Bromley at 09:22 AM

April 17, 2007

eBay- What Digital Camera

I get a lot of questions about buying a digital camera to photograph items to sell on eBay.
Like most of my readers I am no photographic expert but these days the modern digital
cameras are really easy to use. I hope that the tips in this blog will be of help to those
of you who have quetsions about buying and using a digital camera.

Continue reading "eBay- What Digital Camera"

Posted by Dave Bromley at 11:34 AM

April 11, 2007

Carphone Warehouse Auction Site

The Carphone Warehouse have launched a new online auction site at www.MyMobileAuction.Com.
as you would expect the auctions centre on mobile phones, sim cards, the latest accessories. David Morrison
Online Auction Channel Manager tells me that the site was launched in October 2006. Since then they have focused on developing the functionality of the site and Carphone Warehouse believe they can offer a strong and secure alternative to eBay in what is basically a niche market..

Continue reading "Carphone Warehouse Auction Site"

Posted by Dave Bromley at 08:50 AM

April 01, 2007

ebay can cost more than you think

In the UK Auctionline newsletter I have often written about the “hidden” costs of selling on eBay. I recently came across a piece in Michael Sheriff’s blog which explains this point very clearly. Also there is a link to a free eBay cost calculator which you might find useful.
Michael is an Internet Marketer who lives in Leicestershire and you will find his blog informative. To get this calculator and read Michael’s blog go to
http://www.michaelsherriff.com/blog/category/ebay/

Posted by Dave Bromley at 09:46 AM

March 28, 2007

New eBay Parody Song

I came across an eBay Song and video today..Originated from Backstreet Boys’ I Want It That Way. It's a cool parody song about eBay and it’s usage in our lives. . I liked it, see what you think. http://findv.com/x.php?3uw

Posted by Dave Bromley at 08:10 AM

March 27, 2007

EBay – No cash bonanza for Playstation 3 touts

Many touts on eBay have been left holding the Playstation 3 game stations that they grabbed in the hope of making a big and quick profit on eBay. It appears that unlike previous launches of gaming devises like the PSP and Xbox the manufacturers got the supply and demand ratio just about right.

The delay in launching due to technical problems seems to have allowed Sony to ship in enough consuls to meet the demand. It is reported that over 200,000 machines have been brought into the UK.

For previous launches desperate gamers have paid up to double the retail price to get their hands on the latest technology but not so in this case. A couple of buyers have paid over £500 on eBay but there seem to be plenty listed at below the normal retail price.

Posted by Dave Bromley at 11:07 AM

March 20, 2007

eBay doesn’t trust International Paypal payments?

Yesterday I decided that I would definitely go to the eBay Live jamboree being held in Boston between 14th-16th June. I booked my flight and hotel through lastminute.com and then thought I had better order my eBay Live tickets.

There was no real problem, just about 4 or 5 pages of information that had to be completed, all pretty straightforward. Then I got to the payment page. There was two choices of payment either Paypal or credit cards. As I have a surplus in my Paypal account at the moment I thought I would take this option and clicked to select it.

I was then amazed to get a message on the screen saying that this seller does not accept this form of payment for buyers outside of the USA and Canada. Now have I got it wrong or is this the same company that is urging us all to use Paypal as our payment method of choice on every occasion.

It would be interesting to know why eBay do not feel it is safe to accept International payments through its own payment service. Has any other readers had problems getting eBay to accept Paypal payments.

The good news is that I shall still be going to eBay Live as I paid by debit card in the end.

Posted by Dave Bromley at 08:29 AM

March 13, 2007

eBay and the tax downunder

Over the last few months we have been reporting that the Revenue services both in the USA and UK have been taking a greater interet in eBay sellers. Now we have to add another country to that list.

Continue reading "eBay and the tax downunder"

Posted by Dave Bromley at 04:29 PM

March 12, 2007

This is getting serious –and eBay deny responsibility

In the latest issue of ukauctionline.co.uk I told you about the Romanian guy who is hacking into eBay. Well he or one of his countrymen has gone a stage further. On 8th March , an alleged Romanian hacker calling himself "Born_To_Scam_American_Guys" posted records for 15 eBay users on an eBay forum for between 40-60 minutes before the company removed them. The post appeared on eBay’s Trst and Safety board.

Continue reading "This is getting serious –and eBay deny responsibility"

Posted by Dave Bromley at 04:42 PM

March 07, 2007

EBay report listing up by 5.8%

Despite some reports that listings have been falling eBay.com have increased by 5.8% compared to the corresponding period last year. This covers from the beginning of the year until 4th March.

Continue reading "EBay report listing up by 5.8%"

Posted by Dave Bromley at 08:53 AM

March 03, 2007

eBay place restrictions on sale of Sony Playstation 3

Ina Steiner of Auctionbytes.com reports that eBay.co.uk is imposing restrictions on the sale of the new Sony Playstation 3. The reason given is the high demand and limited supply availability.
There are two major problems when this type of situation arises, firstly genuine retailers become over whelmed with the demand and are unable to meet the orders. This situation also offers a golden opportunity for scamsters to prey on a desperate market.
If retailers wish to offer Playstation 3 the must meet sopme strict conditions including using only Paypal as the payment method and the seller must be Paypal verified. To read the full story visit http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y07/m03/i02/s02

Posted by Dave Bromley at 10:19 AM

March 01, 2007

This is a bigger ebay news story

Josh Shaffer has contacted me after I published the news that J K Rowlings
was getting an injunction against ebay. In a message he sent me he says
"While the JK Rowling lawsuit certainly is big news, the bigger story on eBay
is the recent spate of hacker attacks by Romanian hacker, Vladuz, and the
associated hundreds of thousands of scam listings and hijacked accounts
(including those of eBay personnel) over the past week.
To get the full story visit Josh's blog
http://firemeg.blogspot.com

Posted by Dave Bromley at 03:56 PM

February 26, 2007

J K Rowling gets injunction against eBay

Ever since its launch back in 1995 eBay has always claimed that it was not responsible for the auctions its users posted on the site.

Continue reading "J K Rowling gets injunction against eBay"

Posted by Dave Bromley at 09:59 AM

February 22, 2007

Leading UK Electrical retailers online auctions

If you are looking for a bargain electrical item you could find it on the online auction page of one of the UKs leading retailers.

Continue reading "Leading UK Electrical retailers online auctions"

Posted by Dave Bromley at 10:09 AM

February 21, 2007

Pink Panther Limo for sale on eBay

If you are looking for a new business opportunity and have £75,000 to spare then one auction on
Ebay should be of interest.

Continue reading "Pink Panther Limo for sale on eBay"

Posted by Dave Bromley at 10:15 AM

February 20, 2007

Thieves hack into eBay listings

www.mirror.co.uk report that crooks are hacking into hundreds of

eBay listings for luxury items such as cars, jewellery and artwork.

The method they use is to hack into sellers accounts and edit the

Listings to edit the contact details and change them to a private

e-mail address which offers the item at a knock down Buy It Now Price.

It is not known how much this scam has netted the crooks but it

Is feared that hundreds of buyers have been effected. To read the

full story visit www.mirror.co.uk

Posted by Dave Bromley at 10:26 AM

February 19, 2007

If you want to buy a warship- forget eBay

If you ever want to buy a warship, or kit yourself out head to toe in genuine military equipment forget eBay. There is a new player in town, the British Government or The Ministry of Defence (MOD) Disposal Services Agency to be precise.

Continue reading "If you want to buy a warship- forget eBay"

Posted by Dave Bromley at 09:41 AM

February 17, 2007

A piece of history sold on ebay

How much do you think an old window frame from your house would be worth?
Not very much you would think, but the BBC report that one window frame has been sold on eBay for around £1½ million.

Of course it is not just any old window and frame, but the window through which Lee Harvey Oswald shot US President John F Kennedy in 1963. Originally the window was in the Texas Schoolbook Depository but after the assassination the owners removed it to protect it from souvenir hunters.

To get the full story visit the BBC website at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6370549.stm

Posted by Dave Bromley at 09:34 AM

February 14, 2007

Could this be the solution to eBay’s schilling problems?

The recent press coverage of the problems eBay have had with schill-bidding is still fresh in many peoples minds. Now researchers at Southampton University believe they may have come up with a solution.

Schill bidding is when a seller or an accomplice place bids on the seller’s item with the intention of raising the final selling price. The practice is not only prohibited by eBay regulations but also illegal in many countries. Despite this the practice continues and some believe is becoming more widespread.

The researchers believe that the problem can be overcome by using different kinds of listing and commission fees from those currently in use on eBay.

To find out more visit http://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/about/news/1177

Posted by Dave Bromley at 08:59 AM

February 13, 2007

It’s that eBay Tax thing again.

The latest group to come out and warn about the current campaign by Her Majesty’s to tax eBayers has been issued by the Customs and Revenue UK Insurance Claim Assistance and Insurance Claims Assessors, In an informative article they point out on the first day of HMCR’s campaign 200 hundred people registered.

If you think that you may be liable to tax for cash you have made on eBay you should read this article at
http://www.ajcconsultants.ltd.uk/insurance/2007-02/ebay-130207.htm

Posted by Dave Bromley at 11:05 AM

Mary becomes a TV presenter- Thanks to Ebay

Mary Betts, 23 has won an auction on eBay to present Sky Digital channel Propeller TV show Red Carpet. Having paid £810 for the privilege Mary will spend two days at the studio recording her contribution to the program.

It is all in aid of a good cause, the money is going to the Macmillan Cancer Support charity. One of the reasons Mary may have wanted to win the auction was for the all-important “show reel” of her performance, which she might use to seek other jobs in TV.

In their blog today the TV Today section of The Stage, the magazine for theatre and entertainment professionals points out that there are much cheaper ways that would be TV presenters can get “show reels” produced.
For more information on this story visit
http://www.thestage.co.uk/tvtoday/2007/02/become_a_tv_presenter_the_ebay_way.php

Posted by Dave Bromley at 10:58 AM

October 10, 2006

Don't Become a Bore on eBay

Be careful not to become a bore. I have discovered the joy of selling on eBay. When I was in the corporate world I used to do a lot of coaching. Mostly it was sales related in order to enhance business performance.
It is very enjoyable when you get the right responses from your colleagues and improvements start to come through. I love negotiating and we all do a lot of negotiating.

Continue reading "Don't Become a Bore on eBay"

Posted by Dave Bromley at 11:16 AM

October 05, 2006

Don’t forget it is eBay’s ball

Recently some of the fees on eBay were raised and what was the immediate reaction from some sellers?
“We will all boycott eBay, that will bring them to their knees.” They cried.

What a load of old rubbish.. eBay is a massive company that makes billions of dollars in profits and a few whinging sellers throwing their toys into a corner and sulking is not going to make one iota of difference

Wake up to reality eBay can do what they like it is their ball. They can put the fees up, they can change the rules, they can have the worst customer support system imaginable and when all said and done there is nothing anyone can do about it except walk away.

Any company that can grow and develop the way eBay has is not going to do anything to seriously jeopardise their position in the market place.
Since they went public their first responsibility has to be to their shareholders and they are always going to be looking for ways to increase
the profits. But that is only the same as we are all trying to do with our eBay businesses.

Quite honestly we should all be used to price rises by now. Look at what has happened to fuel, gas and electricity over the last few months. But just because the prices have gone up does not mean that we are all going to stop driving or turning on our air conditioning or heating. I am sure that owners of bricks and mortar businesses have seen their rents and business taxes rise over the years. So why get all hot under the collar because eBay have raised some of their fees?

As long as your business is all about selling on eBay you are going to be totally tied and reliant upon them. I have no reason to believe that eBay will not continue into the foreseeable future providing a service the same or similar to the one that is available today. But perhaps we should be looking for ways to reduce the reliance on a company over which we have no control.

Just because eBay is the market place that finds the customers for us it does not mean that we cannot develop a relationship with that customer outside of eBay. Normally you will have an e-mail and physical address of your auction customers and you should be using these to build a customer list. Many sellers who started out selling purely on eBay now find they are making greater sales by e-mailing or sending offers by snail mail to their loyal customer list.

The big advantage of this is of course it does not matter how high eBay fees go up because you so not have to pay any fees to sell to your list.
My advise is to stop worrying about the odd fee increase and get on with building your customer list and developing your business both inside and outside of eBay. It is a lot more profitable than whinging.

Posted by Dave Bromley at 04:24 PM

September 22, 2006

eBay Sellers of the World – its official Christmas is coming.

I have it on very good authority that Christmas this year will fall on
25th December. I tell you this because so many people get caught out
and seem amazed when Christmas arrives.

There are now less that 100 days to Christmas which apart from being
the celebration of the birth of Jesus is also one of the most active times
of the year for eBay sellers.

It is the time of the year that for many people common sense goes out of
The window and they spend as though there were no tomorrow. There is
a saying that the way to financial success is to find out what people are
spending on and throw yourself in front of the money.

Ask yourself, what will people be buying in November and December.
Gift items obviously, decorations, books, CDs and DVDs in fact practically
anything if you can give it a bit of a festive slant.

But if you are going to cash in on this bonanza you should have started your
planning and product sourcing by now. But there is still time if you are quick.
My Christmas products will being going up for sale on eBay from the first week
in October. You don’t want to leave it too much longer if you want a share of the
festive profits

Posted by Dave Bromley at 10:31 AM

September 12, 2006

Sydney Johnston was terrific

I have just about got over Yanik Silvers. “Underground UK seminar. What a great weekend. Without exception all the speakers had really useful information to pass on and I came away with a notebook full of ideas and actions to take.

Of course for me the highlight was on Sunday morning when Sydney Johnston, the undisputed Queen of eBay gave her presentation. What a speaker, this was a no nonsense, straight from the hip, tell it like it is low down on how to make cash on eBay.

Much of what she said went against the perceived wisdom trotted out by some other so-called experts. However, as she explained her ideas it all fell into place. If you want to learn Sydney’s methods I shall be telling how you can in the next issue of the ukauctionline newsletter. If you are not already a subscriber just go and register at http://www.ukauctionline.co.uk now.

Posted by Dave Bromley at 11:13 AM

February 03, 2006

eBay's Weirdest Items

by David Riewe
Indeed, E-bay is today's most sought-after shopping portal in
the Internet. It has created in itself a worldwide phenomenon
that people get inflicted with. The joy and the thrill of
bidding online create a certain diagrammatic representation of
life's drama.

Continue reading "eBay's Weirdest Items"

Posted by Dave Bromley at 12:13 PM

January 28, 2006

Is the future bleak for eBay drop off stores?

Back in 2002 the first eBay drop off stores began to appear on the West Coast. Auction Drop was in the forefront of this move and attracted millions of dollars of venture capital. There plan was simple, they would open a nationwide chain of stores were people with items to sell could drop them off and Auction Drop would list them on their behalf on eBay.

Continue reading "Is the future bleak for eBay drop off stores?"

Posted by Dave Bromley at 10:45 AM

October 20, 2005

Our servers been down

I am afraid that we have had a few problems with our server over the last couple of days but know I am glad to say all is back to normal. Also today I have posted 5 new articles up to UK Auctionline. They are

An Introduction To eBay Consignment
By Terry Gibbs
eBay Online Auction Sniping Secrets
by Doug Feiring
Instructions on How to Put Picture on Ebay
By Renee Matt
The 5 Mistakes that lose you money on eBay
By Dave Bromley
Professional eBay Auctions Reap the Profits for Sellers

If you sent us an e-mail between 17th-19th October we may not have received it so please send again.
Dave Bromley

Posted by Dave Bromley at 11:43 AM | TrackBack (0)

September 12, 2005

Is eBay Trying to Difersify?

Over the last ten years the growth of eBay has been nothing short of phenomenal. Both in terms of registered users and monies spent the company has continued to surge forward. It was untouched by the dot com slump and now boasts of over 30 International sites.

Continue reading "Is eBay Trying to Difersify?"

Posted by Dave Bromley at 11:49 AM | TrackBack (0)

June 15, 2005

Hoax Bid costs Tsunami Appeal

Yesterday the MCC played an International XI in a cricket match to
raise money for the Tsunami appeal.Many of the worlds leading cricketers took part in the one day match which the MCC won by 112 runs.

The one big disappointment of the day was an Auction on eBay for the right to face an over from Shane Warne, one of the worlds leading bowlers in front of the 20,000 crowd at this famous home of cricket.

Continue reading "Hoax Bid costs Tsunami Appeal"

Posted by Dave Bromley at 09:19 AM | TrackBack (0)

June 03, 2005

Can you make Norwich tomorrow

I know that it is a bit short notice but if you are in the Norwich area tomorrow ebay are holding one of their successful eBay University Days at the University of East Anglia.

Continue reading "Can you make Norwich tomorrow"

Posted by Dave Bromley at 02:38 PM | TrackBack (0)

May 25, 2005

Is Ebay losing its attraction?

In an article in last Saturday’s Guardian, Miles Brignall highlights some cases of sharp practice by sellers on eBay. He cites examples of items being sold on the auction site that could be purchased much cheaper elsewhere.

It is an interesting and thought provoking article and if the types of practices described continue to flourish then it could have a detrimental effect on the long term growth of eBay.co.uk
To read the full article Beware all the Dell boys on eBay Click Here

Posted by Dave Bromley at 09:45 AM

May 23, 2005

Looking for goods at Wholesale?

I am always looking for new sources of items to sell on eBay.co.uk. One site that I have come across has details of UK Wholesalers and drop shippers. Lifetime membership of the site costs only £4.99, which seems reasonable.

However I am always a little wary of recommending any of the so-called wholesale directories as they do not always meet everyone’s needs. And to be quite honest the information contained can usually be found by anyone with the time and inclination to search on or offline for it.

To make sure that all my readers get value for money, anyone who goes to http://www.wholesale-list.info and takes up the £4.99 lifetime membership option can also receive a free copy of my CD Buying and Selling on eBay. After you sign up just e-mail me a copy of your Paypal receipt and I will put your CD in the post.

Posted by Dave Bromley at 02:44 PM

May 17, 2005

Ebay's 5p Listing Day

eBay have announced a 5p listing day on Thursday 19th May. However you need to read the small print. It only covers some categories and as to whether it covers Buy It Now listings is not plain.eBay say
"Sellers who use Item Specifics in their auction-style or auction with Buy It Now listings on Thursday 19th May 2005 will be eligible for a reduced insertion fee of just 5p per item." But later on they state "Fixed Price (Buy It Now) listings are not included in this promotion." So your guess is as good as mine.

Posted by Dave Bromley at 09:00 AM

May 16, 2005

Radio eBay

Did you know that every week Radio eBay has a 2 hour broadcast.? Presenter Jim”Griff”
Griffiths hosts the show, which includes interviews, hints and tip plus the latest
eBay news.

There is also an interesting phone section when eBayers get an opportunity
to ask questions or express their views. To be fair as you would expect the
program obviously has more relevance to ebay.com users who are based in the
states. However, there is a lot of material in the programs that could be of
interest to eBay members in the UK.

By clicking on the link below not only can you hear this weeks program but
also listen to past broadcasts contained in the archives.

http://www.wsradio.com/ebayradio/

Posted by Dave Bromley at 04:38 PM