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Tag: eBay

  • eBay Mobile Sales Up 146 Percent On Cyber Monday

    eBay said today U.S. mobile commerce sales increased 146 percent year over year on Cyber Monday.

    The company said mobile shopping peaked between 5pm and 7 pm PST. eBay said because of the growth in mobile holiday shopping it expects to generate more than $1.5 billion in gross merchandise volume in 2010, compared to $600 million in 2009.

     

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    “This holiday season’s strong growth speaks for itself: mobile is the future of shopping, and eBay is leading the way,” said Steve Yankovich, vice president, mobile for eBay.

    “People are realizing more than ever that you can shop smarter by taking your phone with you when you hit the mall – or by avoiding the mall altogether. Whether you’re hunting for fashion, deals, or comparing prices, eBay mobile apps bridge the gap between online and in-store shopping and put the world’s largest online marketplace right in your pocket.”

    A survey of mobile shoppers in the U.S. conducted for eBay by SmithGeiger shows that over half the people who regularly shop using their phones are comfortable spending over $100 on a mobile purchase, with 14 percent willing to spend over a thousand dollars. On average, according to the survey, mobile shoppers spend over $100 per month on mobile purchases

    Among the findings from the past week, eBay mobile data indicates that the iPhone is the leading mobile platform for eBay shoppers this year, with approximately two-thirds of eBay sales during the holiday week coming from iPhone users. The remaining third was comprised of Android, BlackBerry and mobile web users combined, and where available, Windows Phone 7.

     

  • Supreme Court Lets eBay Win Stand In Tiffany Case

    An eBay-related dispute that began way back in 2004 seems to have finally run its course.  Today, the U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision not to let Tiffany appeal previous legal losses regarding trademark violation and the sale of counterfeit goods.

    Tiffany’s lawyers have argued for years that eBay should be proactive in keeping counterfeit products off its site and thereby protecting Tiffany’s reputation.  eBay’s representatives maintained that the site’s policy of responding to complaints is more than enough.

    Now Tiffany’s lost its last chance to score a win (at least in the U.S.).

    eBay

    Michelle Fang, eBay Associate General Counsel, stated as a result, "The U.S. Supreme Court’s cert. denial is a great victory for eBay and U.S. consumers.  We believe this case has always been about Tiffany’s efforts to prevent people from buying and selling authentic Tiffany products online, and the culmination of this case validates eBay’s business practices."

    Fang then noted, "The decision lets stand the prior rulings of both the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and the trial court, which found that eBay exceeds all legal requirements in the fight against counterfeits."

  • eBay Data Center Earns LEED Gold Certification

    When it comes to data centers, we seem to hear about Google and perhaps Facebook most often.  Both companies have been known to announce new facilities and expansions on a regular basis.  But apparently eBay has quite a lot of expertise in this field, too, as the U.S. Green Building Council recently awarded its Topaz data center the LEED Gold certification.

    The LEED certification program is a widely recognized system of encouraging sustainable building practices, and Gold is the second-highest certification level, falling only below Platinum.  It’s not at all easy to get.

    A post on eBay’s Green Team Talks blog explained, "Topaz becomes one of only a small handful of data centers on U.S. soil to achieve LEED Gold – a pretty major accomplishment considering the availability and security requirements needed to run eBay AND PayPal’s servers 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year."

    Then the post described some of Topaz’s green features, which include "[t]he collection of rainwater to offset city water use," "[t]he ability to use low outside air temperatures to reduce electrical costs for cooling our servers," "[t]he use of low emitting materials throughout construction," "[t]he use of over 20% recycled and regional building materials in the facility construction," and "[t]he use of a chemical free water treatment system."

    The Topaz data center is located outside Salt Lake City, Utah, by the way, and opened earlier this year.

  • eBay Releases Updated iPhone Application

    eBay Releases Updated iPhone Application

    eBay has released a new version of its iPhone app that adds selling functionality and RedLaser barcode-scanning technology.

    The updated iPhone app allows users to comparison shop by scanning barcodes and accessing a wider a variety of merchandise including electronics, movies and videogames.

    “More shoppers are turning to their mobile phones to save money and time this holiday season,” said Steve Yankovich, vice president of eBay Mobile.

     

     

    “We listened to our 13 million+ mobile app users and we’ve updated our eBay iPhone app to be a one stop shop for all of their holiday buying and selling needs. We continue to blur the lines between in-store and online shopping by allowing eBay shoppers to conveniently scan products to find the best deals virtually anywhere, anytime.”

    Sellers can now search for completed listings to see what similar items recently sold for. In combination with RedLaser scanning technology, repeat sellers can scan a product and list it on eBay in 60 seconds or less. If a user is listing a similar item sold or selling on eBay, users can use eBay’s “Sell One Like This” feature to create a listing that is automatically populated with information like category and item condition.
     

     

  • eBay Launches

    eBay has introduced its “Love to Give” holiday shopping campaign which focuses on what the company describes as “unwrap attacks,” emotional moments that happen when someone receives the perfect gift.

    eBay is calling on people to upload videos of their best unwrap attack moment to its Love to Give gallery. Samantha Bee, correspondent on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” will report on unwrap attacks in an original webisode series.

     

     

    The company has also launched a social shopping tool, “eBay Group Gifts,” which integrates with Facebook, PayPal and eBay. eBay Group Gifts allows people to chip in together to purchase a group gift.

     

     

    “eBay is where and how to find the gifts you’ll love to give this holiday,” said Christopher Payne, head of eBay North America.

    “You can easily make product and price comparisons when you’re in a store, and know that you’ve always found the best deal on the right gifts. And with our new group gifts social shopping innovation, you can give that perfect gift together with family and friends. Across social, mobile and online, eBay is the way to shop this holiday season.”
     

     

     

  • Report: Facebook Tops eBay In Value

    Report: Facebook Tops eBay In Value

    A certain social network may now trail only Google and Amazon in value when it comes to American Web companies.  Facebook’s privately traded shares have apparently appreciated to the point that the organization’s passed even eBay.

    Brian Womack reported this morning, "Facebook’s stock is trading at more than $16 on SecondMarket Inc., an exchange for shares of privately held companies, said a person familiar with the latest pricing data.  That would put its worth at about $41 billion, more than EBay’s $39.3 billion valuation on the Nasdaq Stock Market."

    Amazon, meanwhile, has a market cap of $74.4 billion, and Google’s in great shape with a market cap of $192.9 billion.

    So Facebook has quite a ways to go before it could possibly secure second or first place, but this is still a stunning achievement.  eBay, Amazon, and Google have all refined their revenue-generating procedures over a number of years; Facebook, by comparison, has barely dabbled in monetization.

    The company’s value is almost sure to continue to rise, then, as Facebook attracts more users and establishes relationships with advertisers.

    An IPO could increase the value of the company, too, although the latest official word on that front is that an IPO won’t occur before 2012.

  • eBay Partners With Groupon On Daily Deals

    eBay Partners With Groupon On Daily Deals

    eBay has partnered with social shopping website Groupon, to offer daily deals from Groupon throughout its site.

    Groupon Members of the eBay Bucks Rewards Program who purchase Groupon deals from the eBay site earn 5% of the purchase price back in eBay Bucks.  Groupon is available in more than 100 North American markets and offers nearly 200 deals per day; eBay will use geolocation to find the closest deal for each user.

    “This affiliation blends the unbeatable deals and unique experiences of Groupon with the depth and breadth of merchandise on eBay,” said Sean Smyth, Vice President of Business Development at Groupon.

    “Now, shoppers can connect with the best local businesses in their area with the bonus of earning eBay Bucks.”

    Groupon subscribers get free daily emails alerting them to the deals. The deals are activated only when a minimum number of people agree to buy, encouraging subscribers to share the promotion with family and friends.

    “Teaming up with Groupon allows us to surface deals tailored specifically to eBay users and then reward them for shopping,” said Kurt Apen, Senior Director Loyalty & Consumer Marketing, eBay.
     

  • eBay Beats Forecasts, Sees Stock Jump

    eBay Beats Forecasts, Sees Stock Jump

    This afternoon, eBay delivered its third quarter earnings report, and it’s a good bet that the company was eager to do so.  eBay beat analysts’ forecasts for the third quarter, gave better-than-expected guidance regarding the fourth quarter, and also discussed an interesting stock buyback program.

    Let’s start with the third quarter results.  eBay managed to report earnings per share of $0.40, which is a significant improvement compared to the $0.37 analysts predicted.  It also earned $2.25 billion in revenue rather than the expected $2.18 billion.

    Those victories came in part due to the success of PayPal and the Merchant Services program.  Apparently over a million new PayPal accounts were created every month during the third quarter, and Merchant Services net total payment volume grew about 40 percent on a year-over-year basis.

    As for the future, eBay thinks it can earn $0.45 to $0.48 per share next quarter instead of just $0.44.  And $2.39 billion to $2.49 billion in revenue is supposed to be doable, which covers the possibility of $2.41 billion.

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    Finally, with regards to buying back stock, eBay stated, "The company repurchased approximately $300 million of its common stock in the third quarter.  In addition, the company’s board of directors authorized an additional $2.0 billion stock repurchase program for the purpose of offsetting dilution from the company’s equity compensation programs."

    eBay’s stock is now up 7.17 percent in after-hours trading due to all this excitement.

  • eBay Launches Windows Phone 7 App

    eBay Launches Windows Phone 7 App

    eBay has introduced a mobile app for Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 devices.

    eBay’s app for Windows Phone 7 allows users to search, bid, buy and check their buying and selling activity. The app uses Microsoft’s panoramic interface and Windows Phone 7’s push notification technology so users can recive real-time alerts on deals and best offer activity.

     

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    “eBay and Microsoft share a common goal of keeping consumers connected. When Microsoft approached us about Windows Phone 7, we welcomed the opportunity to reach more eBay users and to create a unique, engaging mobile shopping experience on Microsoft’s platform,” said Steve Yankovich, eBay’s vice president of mobile and platform business solutions.

    “We built this app from the ground up to take full advantage of Microsoft’s operating system. Users can slide through all their eBay activity and receive real-time notifications on best offer and bidding activity, and items ending soonest.”
     

     

  • Now You Can Deposit Checks Into PayPal With Your iPhone

    Update: As far as availability, PayPal tells us, "Mobile Check Capture is currently available in the US only. The underlying technology that makes this possible is based on legislation passed by US Congress in 2004 as a result of the 9/11 attacks. The legislation, called "Check Clearing for the 21st Century," or "Check 21," gives US financial institutions the opportunity to clear checks using imaging technology rather than transporting the paper itself. We use technology provided by Bankserv to make this possible for our US customers. We are always on the lookout for ways to improve our customers" experience in all 190 markets in which we operate and decided to implement this great new service in the US. If the legislation changes in other countries, we will look to offer the same service in those countries."

    Original Article: The feature has been rumored to be coming for a while, but PayPal announced today that the latest version of its iPhone app lets you transfer checks into your PayPal balance for free, by simply taking a photo with your iPhone. 

    "The introduction of Mobile Check Capture marks the third significant features update for the iPhone 2.7 app, reinforcing PayPal’s commitment to providing consumers with an on-demand digital wallet," a spokesperson for the company tells WebProNews.
     
    Should banks be worried? Comment here. 
     
    Some banks have already been utilizing similar technology, but it’s interesting to see it coming from PayPal, and could lead to a lot of people simply setting up PayPal accounts rather than checking accounts or savings accounts, simply for the convenience factor.  
     
    PayPal Adds Photo Check Deposit Feature to iPhone App
     
    "We all agree that the future of money is digital, so it’s hard to believe that there are people and businesses in the U.S. still using an analog technology that’s 400 years old – yes, I’m talking about checks," says senior director of PayPal Mobile, Laura Chambers. "Have you ever been handed a check and thought about when you’ll have a chance to get to the bank to deposit it? I’ve carried checks around for months before finally making the time to run to the bank or ATM to deposit them. That’s all about to change."
     
    PayPal uses BankServ, a money transfer and payments technology company for its mobile check capture feature. 

    Will you use this feature? Let us know. 

     

  • eBay Teams Up with Groupon on eBay Bucks

    eBay announced that it is working with Groupon to offer eBay Bucks members another way to earn bucks. Members of the eBay Bucks program can sign into their eBay account, access a Groupon offer from an eBay site page, and complete a transaction. 

    Members of the rewards program will earn 5% in eBay Bucks for Groupon deals that they purchase by clicking on the ad in their My eBay Bucks accounts and transactions on the Groupon site. In order for eBay to track and issue Bucks, users must click to the Groupon site. 

    Groupon Partners with eBay"Interesting to note that PayPal is not accepted at this time because Groupon deals need to have enough users who’ve committed to buying the deal before they run all the credit cards," says eBay’s Richard Brewer-Hay. "PayPal currently doesn’t have the functionality to ‘hold’ transactions and process them later. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re already working on ways to integrate PayPal in the near future."

    Users will have to wait for up to three business days after a Groupon deal has closed to see their earned eBay Bucks in their account.They will get their eBay Bucks Certificate 3-15 days after the end of the quarterly earn period. 

    The partnership with Groupon will last until March 28. This might be extended or end early, however. 

  • eBay Launches Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign

    In support of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, eBay is asking people to sell, buy or donate through its eBay Giving Works program.

    eBay Giving Works allows buyers and sellers to support nonprofits by selling an item and donating a portion of the proceeds.

    “In fact, for the value of every laptop sold this month through Giving Works, one uninsured patient could get a mammogram,” said Robert Chatwani, Director eBay Global Citizenship.

    “Each person who takes part in this campaign will have an impact on the fight against breast cancer.”

     

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    Partnering with eBay on the effort are more than 100 national and local nonprofits including the American Cancer Society, Avon Foundation for Women, Bright Pink, City of Hope and Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

    The nonprofits have teamed with eBay for a Hollywood charity auction featuring a meet-and-greet with Honorary Chairman of the Avon Foundation for Women Reese Witherspoon; a VIP meeting with Kristin Chenoweth backstage of the Broadway hit, “Promises, Promises”; dresses worn by Avon spokesperson and singer Fergie, and mark Brand Ambassador Ashley Greene of Twilight; a pink Vespa; and a Cher experience at Caesar’s Palace Las Vegas.

    Other items up for bid will include electronics, clothing and accessories, home goods, toys, sports and recreational equipment, books and memorabilia.

    Visitors to ebay.com/jumpstart can pledge to support the cause and will be entered to win a holiday shopping spree on eBay. Five $100 eBay shopping sprees will be given away daily throughout the month of October. 
     

     

  • eBay To Lose President Of Marketplaces

    eBay Marketplaces is a core property of its parent company, encompassing eBay itself, Kijiji, Shopping.com, and StubHub, among other sites.  Unfortunately for eBay, the unit may soon be without a leader, as president Lorrie Norrington is resigning.

    eBay critics shouldn’t draw too many conclusions about the cause of Norrington’s departure, as it’s rumored to be due to an illness in the family.  It’s more the aftereffects that could be problematic.

    Lorrie NorringtonIn a press release announcing the development, eBay admitted that it doesn’t have a new president of eBay Marketplaces lined up at this time.  The existing team’s just going to report to company president and CEO John Donahoe while an external search is conducted.

    The word "external" could be a red flag, too, since it signals that someone completely new will have to be brought up to speed in short order.

    Then another problem is that a simple check of eBay’s stock shows investors aren’t happy about Norrington’s resignation, sending the stock down 3.27 percent so far today.

    On the bright side (and on a slightly different subject), eBay’s release stated, "In addition to announcing this management change, the company said it expects its third quarter 2010 results to be near the high end of the guidance provided on July 21."

  • eBay Talks Policy Changes That Will Affect Buyers and Sellers

    eBay has announced some updates to its Feedback, Seller Standards and Buyer Protection systems. The company says they’re designed to ensure  your seller performance ratings are a "true reflection" of the service provided.

    "When we know you delivered fast and free shipping on a transaction, we’ll make sure your rating reflects that," says Dinesh Lathi, eBay Vice President Seller and Buyer Experience.  "We’ll also make it easy to report your experience with the buyer to eBay, and let you know what we did with that information."

    Dinesh Lathi of eBay Talks Policy updatesWhen a seller offers, and a buyer chooses free shipping, eBay will automatically rate the transaction with 5 stars for shipping cost. "Starting in November, when you specify 1-day handling time, upload tracking information by the end of the next business day after the buyer’s payment clears, and we know  your package arrived within 4 business days from when the buyer pays (or arrived by your estimated delivery if that was earlier), eBay will automatically rate the transaction with 5 stars for shipping time," says Lathi. 

    Starting late next month, sellers will have access to a reporting hub to share their experience with buyers with eBay. Links to this hub will be provided in many places, like: Feedback flow, in the Seller Dashboard, on the Contact Us page on eBay, the seller information page in the eBay Buyer Protection hub, and in Selling Manager and Selling Manager Pro. Submitted info will be used by eBay to help identify and take action against buyers and sellers. 

    Also starting in November, sellers will see on the dashboard,  the number of times negative Feedback, low DSRs, and Buyer Protection cases were removed from their accounts because of reporting and eBay’s detection methods. Item condition and delivery dates will also be in the Feedback flow.

    As far as buyer protection, buyers will soon be prevented from opening cases too soon, and some cases will be removed from sellers’ performance records. 

    eBay is also releasing a new Duplicate Listing policy aimed at improving search for buyers and boosting exposure of sellers. The policy will prevent search results from being dominated by multiple duplicate listings of the same item from the same seller.

    The item offered in a seller’s Fixed Price listing must be "significantly different in buyer benefit and value" from items offered in their other Fixed Price listings.

    eBay will automatically end duplicate Fixed Price listings, keep the best performer, and credit Insertion Fees and listing upgrade fees for the ended listings. Sellers who continue to create duplicate listings for identical items may be subject to listing cancellation, loss of fees, limits on account privileges, loss of seller status, and/or account suspension.

    eBay says newly listed Fixed Price listings won’t receive an upfront allotment of impressions in Best Match search results.

  • eBay Partners With The National Federation Of The Blind On Ecommerce Jobs

    eBay Partners With The National Federation Of The Blind On Ecommerce Jobs

    eBay and the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) have formed a partnership to increase ecommerce job opportunities for blind Americans.

    John-Donahoe-eBay eBay now includes improved features for users to buy, bid and sell using the keyboard only, along with better ways to navigate content using assistive technologies such as screen access software.

    “We have great respect for the advocacy role the NFB plays in creating employment opportunities for the blind,” said John Donahoe, President and CEO of eBay Inc.

    “eBay has built a reputation as a driver of job creation by helping entrepreneurs start up and grow their businesses. We are excited about connecting with an even wider audience through this partnership and providing blind Americans with easier access to our marketplace for both buying and selling.”

    The partnership between the NFB and eBay aims to:

    *Provide seed funding for promising blind entrepreneurs

    *Recruit members of the blind community to become eBay trainers to educate other blind individuals in selling on eBay.

    *Create an NFB ecommerce store on the eBay platform
     

  • Yahoo’s VP Of Social Platforms Turns To eBay

    Even as Facebook and Google continue to gear up for a battle for social supremacy, Yahoo’s losing an important member of its social media team to a different organization.  Neal Sample, the company’s vice president of social platforms, is taking a job at eBay.

    Sample seems to have made positive impressions on most of the people he’s come into contact with over the years.  On LinkedIn, for example, he’s racked up over 500 connections and 13 recommendations (with a director of engineering at HP even saying he "would have loved to hire him").

    Another sign that Sample’s a valuable employee: Yahoo wasn’t able to name an immediate replacement for him.

    As for some less subjective details, Sample’s Stanford-educated, once founded a company called SynectixGroup, and held the title "Chief Architect" at Yahoo before being promoted to his current position.

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    On to Sample’s relationship with eBay, then.  Starting early next month, he’ll act as the company’s vice president of architecture, and according to Kara Swisher, told Yahoo colleagues, "I’ll be taking on a larger role and taking on new challenges and opportunities."

    But all of this isn’t necessarily a bad sign for Yahoo.  Sample also wrote in a farewell letter, "We’ve made significant progress over the last six years, particularly related to the advancements of our Social and Open platforms and I know many good things will continue to come out of this team."

  • Microsoft Co-Founder Sues Google, AOL, eBay, Facebook, Netflix, Yahoo, Apple, Etc.

    Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has a company called Interval Licensing, and it is suing the following  eleven companies: AOL, Apple, eBay, Facebook, Google, Netflix, Office Depot, OfficeMax, Staples, Yahoo, and YouTube.

    The claim, filed in the U.S. District Court of the Western District of Washington, alleges that these companies have infringed upon patents held by Interval. The patents in question include:

    • United States Patent No. 6,263,507 issued for an invention entitled "Browser for Use in Navigating a Body of Information, With Particular Application to Browsing Information Represented By Audiovisual Data."
    • United States Patent No. 6,034,652 issued for an invention entitled "Attention Manager for Occupying the Peripheral Attention of a Person in the Vicinity of a Display Device."
    • United States Patent No. 6,788,314 issued for an invention entitled "Attention Manager for Occupying the Peripheral Attention of a Person in the Vicinity of a Display Device."  
    • United States Patent No. 6,757,682 issued for an invention entitled "Alerting Users to Items of Current Interest." 

    Paul Allen Sues A Good Portion of the Internet"Interval Research was an early, ground-breaking contributor to the development of the internet economy," said David Postman, a spokesman for Allen, in a statement. "Interval has worked hard to bring its technologies to market through spinning off new companies, technology transfer arrangements, and sales of its patented technology."

    The statement says that the patents are "fundamental to the ways that leading e-commerce and search companies operate today."

    "This lawsuit is necessary to protect our investment in innovation," Postman added. "We are not asserting patents that other companies have filed, nor are we buying patents originally assigned to someone else.  These are patents developed by and for Interval."

    Interval says that it helped fund Sergey Brin’s and Larry Page’s research that resulted in Google.

    The legal document can be viewed here (pdf), courtesy of ZDNet.

  • Inside the Google Phonebooth, Apple Refuses to Show “Green” Rank

    Inside the Google Phonebooth, Apple Refuses to Show “Green” Rank

    Today seems to be redesign day. Digg began rolling out its new redesign to all users (follow us here). MySpace introduced a redesign to profiles. In addition to these, UStream unveiled its own redesign with changes to the homepage as well as the dashboard.

    Guardian reports that Apple has refused to allow its iPhone to be included in the UK’s green ranking system, which gives phones a rating of zero to five based on their environmental footprint.

    As you may have heard, Google unveiled a new feature in Gmail today that allows users to make and receive phone calls. In addition to this, Google will be setting up phone booths on college campuses and in airports. Danny Sullivan at Search Engine Land shares a video looking at the inside of the phone booth and talking to the product marketing manager about it:

    According to PaidContent, Alibaba has acquired eBay auction management provider Auctiva. It recently acquired a similar service in Vendio.

    Nick Bilton at the New York Times has an interesting profile of a startup called Stipple, which aims to tag the web’s images. It lets publishers add tags to parts of an image with info about its contents and related links. Launch partners include Six Apart, Jive Records and E.W. Scripps.

    Ian Sheer at the Wall Street Journal has an interesting piece about online coupons and how they’re getting smarter. "Among the new approaches: computer programs to better target consumers with personalized deals and staff on the ground to help merchants," he writes.

    ReadWriteWeb points to a video of Apple SVP of software engineering, Bertrand Serlet, who talks about using Apple’s private APIs.

    According to Guardian, Facebook is now being valued at over $33 billion as investors try to secure a stake in it. Facebook shares are changing hands for up to $76 each, the publication reports. Still, it doesn’t look like there will be an IPO anytime soon.

    Ad firm Specificmedia is being sued amid accusations that it is re-creating deleted cookies, according to Wired’s Epicenter.

    Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg at the WSJ reports that Amazon has lost a big e-book deal with literary agent Andrew Wylie. This comes as the company also announced that its new Kindles are selling faster than any previous models.

  • eBay Plans End To Third-Party Checkout Solutions

    In the not-particularly-near future, eBay’s checkout process will become a simpler affair.  The company announced today that it intends to stop supporting third-party checkout solutions on June 30th of next year.

    This seems like a wise move for several reasons.  For starters, it will grant eBay more complete control over its site, and search boxes and Facebook widgets aside, it’s usually wise for companies not to rely on others.  Too many things can go wrong, diluting the brand and/or spoiling the users’ experience.

    Then, another key point is that the change shouldn’t affect many sellers.  Todd Lutwak, Vice President of Seller Experience, explained in an announcement that fewer than one-tenth of all eBay sales involve third-party solutions, and "[f]or those sellers who do use third-party solutions, eBay checkout is being enhanced with key functionality including advanced tax reporting, more credit card integration, and advanced shipping solutions."

    Lutwak even promised, "We are also working closely with each service provider to ensure a smooth transition to eBay checkout.  You can expect to hear from your provider with more information in the coming weeks."

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    Finally, it’ll be hard for anyone to complain that eBay has sprung this change on them, considering the company’s given both sellers and buyers a little more than ten months to get used to the idea.

    The only negative piece of eBay-related news we have to report doesn’t tie at all to this development.  It just seems worth mentioning that eBay’s stock fell 1.72 percent today.

  • Half.com Launches iPhone Comparison Shopping App

    eBay owned Half.com has released an iPhone application Buying Wizard aimed at helping users comparison shop for deals on textbooks.

    The Half.com iPhone app is the first eBay buying application to integrate barcode scanning technology. The app allows users to scan barcodes on items to find the best deal on textbooks, DVDs, novels and video games.

     

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    "With buyers looking to save more this Back-to-School shopping season, the Half.com iPhone app gives students access to the millions of great deals on Half.com virtually anytime, anywhere," said Steve Yankovich, vice-president of mobile platform, eBay.

    "eBay has integrated barcode scanning technology into the app making it easier than ever before for students to comparison shop in their campus bookstores and find the best deals on textbooks, novels and more. And, the app’s Speedy Checkout reduces the friction of commerce, allowing users to buy with only a few quick clicks."

    Other features of the app include:

    *The ability to share deals via Facebook, Twitter, and email.

    *Search or browse titles in books, music, movies, games and game systems.

    *Based on the user’s criteria for item condition and seller feedback, theBuying Wizard identifies the lowest cost items and shipping discounts (if applicable) to help shoppers get the best deals on Half.com.
     

     

  • PayPal to Offer Micropayment Service

    PayPal to Offer Micropayment Service

    PayPal may release a micropayment service before th year ends if reports are accurate. President Scott Thompson is said to have indicated as much.

    The move would make too much sense not to come sooner or later, and sooner would no doubt be in PayPal’s best interest. Not only are social games among the biggest trends of the web, but news organizations are still experimenting with ways to drive revenues, and micropayments are not out of the question for some.

    Given PayPal’s track record as the go-to online payment service, getting a micropayment service up and running seems like it should be a key initiative.

    PayPal It has already been an interesting year for PayPal, with a great deal of emphasis on mobile endeavors. Recently, the company extended the bump technology of its iPhone app to Android, and its PayPal X Platform has opened up a lot of opportunities for third-party developers. In June, it launched a Guest Payments feature, allowing credit card acceptance within apps.

    Micropayments, particularly through mobile channels are bound to become much more in demand with the rise of virtual gifts, online news experiments, tablets, and mobile use in general.