proebayer

So it's all over for another year. The turkey's been eaten, the new toys are already broken and the relatives have gone home.
In just a few days, the tree will come down and all the lights and decorations will go back into the attic to gather dust once again. It will be a whole 11 months before most of us even begin to think about Christmas again.

But what of all those people we see in the sales snapping up discounted cards and wrapping paper for next year? Would any of them be prepared to buy the whole of next year's Christmas a year in advance?

I put my entire Christmas on eBay on Boxing Day to find out.

The 7ft artificial Christmas tree I'd bought half-price from B&Q just a few days before for £40 was an obvious choice to put up for sale.

So, too, were the baubles and lights I had decorated it with. The matching red and green balls were bought last year for a few quid, but the twinkling lights cost about £30.

Next to be included in my lot was the holly wreath adorning my front door and the matching table centrepiece, complete with candles, which had made lunch look so pretty the day before.

Naturally, my Christmas stocking and the cute Santa candles that hold it up on the mantelpiece were included, but I kept thinking - who'd buy a used candle?

Then I found 50 assorted Christmas napkins and 11 crackers in two different designs.

Every year, I buy too many Christmas cards and put the surplus in a 'special' drawer to use next year. Except, 12 months later, I've completely forgotten about them and discover the hoard only once I've bought far too many once again.

So 18 cards are included in my lot, along with five rolls of wrapping paper left over from this year and previous Christmases.

Then, as I'm feeling generous, I throw in the festive red tablecloth I used for Christmas lunch, the Santa sticky tape I wrapped all the presents with and the lovely little stars I sprinkled over the table for a festive touch.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I see my plastic, light-up Rudolph. It may be tacky, it may be cheap - it was £5 in a sale - but to me it's Christmas and I love it.

But I harden my heart and take it down to be sold with the rest.

While I'm being tough, I decide the poinsettia that also dressed the table can go. I love plants but, sadly, they don't love me. In fact, friends have been known to give me them with the words: 'Here you go, another one for you to kill.'

I throw in a pack of mince pies, as well as the packet of dates I know I'll never eat, and the cake.

Then, as I struggle to get the zip done up on a new top, I decide to include the remainder of the Quality Street drum I'd gorged on. Finally, I decide to get rid of all the duff presents I was given this year.

I know I'll never use the Hollyoaks workout on DVD I was given by my friend Michaela. A pair of slippers that look like loo brushes are next on the hit-list - I'd rather my feet were turned to ice than ever wear those.

Next, I decided to include a gold, red and black necklace that is far too long for me. A split second later, the CD by X Factor winner Leona is added to the pile.

Finally, I include what is possibly the worst Christmas present ever - a self-help book called Let Love Find You that manages to insult and shame me at the same time.

Then I sit down at my computer to put it all on the auction website. As I'm writing a description of my lot, I begin to wonder if people will think me strange for selling all this.

I try to be as accurate as I can, but opt not to reveal that all the orange and strawberry Quality Street chocolates have gone and all that's left are the horrible ones with nuts.

Instead, I cheerfully write: 'BUY MY CHRISTMAS! Almost everything you need to have a great Christmas 2007 is for sale here.

'Save yourself a fortune next year by buying it now. Take the hassle out of 2007's festive season by ensuring you've already got it so you don't have to spend days hunting around busy shops next year only to find they've run out of what you need.'

'Although it's second-hand, it all works and is in good condition. It's a great buy for anyone.'

Then I list everything that's for sale before wishing them happy bidding - even though I'm not convinced anyone will buy it.

I start the auction at just 1p and spend ages trying to decide how much to charge for postage. There's an awful lot to mail out and the tree is quite heavy. I think it would cost about £10 to post, but am worried it will put people off bidding. I opt for £2.50 and hope I don't have to pay out much more than that.

By 9.30am on Boxing Day it's all ready to go and I press the send button. A few minutes later I check my computer and my Christmas is there for sale in black and white.

I resist refreshing the page too often, but after an hour goes by without a bid I must admit I feel despondent. It might sound silly, but while I don't really want to sell my Christmas, I don't want to feel that no one wants to buy it.

Finally, by mid morning my prayers are answered and someone called 'Merrivale 34' puts in a bid. OK, it's only for 10p, but I'm elated - my Christmas is worth something!

I resist the urge to send an e-mail thanking the bidder and finally tear myself away from the screen.

I return at noon and gingerly type in the details to bring it up on screen. Bidding is up to a huge £1.20 and the counter shows more than 50 people have looked at it.

As I've been to the panto with the family, it's more than three hours before I can check eBay again. I start up my computer, only to discover a lady called Lisa has written to me.

'Why are you selling?' she asks. 'It seems like a very lonely thing to do. I guess I am writing because I am concerned that you are unhappy and I would like to offer an ear if you need one.'

I send back what I hope is a warm reply, reassuring her I'm fine and just have no need of everything I'm selling.

Minutes later my spirits are buoyed once more when I see 147 people have visited the site and there have been eight bids for my Christmas.

It's still with 'Merrivale 34', but now it's up to £12.06. And 25 people are 'watching' it - an eBay expression that means they are keeping track of the auction and will get a prompt to bid as it nears its end.

Getting back from a Boxing Day walk at 6.30pm, I find bidding is up to £16 and 215 people have viewed the page.

I've worked out my 'lot' cost me about £200 new, so to get it for under £20 is quite a bargain.

By 9pm, it's up to £21.02 with a new leader - the unusually named toys-forourfourkids.

I check it again at midnight as I'm going to bed and there's been no new bid - although a massive 352 people have visited the site and 34 are watching it.

So when I get up at 8am the next morning, I expect to see bidding has leapt overnight. My heart sinks when I discover it's still at £21.02.

Having got over my surprise that anyone at all would want my Christmas, I'm insulted that it's only worth £21.02. After all that effort and preparation I put in!

But then suddenly, with just 39 seconds to go, it suddenly shoots up to £22.02. A bidding frenzy begins and I can hardly keep up as the price continually leaps. With 22 seconds to go, it's worth £27.26, then - with just ten seconds left on the clock - someone else jumps in offering £31.

I can barely contain my excitement and my hand is shaking as I refresh the screen again and again. Five seconds to go and it's still at £31, one second to go and it hasn't moved then - at 9.30am precisely - lot number 200062075098 is sold for £31.

I'm ecstatic - and overjoyed to find the buyer pays me so quickly I don't even have time to invoice her.

As I decide which charity to send the money to, it strikes me as strange that people will spend a whole bank holiday surfing the internet in search of a bargain.

I guess while Christmas is nearly over for most of us, for some it's just beginning.

Posted by News Desk at 10:23 AM | Permalink

A team of researchers has designed a way to identify vendors with bogus seller ratings.
To help combat bogus eBay seller ratings, which can mislead customers by giving a stamp of approval to fraudulent vendors, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a technique to help validate the scores.

EBay fraudsters have found ways to artificially elevate their seller ratings, by conducting transactions with friends or using alternate online identities to post positive feedback about themselves -- much to the frustration of legitimate vendors who work hard to earn genuinely positive ratings.

"We want to help people detect potential fraud before the fraud occurs," research associate Duen Horng "Polo" Chau, one of the scientists behind the fraud detection technique, said in a statement.

Chau, along with professor Christos Faloutsos and two other students, analyzed roughly one million transactions between almost 66,000 eBay users. They plotted the transactions as a graph to identify the distinctive pattern created by sales between fraudsters and their accomplices, then designed an algorithm to detect unnaturally close-knit groups of people that traded mainly among themselves.

The method, dubbed "Network Detection via Propagation of Beliefs," or NetProbe, correctly identified 10 known fraud perpetrators, as well more than a dozen probable scam-artists and accomplices.

Although they have not yet released it to the public, the researchers developed a software program that provides a trustworthiness score for individual user IDs based on the NetProbe algorithm. The researchers hope their tool will enable shoppers to distinguish between legitimate eBay vendors and scammers.

However, Faloutsos said he recognizes the limitations of any reputation system. "Crooks are extremely ingenious," he said in a statement, adding that he hopes anti-fraud strategies like NetProbe will make it harder to manipulate reputation systems and make fraud "increasingly unprofitable."

Chau and his colleagues plan to publish a paper on their research early next year and some version of NetProbe may ultimately be marketed to eBay or directly to consumers.

Posted by News Desk at 10:03 AM | Permalink

Whatever happened to shimmy-hipped Latin lothario Ricky Martin anyway? He hasn't turned up on any seedy TV reality shows recently, so he must still have a career of sorts. Oh, hang on, he's a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. So I'd better not be sarcastic.

Anyway, he also spends his time scribbling on laptops, one of which is up for grabs on eBay, along with the chance to Live La Vida Loca by seeing Ricky in concert in Puerto Rico, and meet the man himself.

Also today on Bayraider: Paris Hilton's used Vive Maria knickers (bet more of you click on this link) and three big yellow robots. Well, one big, one medium-sized, and one little robot. But let's not split hairs about these things.

Source: Tech Digest

Posted by News desk at 10:50 AM | Permalink

Two giant eyeballs, bearing signs of members of rock band Pink Floyd have been sold on online marketplace eBay. The proceeds from the auction will go to homeless charity "Crisis."

The 6ft props that feature on the front cover of a Pink Floyd DVD attracted 46 bids, with the highest and final bid coming in at ?16,500 ($32,353).

Pink Floyd's David Gilmour who is also vice-president of Crisis, said with the winters approaching, there was a certain need for extra help.

Tom Sessions a spokesman from Crisis said the charity had been thrilled by the gift and that they were pleased with the amount of money raised.

"This is the ultimate Christmas present for the lucky Pink Floyd fan and will make a huge difference to the lives of the homeless this Christmas," he said.

According to the BBC, the charity is planning to open seven walk-in centers in London, between Dec. 23-30. The centers will provide support to homeless or vulnerably-housed people.

Posted by News Desk at 09:31 AM | Permalink

A majority of Americans expect to receive an unwanted holiday gift this year, but even more of them are OK with rewrapping that unwanted tie and giving it to someone else, online marketplace eBay says.

More than 57% of respondents in eBay's third annual Holiday Re-Gifting Survey said they usually receive holiday presents they could do without. But rather than return the turkey to the store, 69% said it's socially acceptable to secretly unload it on someone else. That compares with 49% last year.

Indeed, more than a third of Americans who took the survey said they were likely to regift this year, versus 21% last year, eBay said. People say they're willing to pass along gifts because they believe the chances of getting caught are slim. But while 85% of survey respondents said they've never been caught, about a third said they knowingly received a second-hand gift.

The survey also found that those people who admitted dumping gifts often gave them to friends and co-workers. Grandma, grandpa, mom, and dad were least likely to get such gifts.

The most popular regifted items were knick-knacks, bottles of wine or spirits, DVDs, CDs, books, bath products, and fruitcakes.

Survey.com conducted the poll on behalf of eBay in November. The survey, released Thursday, was completed by 500 people over the age of 18.

Posted by News Desk at 09:16 AM | Permalink

For a mom working from home, a part-time second job, or as a hobby that pays, you can make extra money selling on eBay. All you need is a computer and a few hours.

Ruth G., a homemaker in Rexburg, Idaho, who's been an eBay seller for some time says, "I have a 17-month-old son and another baby on the way, so [making] a real financial contribution to our family budget AND [being] at home as a mom is very important to me. In just a couple of hours a week, I am able to meet our financial goals, leaving me plenty of time to do the things that are really important to me in life."

Many folks out there are curious about eBay. How do you build up your buying score? How does PayPal work? What is involved in the auction process? These are just a few questions about getting started as an auctioneer, and they all get answered in "eBay Tips For Dummies," just part of the Auction Success Kit. This downloadable "book" provides the answers.

Also included are 14 bonus chapters that provide what you need to get started and be successful. Chapter topics include: streamlining your eBay business by leveraging eBay technologies; fast and effective techniques for finding items to sell; and starting and automating your eBay business. These books reveal some of eBay's best kept secrets, and advice on how to get bids. Included in the kit is a free, 14-day trial to BidFuel.com, a membership service that offers access to everything required, including the inventory you're going to sell.

BidFuel.com is an eBay sellers' inventory supplier, offering literally thousands of products with member discounts of up to 90 percent off. They keep the products so you don't need to store, pack or ship anything. BidFuel takes care of it all.

As reported on "60 Minutes Wednesday," In 2001, 50 million people were using the eBay Web site. Today, more than 125 million people worldwide use the site, with people buying and selling more than $1,000 worth of merchandise every second. "eBay seems to have tapped into something uniquely American and entrepreneurial… where anyone can be a buyer or a seller," says correspondent Charlie Rose. "As many as 150,000 people have literally given up their jobs to create their own businesses selling on eBay."

The BidFuel Auction Success Kit is the ORIGINAL eBay starter kit. Gain financial independence, pay off debt, or earn extra cash with this free offer at www.auctionsuccesskit.com/tips.

*For Dummies is a registered trademark of Wiley Publishing, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Used here by license.

Source: Augusta Gazette

Posted by News desk at 12:04 PM | Permalink

In one of the largest Internet fraud cases in US history, federal fraud charges were filed on Thursday against 21 defendants who allegedly participated in an international fraud scheme in which victims were led to believe that they were purchasing items that were listed for sale on the Internet, typically via auctions on eBay, but then did not receive the goods that they paid for.

Altogether, the defendants and others allegedly illegally obtained more than $5 million, which was collected mostly in the Chicago area over the last three years from more than 2,000 victims from across the United States and abroad as part of an Internet-based scheme that originated in Romania.

Of the 21 defendants, 8 were arrested early Thursday in the Chicago area, while 5 others were already in custody, one will surrender later, and the remaining 6 are fugitives, announced Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.

Fitzgerald garnered national attention when he investigated the Valerie Plame-Spy Leak Case.

Each of the 21 defendants was charged with one count of wire fraud in a complaint that was filed. Those arrested Thursday morning in the Chicago area were scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria Valdez in U.S. District Court in Chicago.

"This case is an example of using new technology to commit an old-fashioned fraud scheme," Mr. Fitzgerald said. "There is no refuge in cyberspace for those who use the Internet to cloak and facilitate criminal activity as law enforcement is becoming ever more adept at investigating cybercrime."

Mr. Fitzgerald announced the charges together with Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Elissa A. Brown, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Superintendent Philip J. Cline of the Chicago Police Department, during a press conference on Thursday. The investigation is continuing, they said.

Law enforcement agencies investigated a large volume of complaints and reviewed records from Western Union and currency exchanges of more than 2,000 wire transfers of funds believed to be related to the alleged fraud scheme between November 2003 and August 2006.

Generally, victims who bid unsuccessfully on items were led to believe that they were being given a "second-chance" to purchase items and were instructed over the Internet to send money via Western Union to be picked up by the seller or the seller's agent, generally in the Chicago area.

The fraudulent Internet solicitations allegedly originated from, and a substantial portion of the proceeds — typically 50 to 70 percent — were transmitted to, unidentified co-schemers located outside the United States, most believed to be living in Romania, according to the complaint affidavit.

The affidavit alleges that the 21 defendants charged locally participated in the fraud scheme in the United States by: obtaining multiple alias identification documents to use when receiving fraud proceeds from Western Union or recruiting other individuals to receive fraud proceeds from Western Union; causing the alias names and the names of individuals recruited to receive proceeds to be communicated abroad to the foreign co-schemers; after being provided with such information as the victim's name, address, dollar amount and the unique money transfer control number, receiving, or directing others to receive, fraud proceeds from Western Union agents, typically currency exchanges in the Chicago area; and transmitting, or causing to be transmitted, a substantial portion of the fraud proceeds to the foreign co-schemers, while keeping typically 30 to 50 percent, of the proceeds for themselves.

According to the affidavit, victims of the scheme — approximately 500 of whom have shared information with investigators — sent money via Western Union to a defendant after communicating on-line with someone who claimed that he or she was going to sell them an item that was previously advertised for sale on the Internet.

Money was transmitted by victims to defendants, or individuals they recruited, after being identified to the victims on-line as, for example, the "seller," the "seller's agent," or an "eBay agent."

In many instances, victims provided investigators copies of the fraudulent Internet solicitations and other on-line communications with the "sellers." This material shows that the fraudulent solicitations often shared identical features, such as bogus eBay logos and other graphics, and false assurances that buyers would be protected by insurance and escrow of funds.

By obtaining records of wire transfers from Western Union and currency exchanges, investigators were able to trace many of the individuals who received the payments. For example, individuals presenting themselves as the intended payee of a wire transfer generally were required to present at least one valid identification document to establish their identity, with Western Union maintaining records, and frequently photocopies, of the identification document type and number.

A review of these identification documents, along with other identity documents seized by numerous local police departments at various times, allowed investigators to identify dozens of aliases that allegedly were used by the defendants as part of the fraud scheme.

In addition, when the defendants received wire transfers of funds, the paying agents requested that they complete an application in which they provided a variety of personal identifying information, such as name, address and telephone number. This information was retained by Western Union agents on paper and was also maintained by the company in an electronic database.

A review of these records revealed numerous instances in which two or more of the defendants provided to Western Union common addresses and telephone numbers, as well as numerous instances in which the defendants picked up fraud proceeds at the same currency exchange on the same day.

The criminal affidavit also alleges that numerous alias identification documents were seized during a March 2006 search of the residence of defendant Adrian Florin Fechete, 35, also known as "Ade," who was then living in an apartment in the 6100 block of North Seeley, Chicago.

In addition to Fechete, the other defendants who were already in custody are: Raimondoray Cerna, 32, aka "Raimondo," who was arrested in Hallendale, Fla.; Ioan Moloman, 39, who was arrested in Chicago; Mihai Panaitescu, 35, aka "Cactus," who was arrested in Las Vegas; and Marian Alexandru, 39, aka "Panther," who was also arrested in Hallendale, Fla.

The defendants arrested Thursday were: Aida Salem, 40, of Chicago; Jessie Vega, 25, of Chicago; Adrian Ianc, 32, of Chicago; Gianina Simon, 30, of Addison; Muszka Ladislau, 32, of Glenview; Mihai Bledea, 30, of Chicago; Radu Rizescu, 31, of Elk Grove village; and Igor Ashlan, 60, of Chicago. Another defendant, Gary Michael Schneider, 24, of Chicago, is expected to appear in court voluntarily at a later date.

Several suspects in the case are still being sought by law enforcement.

Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police. He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country.

Posted by News Desk at 04:50 PM | Permalink

The British Museum says that Roman and Anglo-Saxon jewelry treasures and other artifacts are being sold illegally on eBay with apparent impunity.

The Times of London Monday said British Museum officials were ‘alarmed’ at the number of sellers offering gold and silver in violation of the Treasure Act of 1996, which requires the reporting of all such objects found on British soil that are more than 300 years old.

The Times quoted the December issue of the journal British Archaeology, which reports that between August and September of this year nearly 3,500 antiquities were offered for sale on the British eBay Web site. Of the 3,500 items, some 600 were ‘British’ and ostensibly covered by the Act.

In a memorandum of understanding signed with the British Museum and other museums in October, eBay promised to discourage the illegal trade. However, sellers have apparently found a way around the problem, The Times said.

A representative from the British Museum told The Times: “Frequently we are told that an item was bought abroad or was from an old collection, in which case there is not much that we can do.”

Posted by News Desk at 04:44 PM | Permalink

Consumers can now purchase vacuums, perfume and printer cartridges at Shopping.com, and they can use their existing eBay User IDs to complete the transaction directly on the site.

Shopping.com, which is owned by eBay, is a leading comparison-shopping engine where retailers pay to display their items side-by-side those of other retailers. Consumers can compare prices of items across multiple online retailers, and must click through to the retail site to actually purchase items. But Shopping.com is currently testing a feature that allows consumers to purchase items from multiple retailers in one transaction, directly on Shopping.com.

The test is currently limited to certain merchants in three categories: Fragrances, Vacuums and Cartridges and Toner. According to Shopping.com spokesperson Wendy Sept, elements of the shopping cart testing include buyer registration, a shopping cart, checkout, payment system, and a revenue share program for retailers. "This gives retailers the option to supplement a cost-per-click plan with a revenue share program (also known as cost per acquisition or CPA) - paying only when a shopper purchases their products." Revenue share terms vary by category, and Shopping.com does not make the terms public.

Shopping.com traditionally charges online retailers when consumers click through and are taken to merchant websites, whether or not the consumer then buys the item. A link to Shopping.com's rate card is found on this page (https://merchant.shopping.com/enroll/app?service=page/PartnerWelcome). In contrast, retailers who use the new shopping-cart system pay only when consumers make a purchase on Shopping.com.

According to Sept, the Shopping.com test leverages eBay's shopping cart and checkout infrastructure. Major credit cards and PayPal payments are accepted via the Cart checkout, and existing eBay User IDs work with the Shopping.com Cart login process.

When asked how merchants could learn more about participating in Shopping.com's Cart checkout, Sept said the test is by invitation only. When asked about integration initiatives between Shopping.com and eBay, Sept outlined several, including the integration of product reviews from Epinions into eBay Reviews and Guides. She also said cross-promotional tests are underway with eBay Marketplaces and PayPal; mentioned the testing of dynamic links on eBay Search and Listings pages in select markets outside the U.S.; and said there are promotional offers to ProStores to encourage listing on Shopping.com. "We have launched a ProStores/SDC (Shopping.com) co-branded promotional offer page and have signed up several hundred retailers to date."

However, Sept would not comment on whether there were plans to import items from eBay or eBay Express into Shopping.com. eBay Express is eBay's marketplace for new, in-season items culled from eBay.com and eBay Stores listings that are available for immediate purchase in a fixed-price format.

Like the Shopping.com feature being tested (but unlike eBay.com), eBay Express offers a shopping cart that enables shoppers to purchase multiple items from multiple sellers in one transaction. While eBay told AuctionBytes last month that eBay Express was performing in line with its expectations, many sellers remained disappointed with the impact eBay Express has had on their sales (http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y06/m11/i01/s01).

Brian Smith of ComparisonEngines.com wrote about the current Shopping.com test in October before it went live (http://www.comparisonengines.com/2006/10/06/shoppingcom-to-test-universal-shopping-cart/). At the time, Smith said that as a merchant, his biggest concern would be ceding customer ownership to Shopping.com. "In-house email lists are more valuable than any other marketing channel and Shopping.com could completely take away the ability for a merchant to re-market."

eBay acquired Shopping.com in 2005, acquiring all outstanding shares of Shopping.com stock for approximately $634 million. Shopping.com had launched in 2003 as the new brand and corporate identity of Dealtime.com, founded in 1997, and Epinions.com, which was acquired by Dealtime in 2003. Shopping.com also operates as DoorOne.com in some countries.

Posted by News Desk at 10:21 AM | Permalink

A COUPLE have been ordered to pay back £25,000 made selling pirate Disney films on eBay.

David and Maria Hancock have put their £275,000 house in Newport up for sale after admitting selling more than 1,000 DVDs on the internet auction site.

A judge described the pair as "decent people" who became hooked on internet trading.

Trading standards officers posed as buyers to trace them and found DVDs like Beauty and the Beast and Snow White in a raid.

Their computer revealed that 1,394 DVDs had been sold on eBay and Amazon.

Newport Crown Court heard the pair bought films from Thailand for £7 and sold them on for £12.

Mrs Hancock, 36, made £24,015 and her husband, 32, made £1,134 from selling films.

Henry Stevens, for the couple, said they needed cash to care for their three young children.

He said they had now set up a business selling clothes on eBay.

The couple, of Cedarwood Drive, Newport, were both sentenced to 12 months conditional discharge but were ordered to pay back the cash under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Posted by News Desk at 09:52 AM | Permalink

Women in their 20s from the South East are most likely to take umbrage at seeing their lovingly-selected gifts up for auction, though in the North East the majority of the population (88 per cent) will take offence.

The survey of 431 people comes from The London Gift Consultancy, and shows that only 1.6 per cent of respondents would be happy to see their gifts sold on, while 7.2 per cent would be "broken hearted".

Teenagers seem to be the age group most easily upset, but sulking is more-or-less what teenagers are for. Middle-aged men know that Christmas isn't about gifts, it's about getting a snog at the office party, so are least likely to be upset at seeing their gifts online.

Despite all this, other research shows that 15 per cent of UK online shoppers plan to sell their unwanted gifts online, with another 35 per cent considering it – presumably waiting to see what the gifts are before deciding.

The London Gift Consultancy offers useful advice to avoid seeing your carefully-chosen presents ending up on eBay, though it seems a little late to tell people to "plan ahead" or "allocate time" with the big day less than a week off.

The best advice would seem to be, if you want to avoid getting upset, just avoid eBay for a few months after Christmas and maintain that illusion that your girlfriend really wanted that phone-holster-garter.

Posted by News Desk at 04:31 PM | Permalink

Acknowledging that the online auction market in China is enticingly fast-growing but frustratingly tough to crack, eBay will shut its main Web site in China and enter into a joint venture with a Chinese company instead, a person briefed on the plans of the companies said yesterday.

EBay will take a 49 percent stake in the venture, he said, with Tom Online Inc., an Internet company based in Beijing, taking the majority share and administering the venture, which has yet to be named.
The plans call for eBay to put $40 million into the venture and Tom Online to contribute $20 million. Meg Whitman, eBay’s chief executive, is to make the announcement tomorrow at eBay’s office in Shanghai.

EBay, which has already spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to establish its presence in China, declined to comment yesterday.

Analysts said the move was not a surprise. “It’s an admission that they failed in China, on their own at least,” said Tim Boyd, an analyst with Caris & Company. “But I think that’s something the market already knew.”

The decision was also seen as a sign of the pressure Chinese government regulations put on foreign companies to set up joint ventures, even when they may be reluctant to do so for fear of helping to turn their Chinese partners into global rivals.

Ina Steiner, the editor of AuctionBytes.com, an online newsletter, said that “a bailout in China would be a huge concession by eBay.” She noted that last year, Ms. Whitman touted China as eBay’s biggest long-term opportunity in local markets.

“The company sold analysts on China as a way to counter slowing growth rates in its more mature markets like the U.S. and Germany,” Ms. Steiner said.

China has not been easy territory for eBay. The company established itself in China as early as 2002, when it pulled out of Japan in a concession to Yahoo’s sizable lead there, and bought a third of Eachnet.com, China’s principal online auction site.

The next year, eBay acquired the rest of Eachnet, bringing the total price to $180 million. In 2005, eBay spent another $100 million on marketing in China. Ms. Whitman predicted in 2002 that within four years, e-commerce revenue from all sources in China would grow nearly twelvefold, to more than $16 billion.

The projections were on the mark, Mr. Boyd said. “But the problem has not been the growth in e-commerce in China. The problem has been that eBay is losing market share.”

EBay has steadily been lagging behind Taobao, the consumer auction arm of Alibaba.com, China’s largest e-commerce company. The research firm Analysys International said that in 2005, Taobao’s share of the Chinese online auction market was 57.7 percent, compared with 31.5 percent for eBay Eachnet.

EBay’s move is similar to a partnership Yahoo struck last year with Alibaba. With its own Chinese operations failing to gain traction, Yahoo paid $1 billion to hand over operations to Alibaba in exchange for a 40 percent stake in the company.

Both deals represent new thinking among Internet companies that what works in other countries does not necessarily work in China, where strong local managers are needed.

Last September, Martin Wu, the chief executive of eBay Eachnet, resigned after just a year, and since then rumors have swirled that the company would quit the market.

Ms. Steiner also said eBay failed to understand the Chinese marketplace and culture. For example, she said, in contrast to Taobao, eBay Eachnet provided no phone support and discouraged buyer-seller contact that could lead to haggling.

Also, she said, eBay failed to react quickly enough when Taobao entered the market with no user fees. In January, eBay Eachnet stopped charging transaction fees.

“It has lost market share in China to Taobao and continues to face regulatory and other challenges,” said Ms. Steiner said. “A partnership with Tom Online would be an effort to salvage its Chinese investment.”

A senior executive at Alibaba, Porter Erisman, said, that “ any new deal where eBay changes its model in China would be great for both companies because now we can work out ways to cooperate.”

EBay has played down its troubles in China. As recently as October, in a conference call with analysts and the media, Ms. Whitman sought to dispel speculation that the company might reverse course in China. “We are committed to China for the long term,” she said on the call.

EBay’s stock has been climbing back after hitting a 52-week low of $22.83 in August. Shares closed yesterday at $32.42, down 1.5 percent.

Tom Online, with 75 million subscribers, allows users access to television, music stations and online stores through its Web portal and over wireless networks. In September 2005, it formed a joint venture with eBay in China to distribute the popular Internet telephone service Skype, which eBay owns.

Over all, Mr. Boyd said he was encouraged by the news of eBay’s new alliance. “Now they’re partnering with a strong Chinese presence on the Internet,” he said, referring to Tom Online. “In hindsight, I think they’d say this is the way we should have gone about it at the beginning.”

The person briefed on the plan said that eBay was also considering partnerships and other options for its electronic payments site, PayPal China.

Although eBay’s current site will be shut, he said, a separate site will be maintained to give Chinese users access to international auctions. And eBay’s Kijiji China, a Chinese classified ad site similar to Craigslist in the United States, will continue operations unchanged.

Duncan Clark, the chairman of BDA China Ltd., a technology and media consulting firm in Beijing, said Chinese regulations requiring domestic control over companies engaged in many kinds of financial transactions had limited the ability of eBay’s payment mechanism.

“The end game is who can control online payment,” he said. “They’ve had their hands tied on that.”
The Chinese authorities are preparing to issue 10 licenses for online payment systems, and eBay will have a much better chance of winning one, Mr. Clark said, if its operations are in a joint venture controlled by a Chinese partner.

Posted by News Desk at 10:52 AM | Permalink

For all the ridiculousness this car exudes, you have to admit, this LP640 has brass balls. Or is that what you have to have to drive this thing on public roads? Either way, bids are currently at $180,000 and the reserve isn't yet met, so if you're kicking around some extra cabbage, this Lambo, in it's electric cabbage hue, could be yours.

The e-gear equipped Murcielago has racked up 415 miles, so perhaps that could be a bargaining point should you have the wherewithal to pony up for this Italian that speaks with a German lilt. The metallic green is called Verde Ithaca, which makes it even more multicultural - a Greek green, yum. To us, the hue is akin to something that would've come on a dishwasher in the 1960s, but it's cool. We do like it, and there's nothing like the snarl of the Lambo V12 at full song. One thing we like about the unique shade is the way it accentuates the taut details of the Murcielago's shape. It really looks great with the beige and black interior. For all that, it's not anywhere near practical, but that's not why you buy this thing anyway, and if you're going to have something exclusive, might as well go for an Italian supercar that's not yellow or red.

Source: Spyphotos

Posted by News desk at 03:10 PM | Permalink

One of the most famous characters in all of movie history , the cowardly lion's costume worn by actor Bert Lahr in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, has been sold for a whopping $700,000 (£357,000).

The sale was conducted by the US-based auction house Profiles In History. The costume, which had been part of a Hollywood memorabilia sale on auction site eBay, had been estimated to bring in $590,000. It exceeded its anticipated goal.

Other items included in the memorabilia sale include the dress Judy Garland wore in The Wizard of Oz which sported a 27-inch waist

The BBC reports that the actual lion costume worn by Lahr was indeed real lion, constructed of made of actual pelts and sewn together to form the costume. The costume was mounted on a pedestal and positioned in the character's memorable "Put 'em up! put 'em up!" pose from the film.

In the past, a blue and white gingham dress worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard Of Oz fetched £140,000 at an auction in London last year. Reported the BBC.

The dress, which was purchased by an unnamed phone buyer, had been expected to fetch £35,000.

Sadly, The Wizard of Oz's tin man costume was largely destroyed, while the scarecrow outfit was spared and is currently housed in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington DC.

Posted by News Desk at 10:59 AM | Permalink

new competition which will be played out on the UK's number one auction site, eBay, is laying down the gauntlet to the region's budding entrepreneurs. Regional development agency One NorthEast and the North East Regional Portal have joined forces to launch the YouTrade competition. The pioneering format will see 10 finalists rewarded with a £2,000 cash injection to set up a business and trade online through eBay.

The 10 challengers will have just 12 months to make as much money as they can in the bid to be crowned YouTrade champion, with bonus points available along the way depending on how well they engage with the eBay business model.

Regional Portal chief executive Norma Foster said: "This competition represents a fantastic opportunity for 10 entrepreneurs to develop a business idea online. We are expecting it to be a great success and can't wait to see the ideas."

Shortlisted entrants will have to submit a business plan which will be judged by a panel of industry experts. It is expected that 10 finalists will be announced in January 2007 and the 10 businesses will start trading shortly afterwards. The competition is supported by Sage (UK) Ltd, eBay, The bgroup, Platform One ltd and BT.

The deadline for entries is the 8th January 2007. For more details please visit www.n-e-life.com/forbusiness/article2.php?id=79570.

Posted by News Desk at 01:08 PM | Permalink

Auction website eBay has banned the re-sale of tickets for the planned concert for Princess Diana "out of respect".

The concert sold out in minutes as buyers flocked to the website to bid for a chance to attend the star-studded event which will take place at the new Wembely stadium in London next July.

Tickets for the event were spotted being offered on the website priced at up to £300 per pair with one set drawing 19 bids in just over an hour.

But eBay said it was pulling the listings and contacting vendors to explain that they could not re-sell their tickets on the site.

Diana's sons, the Princes Harry and William have organised the large scale event to mark the 10th anniversary of Princess Diana's death.

Famous stars such as Elton John, who sang a tribute at Diana's funeral, Duran Duran and US artist Pharrell Williams are among many expected to perform on the day.

Posted by News Desk at 01:18 PM | Permalink

If you're feeling flush this Christmas then buy a lucky loved one their dream car on eBay Motors - and blow another £400 having it gift wrapped like something from an extra-cheesy Richard Curtis film.

The service is provided by wrapping specialists (can't be many of those) Wrapology. Their team gift wrap most things, from cars to helicopters, or offer the raw materials - ribbon, bow and 150 metres of paper - with a do it yourself guide.

Apparently the first customer was a banker who, in a touching gesture, had paper and ribbon put on the Ferrari 360 he bought his girlfriend. Seems a little eccentric, we'd rather hop in and drive off without ripping through £400 of decorations, but eBay and Wrapology are expecting high demand for their service over the festive period.

Source: Motoring Reuters

Posted by News desk at 04:05 PM | Permalink

A SMALL piece of Brighouse history is on offer on internet auction site ebay.

A seller, who signs himself as 'town2football', is offering a brick from the doomed Ritz Ballroom – for a whopping £5,000.
His ad reads: "One house brick from the Ritz in Brighouse, top spot for Northern Soul and the great Larry L.''
He asks for a 'buy it now' price of £5,000 but so far there have not been any interested bids, although at the last count 52 surfers had viewed the ad.
If you're planning to bid time is short – midnight tonight.
Sunday will be a poignant day in the history of the Ritz, when the Wurtlitzer organ plays its final note.
Work on removing the restored 1937 organ will begin on Monday, the day after the last concert in the venue, which will be given by international musician Richard Hills. The organ will be taken to temporary accommodation while its owners, the Northern Cinema Organ Society, search for a new home.
Society officials had hoped to be able to announce the organ's new home at the concert on Sunday but are still trying to secure the instrument's future.
Mr Geoffrey Nield, society secretary, said: "This is a sad day for all concerned but we look forward to the challenge ahead."
The Ritz is closing as an entertainment venue and planning permission is being sought to demolish the building and replace it with 38 retirement apartments.
Meanwhile, Ritz management insist that it is very much business as usual.
Nothern soul nights continue their monthly sessions, Paul Carrack is booked for three nights in January and the Bootleg BNeatles are due to appear in June.

Source: Brig House Today

Posted by News desk at 02:35 PM | Permalink

Record brought for pence goes for a fortune

The rare Velvet Underground record which originally went up for auction on eBay for 38 pence (75 cents) has been sold for £79,154 ($155, 401).

The mystery buyer has only been identified as mechadaddy.

As previously reported, the rare acetate dates from a 1966 recording overseen by Andy Warhol and is claimed to be the definitive version of the band's classic debut 'The Velvet Underground & Nico'.

Posted by News desk at 02:33 PM | Permalink

A British company is offering a white Christmas on eBay to raise money for charity.

The winner of the auction will receive a 10-tonne lorry load of snow on Christmas Eve.

The offer also includes a decorated Christmas tree, a front door wreath and Christmas lights, reports the Mirror.

The SNO!zone company, which runs three indoor ski slopes, is behind the auction.

It promises to deliver the snow in refrigerated trucks to any property in England and Wales with reasonable access and enough outdoor space.

It will be placed outside the buyer's home by "trained staff", the eBay listing says.

The eBay listing warns: "There is no guarantee attached to how long the snow will last and there is no provision for the snow to be removed."

Proceeds from the auction will go to the NSPCC children's charity.

Source: Ananova

Posted by News desk at 02:30 PM | Permalink

Looks like some eBay merchants with excellent ‘Power Seller’ ratings are either deciding to go out of business in spectacular fashion, or are having their accounts hacked. Either way, you need to be careful.

With all of the benefits that ecommerce and online auctions bring to the world, there are problems to watch out for too, both for buyers and sellers.

Having a ‘Power Seller’ rating with an excellent 95%+ score are usually good signs that you’re a seller of products on eBay with integrity, and that you’ll be effectively assured of a good experience.

But a story on Digg talks of an Ebay seller that has ruined Christmas for some with the story linking to a disturbing page on eBay.

No-one seems to be sure whether or not this particular seller decided to sell out and rip everyone off, or if the account was hacked by a scammer.

The old rule of Caveat Emptor (buyer beware) applies. Even if someone with a stunningly good rating is offering something at an amazing discount, you need to be careful. eBay account have been hacked before, and they’ll be hacked again in the future. Phishers with their phishing attacks are but one way the hackers are trying to get into all of our lives - buyers and sellers.

I’m not saying not to use eBay – it’s a fantastic service that has helped millions buy and sell products all over the globe. But at especially in the holiday season, you need to be doubly careful that you don’t end up the victim of a Grinch that tries to steal your Christmas!

Posted by News Desk at 10:57 AM | Permalink

Myleene Klass's bikini, which featured prominently in popular TV show I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, has fetched £7,000 on eBay.

Klass auctioned the swimwear to raise money for people affected by the collapse of Christmas savings scheme Farepak earlier in the year.

At the time of the auction, Klass told The Sun: "I'm coming home to a great Christmas with my family and I know others might miss out because of what's happened at Farepak.

"I don't know how much the bikini will raise. In fact, I didn't know it had become the focus of so much attention, but I just wanted to do my bit and hope it helps."

The auction entry features a picture of Klass showering in the white bikini in the Australian jungle and lists its condition as "used".

The collapse of Farepack is believed to have affected over 150,000 people who lost £45m in savings when the company folded.

Source: IT Week

Posted by News desk at 02:41 PM | Permalink

A young man has been locked-up for six months for selling non-existent tickets to online music fans.

Adam Cuthbertson, 21, of Penarth Road, Cardiff, was caught out when police arrived at his home following complaints from shoppers over the tickets sold on auction site eBay.

He had been banned from the site, but changed his user name each time he entered it to take money for shows by artists like Bon Jovi and George Michael.

Prosecutor Byron Broadstock told Newport Crown Court that Cuthbertson initially claimed he was a victim himself and had been helping a friend.

He refunded his victims and offered them £50 compensation – but pleaded with them not to pursue complaints with police.

Posted by News Desk at 10:27 AM | Permalink

Traders who plan to use eBay to sell goods this Christmas have been warned to register with HM Revenue & Customs before doing so, or face a £100 fine.

Enquiries by UHY Hacker Young to HMRC have confirmed that any income from trading online, irrespective of the size of the sum, will require a notification of self-employment, even if the trader falls below the income tax threshold.

HMRC will be able to issue a £100 fine if casual traders fail to register. For individuals who are already taxpayers, or who generate profits that exceed the personal allowance, then liability may arise to income tax and national insurance.

'You are allowed to sell personal possessions online without notifying HMRC, but if goods are purchased with the intention of selling them at a profit, you are trading and you must register and possibly file a tax return,' said UHY Hacker Young partner Derek Levy.

Posted by News Desk at 10:43 AM | Permalink

Sellers using eBay listing tools were unable to list items for a few hours this morning. eBay reports that subscribers of some listing tools "may have been unable to access their accounts." While eBay said the issue lasted from 0114 PT to 0555 PT, subscribers posting on message boards did not seem to get access until 7:30 Pacific time.

The tools affected included eBay Selling Manager, Selling Manager Pro, Seller Assistant and Seller Assistant Pro. eBay updated its message at 1 pm to state:

"Most members who use subscription products have been restored. We're aware that a few members may not have access to their subscription tool, or they may have access to a different version of the tool than the one to which they subscribe. (For instance, they can access Selling Manager Pro, but they are subscribed to Selling Manager.) We are working to resolve these issues, and we appreciate your patience. A small number of others may find they have been subscribed to a tool they do not use. Note:While we are resolving these issues, please do not subscribe or unsubscribe to an eBay product."

Unfortunately some subscribers did re-register for the tools and lost templates and data. Whether the loss is temporary or permanent has not yet been determined by AuctionBytes.

Some sellers affected are wondering why eBay did something to jeopardize the stability of its listing tools during the prime holiday shopping season.

Posted by News Desk at 01:40 PM | Permalink

An artificial Christmas tree which belonged to Pink Floyd songwriter Syd Barrett is being offered on internet auction site eBay - less than 24 hours after fetching £800 in a sale of the star's possessions.

Users of the website have until December 4 to bid for the tree, which was removed from the back bedroom of Syd's house in Cambridge after he died of cancer aged 60 in July.

Visitors were told by the seller: "Today is the 30th November, I was the winning bidder for Syds (sic) Christmas tree, anyone with serious offers please contact me."

The seller did not give a name but said the tree was in Reading, Berkshire.

Syd quit Pink Floyd in 1968 after suffering a breakdown and spent most of the rest of his life as a recluse in Cambridge.

Auctioneers raised nearly £120,000 when selling 77 items taken from Syd's home at a sale in Cambridge on Wednesday.

Ten of Syd's paintings fetched more than £55,000 in total. One - called Still Life with Lemons and Green Bottles on a Shelf and thought to be Syd's last piece of creative work - sold for £9,500. He had initialled the mount and written the date "Jan 06".

Syd's two bicycles - one red and one green - fetched more than £10,000 in total.

A homemade wooden breadbin, which was found with wooden clothes pegs inside, sold for £1,400.

Posted by News Desk at 09:28 AM | Permalink