We use MapBuilder.net, which utilizes the Google Maps API, to plot an overview history of recent customer sales and shipment locations. It's been awhile since we last updated the map, but we did that yesterday, October 23rd. The advantage of using such a map is to distinctly highlight the expansive global shipping reach of your business.

Without getting into a technical discussion (that can be had on both respective websites), we want to show an example of what's possible for the benefit of those who think it might help record-keeping (even if only for trivia purposes). Since it is free to use, this approach completely avoids the ridiculous fee structure charged by services such as MyStoreMaps.

The map we have created is located here. Check it out ...

Regards, BEYOND THE TREELINE
our eBay Store // learn more about us // subscribe to blog // earn cash back

To increase market reach, and for the convienience of visiting buyers, we've now enabled social bookmarking on listings via AddThis.



Bookmarking access is now available for:
Del.icio.us, Google Bookmarks, Digg, Furl, Reddit, Newsvine, My Favorites, Yahoo MyWeb, StumbleUpon, Technorati, Ask, Live Bookmarks, Simpy, Blogmarks, RawSugar, Netscape, BlinkList, Shadows, Backflip, Wink, Spurl, LinkaGoGo, Mister Wong, Feed Me Links, Netvouz, Magnolia, Diigo, Blue Dot, Segnalo, Tailrank

Since eBay does not enable JavaScript in the form of window.open, the result is that each page will not be a dynamic bookmark, but will be a static one. It would be nice if either eBay broadened user access to window.open to allow for dynamic linking, or otherwise got with the program and insitituted a social bookmarking feature of its own on every page of the site. It seems to us that eBay is still the square-at-the-party and simply doesn't understand the power of viral marketing via contemporary communities, or, more likely, continues to revel in its own paranoia of "off-sited-ness". (We've always considered this approach to be "the Anti-Web"). By ignoring social bookmarking, eBay is missing an excellent opportunity to grow both pervasiveness of their brand, as well as missing the chance to bring some excitement back to the table for its users. Trends such as these are often few and far between, and they don't last forever, so hopefully, they'll catch up before its too late.

Regards, BEYOND THE TREELINE -- our eBay Store // learn more about us // subscribe to blog // earn cash back

A "feed" is a summary of Web content that is updated on a regular basis. It is a way for users to keep informed of a Web site's latest changes. By using an RSS reader (aka aggregator), integrated directly into some Web browsers, you can "subscribe" and view a variety of feeds that will include headlines, summaries and links to full page content. If your browser does not support RSS, there are many free and commercial RSS readers available.

RSS feeds, which stand for Really Simple Syndication, are an alternative way to get your daily dose of web content. For example, this blog is also distributed via RSS, as are our new item listings. Technically, one could keep in touch with our footprint on eBay without even visiting eBay on a regular basis (the feed would do that for them). Feeds help eBay make content more accessible, and they allow you to easily see new content. Of course, RSS is a summary format, so getting the "full effect" is less likely than with an actual visit.

Regards, BEYOND THE TREELINE -- our eBay Store // learn more about us // subscribe to blog // earn cash back

Since we're a buySAFE bonded merchant, it would be useful if we could take a second to help other users unfamiliuar with the service learn more about it.

The paramount concern for online shoppers is trust. We go well beyond the standard consumer protections, and we bond all purchases with buySAFE. The name practically says it all. In today's market, can you afford to trust other sellers that do not strive to protect you?

We are amongst a select group of sellers that have passed a rigorous and comprehensive business evaluation from buySAFE, which verifies our identity, business reputation, sales experience, and financial stability. The buySAFE seal indicates transactions are financially protected up to $25,000 by buySAFE and its Surety Bond partners.

We purchase surety bonds on our customers behalf for their protection. Our partnership with buySAFE enables customers, such as yourself, to begin a relationship with us on the tenets of assured trust and safety. Best of all, as a buyer, there is no additional cost to you!

Regards, BEYOND THE TREELINE -- our eBay Store // learn more about us // subscribe to blog // earn cash back

BigCrumbs, the affiliate shopping referral service that pays out for online shopping loyalty, including here on eBay, had its payday to us on Tuesday, January 16 (in excess of $50). BigCrumbs is a great example of how both businesses and individuals can earn additional monies without even lifting a finger. The online shopping affinity rewards program does what it says it does -- pays you a commission, not just for your own shopping, but also, the shopping done by your friends and family. This is great news for eBay sellers and buyers alike (for sellers, the buyer rewards will drive customers). The idea is above and beyond that of other shopping rewards programs, and the earnings outpace other such programs that are are not generationally referral-dependent (such as eBates).

Learn more about BigCrumbs -- our referral ID is: beyondthetreeline

Regards, BEYOND THE TREELINE -- our eBay Store // learn more about us // subscribe to blog // earn cash back

Just when you think you've had it worst, go off the grid. Media detox. Tech detox. Political detox. Take a vacation. Two, maybe three weeks and you'll come back better than ever. Do it and learn that its a repeatable neccessity. Can't do that, you say? Then its time to re-evaluate what you're doing, who're you're doing it for, and why you're doing it. If you don't have the means to take time to charge your batteries, you don't really have time to live your life now do you?

Regards, BEYOND THE TREELINE -- our eBay Store // learn more about us // subscribe to blog // earn cash back

We recently decided to plot our shipments for 2006 on a world map. This has two benefits -- one, to emphasize to our over-the-border international eBay customers that we really do ship worldwide, and two, to help us identify under-served market regions.

We looked at pay-for-service versions of this solution, such as MyStoreMaps, but honestly, other than real-time updating, its not clear what the advantages of paying annual premiums are. (Their fees are not too bad, however ... why pay for what can be built for free?) To be fair, we didn't look at all that many solutions, and we didn't spend too much time doing it. When you find something that will do the trick just fine, why keep looking?

In our pilot project, which uses MapBuilder and Google Maps API, we decided to construct an interactive map with 2006 shipping data only (we'll determine if we'll go back further, and how far we'll go back, at a later date). We plan on updating the map at the end of every month.

Cobbling together eBay shipment data undoubtedly had some shipments go unlisted on the map, but for the most part, with the exception of US APO and FPO addresses (which are not plottable per se), most have been plotted successfully. Other than the occasional glitch (say, tooltips (mouseovers) not displaying once in a while), we're pretty happy with a product that was quick and fun to develop.

While doing this map, we realized just how greatly eBay's default changes to how international users search, browse and locate items on international eBay websites has had on our international business. (More insight into some of these changes was discussed Aug-24-06, in "eBay unfairly tilts the marketplace to international (non-US) sellers' advantage ..."). Arguably, at our eBay zenith, international sales comprised upwards of 45% of our total shipping volume. That number has progressively fallen, despite greater organic (seller-controlled) visibility than ever. It is evident that the visibility factors that individual sellers do not control (eBay's iron fists) can, and have, adversely affected total global shipping volume, despite the continued weakness of the $ US dollar. To overcome the changes, this simply means that new strategies will be required. No problem here. We prefer challenges. With the pace at which eBay disadvantages its sellers, it doesn't look like we'll be bored from developing solutions any time soon.

The alternative, which also explains the disparity from previous years, and which has already been explored and implemented, is moving sales off the platform altogether. The world is bigger than just one backyard ... It didn't have to be, but ... oh well ...

Regards, BEYOND THE TREELINE -- our eBay Store // learn more about us // subscribe to blog // earn cash back

eBay is a global marketplace. However ...

The following is the list of countries when "Worldwide" is selected from the eBay shipping options section.

Country Quantity = 224

Show all available Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Republic Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Islands Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia, Republic of Cuba, Republic of Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia Gabon Republic Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, North Korea, South Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Helena Saint Kitts-Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines San Marino Saudi Arabia Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican City State Venezuela Vietnam Virgin Islands (U.S.) Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Western Samoa Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe

The following is the list of countries when "Asia" is deselected from the eBay shipping options section.

In order to "de-select" Asia, "Worldwide" must not be checked.

As a result, all regions (Americas, Canada, Mexico, Europe, UK, Germany, Australia, Japan) must be selected (with the exception of Asia) in order to ship globally.

However, look at what happens to the number of country options; it decreases significantly (by a count of -(122)). In fact, entire continents vanish, including those that have lesser or no relation Asian continent. Other notable omissions include New Zealand, the Russian Federation, South Korea, Singapore, India, and the Middle East (including Israel).

The total number of countries ommitted by de-selecting "Asia"? 122.

Country Quantity = 102

Show all available Albania Andorra Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Aruba Australia Austria Bahamas Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Bermuda Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Brazil British Virgin Islands Bulgaria Canada Cayman Islands Chile Colombia Costa Rica Croatia, Republic of Cuba, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador El Salvador Estonia Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Finland France French Guiana Germany Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guatemala Guyana Haiti Honduras Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Jamaica Japan Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Malta Martinique Mexico Moldova Monaco Montserrat Netherlands Netherlands Antilles Nicaragua Norway Panama Paraguay Peru Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Romania Saint Kitts-Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines San Marino Slovakia Slovenia Spain Suriname Sweden Switzerland Trinidad and Tobago Turks and Caicos Islands Ukraine United Kingdom United States Uruguay Vatican City State Venezuela Virgin Islands (U.S.)

Regards, BEYOND THE TREELINE -- our eBay Store // learn more about us // subscribe to blog // earn cash back

{pat on the back} Horray! Still seems like yesterday (November 1999) that we ventured on this remarkable little site as a buyer. First purchase? A Soloflex muscle machine (exercise equipment system). Doubles as an excellent plant hanger. :)

Final price: $795.00
Auction ended at: Nov-14-99

Shortly after beginning our experience as a buyer, we saw the potential for eBay from the other perspective (as a seller). There has been no turning back since. {confetti, confetti}

Regards, BEYOND THE TREELINE -- our eBay Store // learn more about us // subscribe to blog // earn cashback

How cool! 10,000 feedback left.

We always make an effort to leave feedback, however we don't chastize those that don't (we just wish they would; the feedback system is devoid of value if it is not used). Although there were instances in which we chose not to leave feedback, this represents a milestone. It also means that approximately 27 percent of customers did not reciprocate feedback (as of this writing, we're approaching the mid-7000's in total feedback received). On the whole, that's actually a better percentage than most receive (which is down around 40 percent left without a reply, if we recall correctly).

This got us to do some thinking ... perhaps eBay needs a star system for both sides of feedback? It would be interesting to see in iconic form who reciprocates on a regular basis and who does not.

Regards, BEYOND THE TREELINE -- our eBay Store // learn more about us // subscribe to blog // earn cashback