Auctionvillas

Words That Sell - Are you selling or are you listing?

2005-04-06T10:57:00.000+01:00

The most common mistake Online Auction sellers make next to havingterrible photos is with the descriptions of their merchandise. Mostsellers write a one sentence description of their goods. Then theywonder why there were few or no bids on their auction. If a seller islisting over 100 items per day that are below the $10.00 range, a onesentence description may be all they can afford time wise. In thisinstance, they are making it up with volume. If your goods are uniqueit is imperative to not only describe the product accurately but moreimportantly, create and build excitement. The top online sellers havethis technique down to a T and use the same writing techniques thatadvertising agencies use to sell products.

In order to get high closing bids on your goods you must create abidding war between at least two bidders. Poor looking photos and onesentence descriptions imply to the bidder that the seller is hidingsomething and creates an atmosphere of caution.

It is a proven science that using specific words to create excitementincreases sales for all types of products and services. The top onlineauction sellers think like advertising executives and know how to"sell" their merchandise and not just "list" their goods. Keep in mindthat you are paying an insertion fee and a percentage of the finalsale. You've got to make the most of your descriptions or you aretotally wasting your time.

Tips for Buyers...

2005-03-29T09:14:00.000+01:00

Despite complaints of fraud, online auctions remain a fun, efficient and relatively safe way to do business — if you act prudently. Here's how:

Before Bidding

Become familiar with the auction site. Never assume that the rules of one auction site apply to another. If the site offers a step-by-step tutorial on the bidding process, do it. It may save you frustration and disappointment later.

Find out what protections the auction site offers buyers. Some sites provide free insurance or guarantees for items that are undelivered, not authentic or not what the seller claimed.

Know exactly what you're bidding on. Read the seller's description of the item or service, and if a photograph is posted, look at it. Read the fine print. Look for words like "refurbished," "close out," "discontinued," or "off-brand" — especially when shopping for computer or electronic equipment — to get a better idea of the condition of the item being auctioned.

Try to determine the relative value of an item before you bid. Be skeptical if the price sounds too low to be realistic. "Brick-and-mortar" stores and price comparison sites may be good for reality checks.

Find out all you can about the seller. Avoid doing business with sellers you can't identify, especially those who try to lure you off the auction site with promises of a better deal. Be aware that some fraudulent sellers may use a forged email header that makes follow-up difficult, if not impossible. Get the seller's telephone number so that you have another way to get in touch. Dial the number to confirm that it is correct.

Some auction sites post feedback ratings of sellers based on comments by other buyers. Check them out. Although these comments and ratings may give you some idea of how you'll be treated, know that sometimes, comments may be submitted by the seller or "shills" paid by the seller.

Consider whether the item comes with a warranty and whether follow-up service is available if you need it. Many sellers don't have the expertise or facilities to provide services for the goods they sell. If this is the case with your seller, be sure you're willing to forfeit that protection before placing a bid.

Find out who pays for shipping and delivery. Generally, sellers specify the cost of shipping and give buyers the option for express delivery at an additional cost. If you're uncertain about shipping costs, check with the seller before you bid.

Check on the seller's return policy. Can you return the item for a full refund if you're not satisfied with it? If you return it, are you required to pay shipping costs or a restocking fee?

Email or call the seller if you have any questions. Don't place any bids until you get straight — and satisfactory — answers.

When Bidding

Establish a top price and stick to it. This can help ensure that you get a fair price and protect you from "shill bidding." Don't bid on an item you don't intend to buy. If you're the highest bidder, you're obligated to follow through with the transaction. Some auction sites bar "non-paying" bidders, also known as "deadbeats," from future bidding.

Save all transaction information. Print the seller's identification; the item description; and the time, date and price you bid on the item. Print and save every email you send and receive from the auction company or the seller.

Inside eBay.com

2005-03-22T22:19:00.000+00:00

eBay is the worlds 68th largest economy right behind Kenia.

WalMart took 41 years to grow to somewhat over 100 billion dollar. MS took 19 years to grow over 30 billion, eBay took 8 years to reach 3 billion. Managing growth is a challenge.

eBay started on the first Monday in September 1995 (labour day) out of eBays founders bedroom on a 30$ account with a local ISP. In January 1997 eBay had 4 pcs, at a co-location facility with 10 Mb/s. At that time it was supporting 200'000 auctions. Growth continued in 1999 they had over 200 servers and over 200 Mb/s dedicated bandwidth.

In 1999 things stared getting really serious as eBay had a 22h outage due to its hap-hazard IT architecture not keeping up with the rapid growth. The first attempt to get to grips with this was to throw more hardware and clustered computers at it. This did get them some headroom, but things only started to really get better when they started to split the application out into more individual clusters.

The base idea was to restructure the whole architecture so that one server failing should not take down the whole site. This was implemented by having the same code base on all servers, but running only part of it on any particular machine.

Special precautions had to be put in to prevent clever users from manually changing URLs into executing parts of the ebay functionality on the 'wrong' machine.

By January 2001 eBay another 11 hour outage happened as the whole dual attached SCSI setup for storage went south. At this point a new IT strategy was established at eBay: It is not possible to find 'the ultimate' setup. Everything we setup has a maximum life of 3 years. We do not only need good solutions to our current problems but we also have to plan for its replacement with the next better thing.

Today: 100 Database Instances on Sun 440's and 6800's all in VCS auto failover. 7800 Mb/s bandwidth. Search and Listings on 1100 CPUs on 127 Servers, Mail on 271 Server, ...

Since the 2001 outage the average availability has been around 99.9% ...

Auction Sellers Tips

2005-03-22T10:23:00.000+00:00

Although a topic of some debate, Sundays between 5 and 6pm PST is generally considered the best time to close an online auction (Long holiday weekends excepted). 10 days -- spanning two weekends -- is generally considered the best auction length.

Some Caveats:
• Friday and Saturday nights are not the best time to end youth oriented online auctions.
• Online auction items that appeal to retirement age people or Stay-At-Home-Moms may do best to end mid-morning.
• Bottom Line: Try to anticipate who your buyer is, and try to schedule your online auction so it will close when they would likely be online.

The old adage, "A picture is worth a thousand words", is very applicable in the online auction business. Many potential bidders won't even look at your auction if there is no picture. Make sure it is a picture of the actual item.
When developing your description, try to anticipate all of the questions prospective bidders may ask and address them as briefly as possible.

Online auctions involve a great deal of trust. In order to gain the trust of potential bidders, remove as much doubt and mystery as possible.
• Publish your shipping and handling costs up front.
• Clearly state your check acceptance policy.
• Don't be so anonymous. Consider providing your name and location in your auction.

Promote your online auctions through your personal website. (Auction Insights started out this way!)

Make sure that you list details and keywords in your auction that will potential bidders can search on. For example, If a Captain America comic book that I am selling has guest appearance by Spiderman, I will mention that in the item description. A bidder entering "Spiderman" in Yahoo! Auctions' search engine will get a listing of auctions that includes mine.

Check your e-mail morning and evening. Promptly respond to bidders' questions

The History of Online Auctions

2005-03-21T12:28:00.000+00:00

Auction: the sale of property to the highest bidder

The first auction supposedly took place in Babylon around 500 B.C., in which marriage auctions were held annually in every village. The prices ranged from a higher bid for the more beautiful women to a negative bid and dowry for the less attractive women.
Since 500 B.C. auctions have transitioned from their traditional marriage auctions into their present state of ONLINE AUCTIONS. The first online auction site began with a Japanese company Aucnet, when they went online with automobiles for auction 1995. Later that year in September was the birth of eBay. Since eBay there have been many other auction sites such as Yahoo Auctions and uBid,just to name a few.

Founded in September 1995 eBay is the largest and most well known auction site today, it includes 42.4 million registered users. On eBay you can find the sale of just about anything you could imagine. eBay serves all of the US and international auctioneers as well. Anyone can register as a buyer on eBay, but you must have a credit card to be a seller. eBay serves as a mediator between the buyer and seller for the auctioning of goods. There is no eBay fee for buying an item except the fee charged by the seller for the item. eBay charges a small fee to the seller for the posting of the item.

Searching on eBay is fast and easy. You can type in the name or size of an item, browse by category, price range, and item location. Once the item is posted a buyer can view a picture of the item, the item’s selling price, the time left on the item, the item’s current price, the top bidder of the item, and a description of the item. Also on the listing is the number of items the seller has previously sold. There is also a security measure in place for buyers who have sent money and do not receive the item they paid for. After payment is received the item usually arrives within 7-10 days. You can then list feedback for the seller telling other buyers how the seller was.