Like It's 1999 Blog

Saved Search Pro Relaunched

2006-10-13T09:59:00.000-07:00

Saved Search Pro, a site designed to provide users with better Favorite Searches for eBay has just relaunched. Check out the new Saved Search Pro.

Secrets of eBay: Contact Information

2006-06-22T17:46:00.000-07:00

One of the most useful pieces of functionality for sellers, is not quite so well known. This is such a shame, I decided to write about it.

You, as a seller or buyer, can request the contact information (including phone number) of anyone that you are currently "engaged in a transaction with". Specifically, this means that before an item is ended, bidders and the seller can request the contact information about each other and after the item has ended, the successful buyer and seller can request contact information about each other.

You can perform this at this link: Find Contact Information

Good Luck!

Disclaimer: The information in this blog is my opinion, I am not speaking on behalf of eBay.

When To List an Auction Instead of Fixed Price on eBay

2006-06-19T18:50:00.000-07:00

When most people think eBay, they think auctions! Well, the truth of the matter is that more than 1/3 of eBay's Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV) comes from fixed price listings, those listings where there is no bidding. Those fixed price listings are precisely what Like It's 1999 filters out from your view.

Now, fixed price listings make a ton of sense for a wide range of items that you might sell. However, I thought I might take a moment to go over some of the classic cases that you as a seller should be strongly considering using auctions.

You Don't Know the Value of What You're Selling
You as a seller should never list an item with a fixed price or even a Buy-It-Now if you don't know the value of the item. Auction listings allow the community to set the market price for what you are selling. Theoretically (according to the same market principles on which Pierre founded eBay), you should receive a fair price by letting the market determine what it's worth.

The Item You're Selling is in High Demand
There's no better way to get top dollar for high priced items that are hot, than to put them up for auction. You wouldn't believe how many times people I know have sold tickets, limited release collectibles, or other high demand items and received hundreds of dollars more (if not thousands) than what they expected.

You Just Want To Get Rid Of It
Don't want to hassle with it anymore? Just start the bidding at $1 and let 'er rip! Particularly if your item is not too obscure and you do a good job describing it, you shouldn't be too concerned.

Single Items Only!
You should never list using Dutch auctions. Dutch auctions allow you to list multiple identical items and allow bidder to not only place their bid, but also to choose the quantity of the items that they want. My experience is that the typical eBay listing doesn't get enough exposure to support Dutch auctions and invariably you will get a lower price for your items.

In summary...
This list is by no means exhaustive, but hopefully will give you some direction in choosing format. Don't forget the best reason for choosing auctions though: Only auction listings appear on Like It's 1999! :-)

Disclaimer: The information in this blog is my opinion, I am not speaking on behalf of eBay.

Which Items Appear In Like It's 1999

2006-06-18T08:26:00.000-07:00

I've been asked a few times now by sellers on eBay, how to make sure their items appear in Like It's 1999. The answer is quite easy. The only eBay listings we filter out are fixed price listings. That can be either pure fixed price or store inventory format listings. We do display both auction listings as well as auction listings that have a buy-it-now price. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you're having problems getting your items to appear.

My Favorite Feature: Recent Searches

2006-06-15T08:58:00.000-07:00

When re redesigned the site, there were a number of new pieces of functionality. One of my absolute favorites is "Recent Searches" (located on the homepage). Lately, I find myself keeping the page up in another window and occasionally hitting the refresh button on my browser. Sure enough, a few more searches have been performed and I get to keep an eye on what people are searching for. Frequently, I have no clue what a particular search term is. The great thing is that I can just click and see!

This makes me think that perhaps what I need to add is a javascript search term ticker! How interesting would it be to see people's searches scroll across the page in real time!

eBay Live 2006 in Las Vegas

2006-06-11T17:52:00.000-07:00

Josh & I are both at eBay Live this week. If anyone wants to meet up, send me an email at daniel.leffel(at)gmail.com!

New Blog for Like It's 1999

2006-06-11T17:26:00.000-07:00

Like It's 1999 was Josh's idea, so I'll let Josh fill everyone in on the background, but I just wanted to quickly announce that we have started a blog for Like It's 1999! Check back soon for updates.