Archive for April 2006
ThisIsMoney: PAYPAL stands accused of using bully-boy tactics to scare customers into paying back money before disputes have been settled. Money Mail readers say that they are receiving letters from debt recovery companies demanding payment of disputed sums even though PayPal has been told the Financial Ombudsman Service is investigating complaints. PayPal, which is owned [...]
A Shopper’s First Impressions of eBay Express
Auctionbytes: Leave it to eBay to make a simple online shopping experience more complex. From the creators who brought us the “World’s Online Marketplace,” we now have the long-awaited sequel, eBay Express (http://www.ebayexpress.com). To test eBay’s new fixed-price marketplace, I set out to fulfill a list of eight items, comprised of DVDs, CDs and books. [...]
KCRA: Auction postings on eBay could allow attackers to steal customer information, according to a new release from the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team. The malicious coder could use scripts in product descriptions to modify pages on eBay or redirect users to another page. These may appear to be legitimate eBay pages that request personal [...]
GigaOM: This week’s PodSession is about eBay shopping for partners. This is inspired by recent buzz about eBay looking to take on Google with new allies such as Microsoft and/or Yahoo. EBay is voicing its concern with its checkbook and looking for new preferred advertising partners and cross-promotional opportunities. Should eBay be afraid of Google? [...]
EBay CEO’s 2005 total pay down two-thirds vs 2004
Reuters India: EBay Inc.’s chief executive, Meg Whitman, saw her 2005 compensation package reduced by as much two-thirds as her stock options were slashed and her salary and bonus were little changed from 2004, according to a filing on Wednesday. Whitman’s 2005 compensation package totaled $10 million, including stock options estimated to have a present [...]
The Entrepreneurial Mind: The Highway to Success Because we live in Nashville, I am often reminded of how much failure goes into creating success. From the outside, it seems that music stars just suddenly appear on the scene. The truth is that for most of them it took years of hard work and many, many [...]
Do U.S. Regulations Drive Away Startups?
Startp Journal: A venture-capital trade group says government regulations and other market obstacles are hindering startup companies from going public and driving others to consider listing shares overseas. But it is unclear what kind of relief, if any, venture capitalists will get from regulators. Regulations such as the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley law, which includes tougher requirements [...]
This week’s Carnival of Entrepreneurship is up at Chris Brunner’s The Small Business Buzz.
American Airlines’ free tickets wind up on eBay
USA Today: Vouchers for free flights that American Airlines gave to basketball fans last week are turning up for sale on eBay and other Internet sites. American hoped to make a splash by giving everyone at the Dallas Mavericks’ last regular-season game a voucher good for a free round trip between Dallas Love Field and [...]
Sell Stolen Goods on eBay – Get 14 years in the clink
Mercury News: A man who pleaded guilty to selling stolen goods on eBay was sentenced to more than 14 1/2 years in federal prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Wednesday. Cory I. Paris, 34, also was ordered to pay $708,699 in restitution during sentencing Tuesday and must forfeit his downtown Dallas loft. Paris pleaded guilty [...]
eBay wants to pay you to drive traffic
Webpronews: The online e-tailer thinks people offer a great opportunity to bring more users to eBay, and has put up the cash to reward those who bring traffic, and buyers & sellers, to the site. Editor’s Note: eBay is rolling out the proverbial red carpet for affiliates, rewarding those high volume sellers with opportunities to [...]
The Street: Whether you’re a new or veteran seller, the great thing about eBay (EBAY:Nasdaq – news – research – Cramer’s Take) is that you have lots of options to choose from to help you sell better. The only problem with this is that sellers often find the many offerings available to be very confusing. [...]
eBay Category Updates Coming Soon
The category structure will be updated in mid-May based on feedback received from the eBay Community and from experts in the affected fields. You may provide category structure feedback at any time by clicking here. A complete list of the new category structure can be found on Seller Central here. Categories that will be updated [...]
Entrepreneur Almost Daily: Looking for a dose of e-business inspiration–or just a gift for a friend? Wired has an article on the 10 Wackiest E-Commerce Sites. Some of my favorites are mentioned, including t-shirt vendor Threadless and the crafty alternative to eBay, Etsy. But whatever your shopping desire–gadgets, crafts, environmentally friendly products and even bikes–you [...]
The eBay category structure will be updated in mid-May based on feedback received from the eBay Community and from experts in the affected fields. You may provide category structure feedback at any time by clicking here. A complete list of the new category structure can be found on Seller Central here.
Test-Drive Your Dream Business
Business Week: A two-year-old Portland (Ore.)-based company called Vocation Vacations, a business that gives people the opportunity to “test drive” their dream jobs. Creating temporary but intense mentor/apprenticeship experiences, Vocation Vacations enlists professionals from a variety of fields — everything from winemakers and makeup artists to architects and sword makers — and pairs them with [...]
Jim Hopkins: Here’s more evidence that Americans are turning to entrepreneurship in droves as they age. Of the finalists on ABC’s American Inventor reality show, just three are under 40 years old. Photo by David Wilmot.
Tom Holzel: The inability to see the world from the point of view of the users or customers of a facility (as opposed to the builders of it) is an endemic problem not limited to the British Isles. It is a problem all companies face, and only a few have solved. Small companies (especially start-ups) [...]
Seth Godin: This is scary. It’s really scary to turn down most (the average) of what comes your way and hold out for the remarkable opportunities. Scary to quit your job at an average company doing average work just because you know that if you stay, you’ll end up just like them. Which is why [...]
Hector Barreto, head of the Small Business Administration (SBA), has announced his resignation. The White House announced the nomination of his successor, Steven C. Preston. NY Times: Hector V. Barreto, the embattled head of the Small Business Administration, said on Tuesday that he would resign and take over a Hispanic advocacy group that has supported [...]
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ChannelAdvisor launches eBay Express Support
Businesswire: ChannelAdvisor, the leading provider of channel management solutions (CMS), announced today support of eBay Express, a new web site that provides buyers an easy way to find new, fixed priced items on the eBay marketplace and pay for them instantly. eBay Express will provide online shoppers with another way to shop that is a [...]
Angie McKaig: Email seems to take on an even bigger role once you’re carving your own niche in the world, career-wise. I struggled against that for quite a while. In reality, all I really needed to know, from day one, were these simple things: Looks matter. Run a business, not an acquaintanceship. Emotions have no [...]
Paul Allen: What is the difference between failure and success in a startup company? Why do some companies develop a good product or service and use effective sales and marketing strategies to help customers and to generate revenue and profits and to grow a successful company while other companies fail somewhere along with way? I [...]
Marketwatch: EBay Inc. (EBAY) disclosed Tuesday that it has settled a class-action lawsuit claiming the company engaged in improper billing practices. According to a quarterly report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Santa Clara, approved the settlement agreement. The plaintiffs agreed to dismiss the [...]
aka eBay Express BetaNews: eBay launched its instant buying service to supplement its normal auction listings Monday, hoping to lure more traditional e-commerce users to its service. First announced in January, eBay Express allows users to purchase from multiple sellers using a single shopping cart. The site is completely separate from eBay’s main auctions, and [...]
eBay’s Skype and music downloads
iPodNN: Ebay, following the launch of a new retail-like shopping service this week, may be preparing to enter the music download business through its Skype subsidiary and compete with Apple’s iTunes. Skype has inked agreements with EMI Music Publishing and Warner Music Group to sell music from its internet store, according to Forbes.com. EMI said [...]
TeeVBlogger: ABC and auction site eBay are teaming up for what is ostensibly a reality show about helping people, but upon further inspection sounds like a long form commercial for eBay. The new show, which has the working title of Make it Happen, will focus on families who have big dreams but a lack of [...]
silicon.com: eBay-owned internet payments outfit PayPal has announced it is venturing into the world of mobile payments. PayPal Mobile will launch in Canada, the UK and the US over the course of this month. Any PayPal user will be able to access the service once they’ve registered their mobile through their online account. PayPal Mobile [...]
What Do You Do When Someone Steals Your Content (tags: articles blog blogging blogs business content copyright css design howto intellectualproperty interesting internet law legal management marketing online publishing reading reference tips web webdesign webdev writing bizopblog) Work At Home Business Opportunities Weblog | Scenarios For The Next U.S. Recession (tags: business recession government bizopblog) [...]
Entrepreneur: A stapler that staples up to 60 pages with even the lightest touch of a pinkie finger, a transparent tea tin lid that keeps out damaging UV light, a diaper bag that’s runway-ready–they all point to one trend: In even the most seemingly ordinary product categories, there’s room for extraordinary design innovation. “I looked [...]
How Job Losses Spur Economic Growth Via Start-Ups
Jim Hopkins: Minority entrepreneurship is rising overall. Yet, among African-Americans, extra heavy job losses played a less-understood role, as I noted How job losses spur economic growth via start-upsin this story after the Census Bureau published some of the early numbers last summer from its latest survey of business ownership.
Concentration Is a Competitive Advantage
Businesss Pundit: So the question arises – will the successful companies (and employees) of the future be the ones that can do the hard things? Will concentration be a major source of competitive advantage in the coming years? When everyone is focusing on strategy, leadership, and technology as their sources of competitive advantage, will you [...]
Make It Easier to Beat a Path to Your Door
Since childhood, we have all been bombarded with “wise” sayings that we never questioned. For many people, these platitudes and cliches have become cornerstones of their personal and entrepreneurial foundations. Unfortunately, many of these sayings will lead the entrepreneur astray. Perhaps most damaging is the saying: “Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat [...]
Last Week in the Business Opportunities Weblog Network
Last Week in the Business Opportunities Weblog Network The Business Opportunities Weblog Network is made up of eleven niche business blogs. Here’s a selection of popular posts from around the network: Bank of America Earmarks $10 Million for Entrepreneurs Problems During Business Start-up Can Mean Success Later Most Americans Dream of Starting Business eBay drop [...]
Last Week in the Business Opportunities Weblog Network
Last Week in the Business Opportunities Weblog Network The Business Opportunities Weblog Network is made up of eleven niche business blogs. Here’s a selection of popular posts from around the network: Bank of America Earmarks $10 Million for Entrepreneurs Problems During Business Start-up Can Mean Success Later Most Americans Dream of Starting Business eBay drop [...]
Last Week in the Business Opportunities Weblog Network
The Business Opportunities Weblog Network is made up of eleven niche business blogs. Here’s a selection of popular posts from around the network: Bank of America Earmarks $10 Million for Entrepreneurs Problems During Business Start-up Can Mean Success Later Most Americans Dream of Starting Business eBay drop off kiosks eBay Store Help KFC Makes It [...]
Rumors Buzz About Yahoo, eBay and Microsoft
australianIT: EBAY, the world’s largest online auctioneer, is in talks with Yahoo and Microsoft over plans for a “mega-merger” aimed at thwarting the ever-increasing dominance of Google. California-based eBay is understood to have begun talks last year about a tie-up with the two companies, aimed at muting the power of the world’s biggest search engine. [...]
eBay Buys Swedish Auction Company, Tandera
The Register: eBay is spending around $48m on Swedish online auction outfit Tradera.com as part of a move to expand its business in Scandinavia. Tradera.com began life in 1999 as a marketplace for auctions on items such as watches and jewellery, computers, electronics, and leisure gear. eBay, on the other hand, has only been in [...]
Bill Cobb, President, eBay North America: I’m pleased to announce that eBay Express is now available as a preview site at www.ebayexpress.com. As you know from reading my message in January, eBay Express offers a completely new buying experience for eBay inventory. You’ll notice right away that eBay Express has a unique feel to it [...]
Small Businesses Support Minimum Wage Increase?
It seems that polls can crafted to produce any outcome. According to the Puget Sound Business Journal many small businesses support minimum wage hike: Nearly half of all small-business owners favor an increase in the minimum wage, according to a survey conducted by the Gallup Organization for Wells Fargo. via Work at Home Business Opportunities. [...]
I am often asked “How much profit should my new business make?” Profits are nothing more than the difference between your sales price and the costs involved in producing your product or service. There is certainly nothing unethical, illegal or improper in attaining the highest difference possible. Too many people have a mental hang-up on [...]
Women 2.0 Conference – the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs
Entrepreneur 27: After successfully holding events for young entrepreneurs (“Starting a Startup� conference, Nov.05; Technology Symposium, Jan.06), E27 is now focusing on women entrepreneurs making extraordinary leaps in the technology world. Women 2.0 will showcase top women entrepreneurs. We will connect like-minded, motivated women to swap energy, ideas, and experiences with each other. Event Format: [...]
The Ice Cream Maker: An Inspiring Tale about Making Quality the Key Ingredient in Everything You Do
Sarah Bosch continues her reviews this week with Subir Chowdhury’s The Ice Cream Maker: An Inspiring Tale about Making Quality the Key Ingredient in Everything You Do. This little book offers up a big serving of business education. Having read numerous books on achieving quality customer service, I can tell you the Ice Cream Maker [...]
LifeHacker: Mixing your work with your home life can be tricky, but I’m giving it a good shot. I recently moved into a new home and as I regularly work from home, I claimed one of our three bedrooms as my office – or what I like to call “Keith’s Fortress of Solitude.â€? I spent [...]
I’m in the market for a new hosting company. My dedicated server is bogging down and I’m tired of the lack of customer support at my current host. Any recommendations?
This week’s Carnival of the Capitalists is up at About.com
Keira Knightley’s 2006 Oscar Dress on eBay
Bid in Oxfam’s Exclusive Auction for the East Africa Food Crisis Keira Knightley was the star of the red carpet at the Oscars in a deep-claret taffeta silk gown designed by Vera Wang. She has now very generously offered this custom made dress to Oxfam to auction, with all proceeds going to support Oxfam’s life-saving [...]
e-commerce: There’s a popular saying that goes “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” This applies to business, war and cheesy reality TV show contestants. It now applies to eBay. A Wall Street Journal article today revealed the auction behemoth is getting more and more nervous over Google’s foray into the e-commerce sphere. How [...]
Will PS3 Retailers Scalp On eBay?
PS3news: Remember the stories about how hard it was to find an Xbox 360 in the early days? Oddly enough, Microsoft’s next-gen console couldn’t be found in local stores, and yet there were excesses on eBay, selling for much more than the retail price. How could such a thing happen? Easy. Some devious retailers were [...]
