Copyright 2008. Miranda Lambert. All lyrics are property and copyright of their owners. All lyrics provided for educational purposes only.

PayPal Looks At Why Consumers Abandon Online Purchases...

A survey conducted by PayPal and comScore revealed that unexpectedly high shipping fees are the number one reason consumers abandon online purchases. The study also found that many consumers abandon their purchases for payment-related reasons and due to online comparison shopping behavior. More than one in four indicated that they wanted to compare items at online and offline stores before making a purchase. However, more than one-third who abandon at checkout said they returned to the merchant's Web site at a later time to complete the transaction.

A summary of the survey's findings included:

• 43 percent of consumers didn't pay for items in their shopping carts because shipping charges were too high
• 36 percent of purchasers didn't pay for items because they felt the total cost of the purchase was more expensive than anticipated
• 27 percent of shoppers didn't pay for items because they wanted to comparison shop at other Web sites before making a purchase
• 16 percent of consumers didn't pay for items because they could not contact customer support to answer questions
• 14 percent of shoppers didn't pay for items because they forgot their usernames and passwords for their store accounts created with the merchants

The PayPal survey was conducted by comScore from March 25 to April 18, 2008. It surveyed online shoppers in the US who had recently abandoned the checkout flow on either a large or small merchant website. All respondents were asked about their most recent abandoned sessions.

Auctionbytes-NewsFlash, Number 1801 - May 30, 2008 - ISSN 1539-5065

Get In On These Superb Money Saving
Deals, Before They Are Gone!...

**Special: Jerky Penny Auctions**

**Click The Banner & Earn $Money$ For All Of Your eBay Purchases!**

Earn Money For Your eBay Purchases!

Keeping Up With Kim Kardashian's, Charity eBay Auction...

Is this how celebrity Kim Kardashian keeps up her luxurious lifestyle - by buying and selling on eBay? No stranger to the site (her feedback rating is over 1000), the reality tv star of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" on the "E!" network is running a charity auction starting Thursday, May 29, and running for 10 days, managed by Auction Cause. You can view the auction items here. A percentage of the proceeds go to the Dream Foundation, an organization that grants wishes to terminally ill adults.

I caught up briefly with Kim, who was on her Blackberry between takes of a movie she's shooting in Louisiana, to find out more about what she was selling and how she got into eBay and her charitable cause.

Kim: I am so excited about this auction because it is different than any other eBay auctions I have done before! When "Keeping up with the Kardashians" is airing, we receive so many phone calls regarding our wardrobe and now it's all available for everyone to purchase! There will be everything from my Herve Leger dresses, to Chanel purses, and Jimmy Choo boots!

All the fabulous stuff I have been photographed in! My sisters and brother's girlfriend, Adrienne Bailon from the Cheetah girls, are selling stuff too! The auction starts this Thursday night and will run for 10 days! The best part is a percentage of the proceeds to go the Dream Foundation, which grants wishes to terminally ill adults.

Kim: I have been both buying and selling for over six years now! I started off buying on eBay. I would find the most amazing stuff that I simply could find at any store!

I then realized I had accumulated so much stuff over the years that was just too expensive to give away, so started selling on eBay! I put myself on a budget! I couldn't buy another thing unless I sold something first!

Kim: The first thing I sold on eBay was my old Prada backpack! I hadn't used it in years!!! The first thing I bought was a Louis Vuitton bag - it was super cheap and fake! I had to learn the hard way, but now I'm a pro! I can definitely tell the difference! Also eBay has cracked down extremely hard now to ensure they don't sell fakes!

Kim: My mom and my stepdad Bruce are on the board of the Dream Foundation! It's close to my heart because my father passed away as an adult and I wish I had the opportunity to grant him his last wish!

Kim: There are so many fabulous items I am selling on eBay! I would have to say my favorites are my Herve Leger dresses. I must be selling about 15 of them! I have worn them to so many different events! This one burgundy one I wore in the "Keeping up with the Kardashians" opening credits!

Kim: I usually sell clothes, bags and shoes! I like to buy super-trendy items but once people start knocking them off, then I know it's time to sell it!

My favorite deal that got me hooked on eBay was a few years back. I was working for my dad in his office and I saw Jennifer Lopez wearing these Manolo Blahnik Timberland boots! The Manolo store was selling them for $700. I asked my dad to lend me the money to buy 5 pairs just to sell on eBay because I knew I would make more money than I purchased them for because they were so hard to get!

He thought I was crazy but agreed! I had a connection at the Manolo store, so I was able to snag five pairs! I put them up on eBay and each of them sold for a little under $3000 a pair!!! That was the best eBay sale!

I also sold Bruce's Harley Davidson on EBay!

Visit Kim Kardashian's About Me page on eBay.

Mysterious ACCC Filing, Has eBay Sellers Playing Detective...

eBay sellers are playing a game of "whodunit" today over a new submission to the Australia Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) regarding eBay's PayPal-only policy slated to go into effect next month. The ACCC withheld the name of the entity filing the detailed 38-page submission, leading to speculation over possible suspects.

Who might complain against eBay's policy? We've already seen sellers, banks, competitors and other organizations such as the EFF file submissions - and their names were not withheld.

Whom would the Australian government allow to post but not make public their name? Some users have speculated that it could be Google, whose Checkout payment system was rebuked by eBay. But the ACCC did not withhold PayMate's name from its filing, so why would it withhold Google's name?

Others have guessed an Australian auction site or ecommerce platform, but again, the ACCC would not likely protect them by withholding their name in the filing.

One clue might be in the paragraph on eBay's third-party checkout system. It jumps out as being written by someone who has experience dealing with eBay's platform. An auction-management service, perhaps? Possibly an eBay partner - someone who might fear retribution from eBay and/or PayPal if it was known they filed the complaint?

That would make sense on another level - in no other submission has there been such level of detail and knowledge of eBay's inner workings. It also looks like a lot of money and time went into this filing, it would have to be someone who could afford lawyers.

I won't name names myself, but there are some obvious contenders. Of course, this is pure speculation - but feel free to post your theories here as to who this mysterious entity might be and why they would wish to remain anonymous.

Suspect: Someone who relies on eBay/PayPal's goodwill to operate its business, who either has deep pockets or has allies with deep pockets, and who has a vested interest in allowing sellers to continue offering the online payment services of their choice using their own checkout system.

Source: www.auctionbytes.com  

Oops! Google Outed In Objection To eBay Oz Policy...

eBay users were buzzing over who had submitted the anonymous filing to the Australian regulatory agency that is reviewing eBay's proposed PayPal-only policy. The 38-page submission argued eBay should not be allowed to exclude competing payment methods. However, AuctionBytes reader David Bromage revealed a method that shows the PDF file submission appears to have been created from a Word document titled, "ACCC Submission by Google re eBay Public 2.DOC," indicating the filer was likely Google. (The submission disappeared from the ACCC site on Wednesday evening, presumably so they could edit out the identifying information.)

eBay prohibits sellers from accepting Google's Checkout service as part of its Safe Payments policy, and apparently Google is concerned a move toward a PayPal-only policy in Australia would impact its market share.

The anonymous ACCC submission reads in part:

"eBay's real purpose, or one of eBay's substantial purposes, is to substantially lessen competition in the Market for Online Payment Processing Services, by preventing or hindering competitors of PayPal from competing effectively against PayPal in that market. eBay and PayPal are related bodies corporate. eBay is acting to increase PayPal's share of the Market for Online Payment Processing Services, thereby increasing the revenues to the eBay group as a whole"

The submission also called the public benefits of the PayPal-only policy "illusory."

It was one year ago in June that tensions between the two companies became public. eBay cried foul when Google planned a "Boston Tea Party" event coinciding with its eBay Live user conference. Google invited eBay sellers to celebrate user choice, but canceled the party after eBay protested. eBay retaliated by pulling its Google AdWords campaign in what it called a planned test.

eBay management was apparently so upset with Google over the planned protest party that it ejected an attendee from its closing conference Gala who was wearing a Google Tshirt.

The Australian agency has said it would rule on eBay's policy in mid-June, before it is scheduled to go into effect.

Auctionbytes-NewsFlash, Number 1800 - May 29, 2008 - ISSN 1539-5065

Gathering Intelligence
Different Ways Of Knowing

We human beings have many ways of knowing what we need to know in order to get through our lives. One way of knowing things is to engage in a course of study in an academic environment. Another way of knowing things is simply to go through the experiences that come our way, making a conscious effort to learn from them.

A third way in which people gain knowledge is through the vehicle of intuition, a gift some have more than others, but which can be developed in anyone. No one way of knowing things is better than another way, and they can all be useful at different points in our lives. Most of us naturally gravitate toward one way of knowing over others, and this tends to be clear early in our lives. For the most part, we live in a culture that values a logical, mental approach to knowing things, so those with intuitive gifts may have been shamed, undervalued, or misunderstood in our ways.

Many of us are working our way out of this incorrect value judgment, recognizing that our intuition, far from being wrong or untrustworthy, is a great gift. For those of us who conduct our learning in the thick of our life experiences, we may also have to make an extra effort to remind ourselves that our particular intelligence—often called common sense--while not always officially rewarded, has its own special genius.

Even though, in a given time or place, certain types of intelligence tend to be valued more than others, no way of knowing is inherently better than another. Once we understand this, we can value our own intelligence, as well as the different intelligences of the people we encounter. Sometimes, just understanding that we are coming at the same issue in different ways helps us to avoid an unnecessary conflict.

When we value all ways of knowing equally, we benefit not only from what we have learned, and how we have learned it, but from all the other forms of intelligence we are open to honoring.

What Do You Think?

© 2004-08 DailyOM - All Rights Reserved

And For The Others...

Get In On These Superb Money Saving
Deals, Before They Are Gone!...

**Special Jerky Penny Auction**

**Click The Banner & Earn $Money$ For All Of Your eBay Purchases!**

Earn Money For Your eBay Purchases!

eBay sellers have played an important role in the success of BigCrumbs and we continue to return the love with yet another win-win opportunity for you.

Now you can list your eBay Store on BigCrumbs.com. Your listing will be seen by an active community of eBay buyers who have made millions of dollars in eBay purchases through BigCrumbs in the past year alone.

But, as usual, we take it a step further: your store items will be automatically cataloged in our product database! So, when BigCrumbs members search for products and comparison shop, they'll see your items right alongside those from nationally-branded retailers. They can even add your items to their wish lists!

To Sum It All Up: Of Course, It's a 100% FREE!

We list your eBay store and help you to gain more visibility with a ton of savvy eBay buyers (who are also incentivized by our awesome cash back). As a result, your eBay business becomes more successful.

You continue to refer new members to BigCrumbs, gain more loyalty for helping them save cash, PLUS you earn cash no matter where your referrals decide to shop in the future. After all, no one can corner the market on everything!

You've just expanded your business and gained a powerful hedge. It's just plain smart. BigCrumbs and eBay Sellers: could there be a more perfect partnership?

**Click The Banner & Earn $Money$ For All Of Your eBay Purchases!**

eBay Considering PayPal-Only Policy In US?...

As eBay prepares its response to the opposition of its PayPal-only policy in Australia, it appears the company is also considering a similar policy in the US. eBay must respond by tomorrow to the hundreds of submissions by users, companies and banks that told the Australia Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) they think the policy would be anti-competitive. The ACCC told eBay it would make a ruling in mid-June before the policy is scheduled to start. In the meantime, eBay appears to be gauging seller reaction to such a policy in the US.

A couple of sellers emailed me a question included in a survey they received from eBay outlining scenarios in which eBay would only allow PayPal, or would only allow PayPal and certain other methods of payments. Subsequent follow-up questions were designed to determine what incentives sellers would accept if they were forced into these situations in order to prevent them from ceasing to sell on eBay. Here's an excerpt from the survey:

It's strange that eBay argues that a PayPal-only policy is imperative in Australia but not on other sites - more reason to think this is a test case to learn how to deal with a government regulators before moving on to other countries.

______________________________________________ 

Update 5/23/08: eBay spokesperson Nichola Sharpe contacted me to say the survey was not asking about a PayPal-only policy.

Hmmm, in my initial reading of the sentence, "Sellers would be able to accept any one of the above payment methods, or they could accept all of the above," I took it to mean eBay would either limit sellers to one of those methods, or some combination. Now I see eBay was saying sellers could choose to accept all of those methods or pick one.

Regardless, the survey indicates eBay is moving toward a more restrictive payments policy than its current one, which already excludes competing services such as Google Checkout. Imagine excluding buyers who want to use checks: "Paper forms of payment such as personal checks, cashier's checks and money orders would no longer be allowed," the survey says.

Here is eBay's official reaction to this blog post:

"At eBay and PayPal, we regularly seek input from our customers about potential product and policy changes. We're simply asking customers to interact with/advise us on possible scenarios as we try to make the marketplace safer in various markets. And, as we have firmly stated before, in the US, we are not mulling, planning, or otherwise seriously considering a move to PayPal as the only payment method on eBay.com. There are US market-specific reasons why PayPal-only is something we simply cannot do in the US"

Source: www.autionbytes.com

eBay Slaps Name On Slots, What's Next?...

Warning: Those who are sensitive to satire may want to skip this post.

Scot Wingo blogged yesterday about running into eBay-branded slot machines in Las Vegas. Last November, we wrote that then-CEO Meg Whitman had allowed the licensing of the eBay brand to be used on these one-armed bandits. 

As far as we can tell, the Cleveland Leader broke the story, and it will be comforting to know that eBay' slot machine will be in good company, standing aside such favorites as Star Wars, Indiana Jones and even The Sopranos (ohhhhh!).

We wondered what other licensing deals Meg may have struck before she exited San Jose to become a cheerleader for Mitt Romney and John McCain in their presidential bids. Here are some of the deals that we may not yet know of:

Watch for some of these products at a 7-11 near you. And if you find any other eBay-branded items, send us a picture and if it's suitable, we'll post it here!

Source: www.auctionbytes.com

eBay Pushes PayPal On Users Worldwide...

I noticed the eBay UK website uses a new graphic to promote PayPal on the View Item pages. Currently most sites use a light green background with the text, "Up to $200 in buyer Protection. See eligibility." (The amount depends on each site's policy, in the US, it's $200 for most sellers, and $2,000 for certain PowerSellers who meet criteria for extra protection.)

While eBay is requiring buyers and sellers to use PayPal only in Australia, it's doing all it can to require sellers to accept PayPal in the US, and in my opinion, it's likely it will soon BAN buyers from using "paper forms of payment such as personal checks, cashier's checks and money orders" (see here).

When the DO J allowed eBay to acquire PayPal in 2002, eBay may have assured regulators it would allow other online payment services on its site. However, it's now forcing sellers to accept PayPal (it requires UK users to do so), and it bans many competing services, such as Google Checkout. So while the direction eBay is taking may not violate the letter of any such agreement, it seems to violate the spirit of any such anti-monopoly promise.

uBid To Close eBay Rival Bidville...

After revealing it was looking for a buyer for its C2C auction site in an April 29th AuctionBytes podcast interview, uBid officially announced on Friday it would close Bidville.com in June. According to Friday's press release, the decision was due to uBid.com Holdings' recent strategic change to focus on liquidating excess inventories.

uBid.com Holdings CEO Jeff Hoffman stated in the release, "uBid.com Holdings is now a multi-channel asset recovery solutions provider. Clearly, our expertise is in a business-to-consumer marketplace dealing only in certified supply. We are simply not equipped to run a C-to-C marketplace like Bidville.com."

Hoffman went on to state, "We certainly appreciate everything the Bidville community has contributed. And, of course, if current B-to-C Bidville sellers fit our excess inventory solutions model, we hope they will find uBid.com a viable alternative."

Users will be allowed to bid in open auctions on Bidville until June 13, 2008, when existing auctions must close. No new auctions may be listed as of May 27th, and existing sellers have until June 27th to complete transactions. Prorated refunds will be available to sellers who provide their username, email address, and amount due in an email to refunds@bidville.com

Bidville was founded in 1999.

Auctionbytes-NewsFlash, Number 1797 - May 26, 2008 - ISSN 1539-5065

eBay sellers have played an important role in the success of BigCrumbs and we continue to return the love with yet another win-win opportunity for you.

Now you can list your eBay Store on BigCrumbs.com. Your listing will be seen by an active community of eBay buyers who have made millions of dollars in eBay purchases through BigCrumbs in the past year alone.

But, as usual, we take it a step further: your store items will be automatically cataloged in our product database! So, when BigCrumbs members search for products and comparison shop, they'll see your items right alongside those from nationally-branded retailers. They can even add your items to their wish lists!

To Sum It All Up: Of Course, It's a 100% FREE!

We list your eBay store and help you to gain more visibility with a ton of savvy eBay buyers (who are also incentivized by our awesome cash back). As a result, your eBay business becomes more successful.

You continue to refer new members to BigCrumbs, gain more loyalty for helping them save cash, PLUS you earn cash no matter where your referrals decide to shop in the future. After all, no one can corner the market on everything!

You've just expanded your business and gained a powerful hedge. It's just plain smart. BigCrumbs and eBay Sellers: could there be a more perfect partnership?

**Click The Banner & Earn $Money$ For All Of Your eBay Purchases!**

Parents Post Baby On eBay For 1 Euro...

eBay Sued By Chicago Over Amusement Taxes...

The legal team at eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY) has been working harder than Mystic Tan guy at Angelo Mozilo's favorite salon.

First, Tiffany (NYSE: TIF) sued the company over counterfeit merchandise appearing on the auction site. Then, eBay sued Craigslist, Craigslist sued eBay, and many legal fees were spent by all. Now, eBay and its StubHub subsidiary have attracted the scorn of Chicago, which is suing the company for failing to collect the 8% amusement tax the city charges on ticket sales, including resales. Heaven forbid anyone in Chicago have fun without forking 8% over to the city. eBay says the 8% sales tax doesn't apply to it.

Chicago's city government joins Texas and New York in looking to crack down on e-commerce sites that don't collect sales tax.

It's unclear to me why the 8% amusement tax should apply to the resale of tickets online -- the tax has already been collected on that ticket, hasn't it? But bureaucrats have an infinite number of ways to make money, and that requires an ever-growing pile of money to waste. It'll be a victory for consumers if eBay emerges victorious in this battle.

Source: www.bloggingstocks.com

Dodging & Deflecting
Let It Roll Off Our Back

One of the most difficult challenges in life is learning not to take things to heart and hold on to it. Especially when we’re younger, or if we’re very sensitive, we take so much of what comes our way to heart. This can be overwhelming and unproductive if it throws us off balance on a regular basis.

When we are feeling criticized or attacked from all directions, it becomes very difficult for us to recover ourselves so that we can continue to speak and act our truth. This is when we would do well to remember the old saying about letting certain things roll off us, like water off a duck’s back.

Most of the time, the attacks and criticisms of others have much more to do with them and how they are feeling than with us. If we get caught up in trying to adjust ourselves to other people’s negative energy, we lose touch with our core.

In fact, in a positive light, these slings and arrows offer us the opportunity to strengthen our core sense of self, and to learn to dodge and deflect other people’s misdirected negativity.

The more we do this, the more we are able to discern what belongs to us and what belongs to other people. With practice, we become masters of our energetic integrity, refusing to serve as targets for the disowned anger and frustration of the people around us.

Eventually, we will be able to hear the feedback that others have to offer, taking in anything that might actually be constructive, and releasing that which has nothing to do with us. First, though, we tend ourselves compassionately by recognizing when we can’t take something in from the outside without hurting ourselves. This is when we make like a duck, shaking it off and letting it roll off our back as we continue our way in the world.

What Do You Think?

© 2004-08 DailyOM - All Rights Reserved