Best of eBay launches in Australia
June 30, 2008
On the date of the ACCC meeting to discuss the future of eBay’s PayPal only policy there’s some lighter news. eBay Australia have just announced that “Best of eBay” has been launched along with a competition to win up to AU$5000.
Best of eBay was launched in the US back in November 2007, and allows you to vote for the wierdest and whackiest items you can find on the site.
If you win the competition the prizes totally AU$20,000 will be paid as PayPal credits so if you live in Australia get nominating listings, if you find a weird enough item you just might win.
Blockbuster now accept PayPal in the US
June 25, 2008
Renting a video used to involve a trip to town to the hire shop, but these days it’s more likely to be a quick browse online and have them delivered. Blockbuster in the US have just made this even easier - now you can book online and pay for Blockbuster rentals with PayPal.
Initially users will only be able to use PayPal for rentals, but this will be expanded to include purchase of new or used DVDs and pay for Blockbuster’s movie downloading service, which will be available later this summer.
Blockbuster are also offering a 2 week free trial plus a $10 rebate into your PayPal account when you become an active user.
Microsoft Live Search cash back live on eBay.com
June 14, 2008
Microsoft have revealed more of their Live Seach cashback initiative confirming that all fixed price listings on eBay.com are eligible for a rebate.
When a buyer clicks through from Live Search to eBay and goes on to make a purchase, when they check out they’ll be presented with a screen telling them exactly how much cashback they can expect. Payment for the purchase will have to be via PayPal to qualify.
The cashback offers are now live on eBay.com, but currently Live Search cashback is only available in the US. It marks a departure from Google’s stategy where advertisers pay for exposure, on Microsoft Live Search, merchants can offer cashback direct to the buyer with eBay paying rebates for products on their site.
If Live Search cashback proves popular in the US doubtless it will filter across to the UK in the future. One to keep an eye on and no doubt JD will be announcing it to US sellers at eBay Live! next week.
Aussie PayPal promo as ACCC about to rule
June 7, 2008
eBay Australia have announced a PayPal promotion in the run up to the ACCC ruling and the site migrating to PayPal only for payments.
Every purchase made on eBay.com.au gets the buyer automatic entry into a draw for 4 x $10,000 and 10 x $1,000 credited to the winners PayPal account.
The competition runs from today until the 21st June 2008, and also encourages buyers to open a PayPal account if they don’t already have one. Not a bad move on eBay’s part to make it attractive for buyers to use PayPal, and the publication of the winners in July should go further to making PayPal appear attractive. I’m not so sure some sellers already averse to offering PayPal will see it in quite the same light though.
Google get their dates wrong
June 4, 2008
Christian Yee, Product Marketing Manager for Google Checkout has posted “Checkout summer savings” on the official blog. It promises “over 50 Google Checkout stores will be offering savings of $10 off purchases of $60 or more to Checkout buyers”.
The landing page for the Checkout promotion small print says “Offers available until June 23, 2007“.
Opps, not like Google to get something like that wrong, I’d have thought they’d want to forget June 2007 after last year!
Trial an eBay Store for free (again)
May 2, 2008
eBay.com have just announced that from now until the end of July, first time Stores subscribers will enjoy the first 30 days free of charge. This promotion was first run in March and was deemed such a success that it’s being repeated. The offer is valid for Basic or Premium Stores.
Is it worth opening an eBay Store?
Yes. Even if we see the end of Store Inventory Format (and we haven’t yet), there are lots of good reasons to open an eBay Store:
- Your listings are all in one place, easily linkable and searchable.
- Stronger branding within your listings.
- Marketing tools like email marketing and markdown manager.
- Free telephone support.
So give the trial a go; you have nothing to lose.
eBay.com buyers can win Disney vacations
April 21, 2008
eBay.com are offering US buyers the chance to win a Disney vacation and other Disney prizes, every time they buy on the site. Each month until the end of October, one lucky winner will receive a ‘Dream Come True Disney Vacation’. In addition, for up to two purchases every day, buyers will receive a free Disney gift credit, which they can either redeem immediately or save up for a larger gift later. You need to register to be included in the prize draw, which is sadly limited to US residents only.
Frooition offer for TameBay readers
April 3, 2008
The lovely people at Frooition have a special offer just for TameBay readers: £100 off an eBay Shop and listing template design. All you have to do is give some details on their masterpiece of an enquiry form and a voucher with the discount code will be emailed to you. You need to do this before Friday 18th April 2008, but coupons will be redeemable until Friday 9th May 2008.
And if you missed it the first time round, you can still find out if a Frooition shop design increases sales (hint: yes).
eBay double discounts for month of March
March 20, 2008
eBay have just announced that for the month of March they’ll reward sellers with double the normal discount from their final fees. If you’re DSR’s are higher than 4.6 across all four stars at the end of March you’ll get an extra 20-40% discount.
The offer is open to all business sellers who currently qualifiy for discounts and will be reflected in your May Invoice.
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| Non Powerseller |
eBay say that they’ve been encouraged by the effort sellers are putting in to increase customer satisfaction as reflected in DSRs and wish to support and reward the effort sellers are making. Great news for all those qualifying for discounts 
eBay India waives FVF on laptops PDAs & Mobiles
March 17, 2008
eBay India have announced a promotion for Indian sellers where they will waive final value fees on Mobile phones, PDA and laptops. The promotion will run from the 17th March to the end of April and is based on sales for laptops and increase in sales for PDAs and Mobile phones.
All sellers who achieve sales of Rs 2,00,000 (about £2500) before 30th April will be eligible for the final value fee rebate. Sellers of PDAs and Mobiles will need to achieve turnover increases of between 30% and 50% based on previous sales levels.
It’s a fantastic promotion for technology sellers based in India, I just wish they’d run a similar promotion in the UK.
TameBay discount for eBay templates
March 13, 2008
You may have noticed an advert on TameBay for custom eBay auction templates and shop design from Just Template It (the same company that runs the Pay Per Parcel delivery service). Today they’ve announced a 20% discount on auction templates and shop designs for TameBay readers.
The design work includes the one item eBay sellers often ask about where to source - a high quality logo. There are three different packages on offer from £375 for a custom listing template and logo (Saver), add in an eBay shop front design for £475 (Silver) or the top package which includes flash animation in the design for £675 (Gold).
If you’re looking to update your eBay image with a professionally designed new look check out Just Template It and don’t forget to mention TameBay for a 20% discount.
Recyle for a cycle on eBay Ireland
March 11, 2008
Kicking off on St Patricks Day, the greenest day in the Irish calendar, eBay Ireland are encouraging their users to go green and recyle with the chance to bag a bike (or just a bag).
With the message that most households have some £3000 (€4400) of unwanted possessions cluttering up their house eBay are running a competition between 10th March and 13th April with five bikes and hundreds of eBay.ie shopping bags as prizes.
Items must be listed on eBay.ie and sellers need to register to enter the promotion. It’s not quite clear how eBay will decide which items qualify but they have to be either an unwanted gift, an item no longer needed or an eco-friendly product. eBay retain discretion over which items qualify.
There’s also a fun “How green is your house” quiz, as well as some real life stories of sellers who keep their house clutter free by selling on eBay.
10 things to do before you die
March 4, 2008
Developer contest: $50,000 prize fund
January 18, 2008
eBay are running a contest for developers with up to five $10,000 prizes for the winners. Open to residents of the US, Canada and the UK the aim is to create an eBay widget aimed at getting buyers to eBay.
Widgets are applications that can be embedded into blogs and websites which pull content from another website, in this case eBay. An example is the eBay Wish List widget which allows you to publish items you’d like to have bought for you on eBay.
Eddie from AuctionTrax is entering, he’s already built a number of widgets including one for Facebook users. If you want to try out his current offerings AuctionTrax offers a three month free trial.
I’ll be interested to see what new widgets the contest generates. If you’re a developer and want more people to use your eBay widgets tell us about them or post a link in comments.
ChannelAdvisor Catalyst news and booking
January 16, 2008
Over the last year eBay has ceased to be the only marketplace where sellers are having major wins. Amazon is increasingly important for many sellers and they’ll be presenting at Catalyst. Media sellers should make this a must attend event, Play.com are also on the speaking agenda. (For anyone that doesn’t already know Play.com have opened up their platform for third party sellers.) If you’re selling media this is your opportunity to meet the senior managers from Play.
Talking of meeting, one of the most beneficial aspects of Catayst has always been the chance to network and this year is no exception. On the evening of the 21st ChannelAdvisor are hosting a Thames Dinner Cruise for all conference attendees. If you want to mix with Amazon, Play.com, Google, PayPal, Scot Wingo, CEO of ChannelAdvisor and of course other attendees and the ChannelAdvisor team this is the one time in 2008 that they’ll all be available.
If you’re serious about growing your business on eBay, on other marketplaces and your own website this is the best £79.00 you’ll invest in 2008. If you’re wondering if this is the right conference for you, or if your business is big enough to benefit, the answer is a resounding “Yes”. The conference is to bring online sellers together with senior management from the Marketplace and Payments businesses we trade on. If you thought eBay University was good you’ll love Catalyst!
TameBay triumph in Skypephone comp
December 17, 2007
Two TameBay readers have won Skypephones in the 3mobilebuzz competition winning five Skypephones between them.
Rosie from hopecouture decided to go with eBay Matchups and bagged herself two shiny Skypephones comparing the Skypephone with the iPhone, ASQ, Skype on a PC and expensive mobile phone calls.
Meanwhile Dave went the whole hog and was so keen to win he demonstrated his commitment by pulverising his old phone with a mallet. Upon hearing the news he’s about to receive no fewer than three Skypephones he told me “Both me and my wife need new phones, we can’t wait to get them, I know two people on Skype already”.
Just in case you missed it the first time around here’s Dave and his video entry one more time
3mobilebuzzcomp1
Bling!ing marvelous!
December 14, 2007
I’ve had great fun playing with Bling! It, the software which transforms ordinary product shots into extrodinary images. I thought I was doing quite well and then along came Lynne from Josordoni Collectables with her entry for the Bling! It competition.
Lynne started with a product shot she described as “not bad, certainly good enough for eBay” and finished with a superb product image that wouldn’t look out of place in any manufacturer’s catalogue.
Lynne explained just how
simple it was to use Bling! It to create the new image “The only extras other than stripping out the background and putting my own in and adding the shadow was to use the highlighter tool to add in some extra light to simulate light coming from the “sun” at the top. Shame that makes the shadow the wrong way round, but hey! it’s allowed coz its ART!”
It’s a superb result and shows just how powerful Bling! It is and how anyone can create amazing images for use on eBay or their own website, easily and in seconds. Lynne simply used the sky from a holiday photo to create the new background which has made a fantastic backdrop for the product.
If you want a copy of Bling! It, download a 15 day trial and enter the competition to win one of 20 copies of Bling! It on TameBay. The competition ends on Wednesday and you could be transforming your product shots like Lynne, if you’re one of the winners. If not Bling! It only costs about £30 so it’s an absolute bargain and worth every penny.
You can see the other competition entries in the TameBay Forum.
TameBay competition news
December 10, 2007
Competitions are the name of the game this month, not only are Bling! It and TameBay offering you the chance to win 1 of 20 copies of Bling! It! but 3mobilebuzz is offering the chance to win one, two or even three Skypephones!
Entries are already coming in for the Bling! It competition and you can see some of them in the TameBay forum. I’m particularly impressed with the superb product shot of a trainer which took hopecouture just 45 seconds to create.
However someone has gone one better, Jade has won the “Bling! of the Month” with their entry into the Bling! It competition and has already won a free copy of the Bling! It software. Steve Nelson of Bling! It told us “We feel Jade has truly captured the way in which Bling! It can transform product shots. The finished result looks great!”
Hopecouture are spreading their wings and have also entered the 3mobilebuzz competition with a novel entry. They’re using eBay Matchups comparing the 3 Skypephone to the iPhone, Skype on a PC, expensive Mobile Phone Bills and even using the 3 Skypephone vs emailing an eBay seller.
Meanwhile Dave has been reading TameBay, heard about the 3mobilebuzz competition and submitted a video entry hosted on vzaar. He’s so keen to win he’s even scrapped his old Nokia in the hope of receiving a shiny new Skypephone!
3mobilebuzzcomp1
There’s still time for you to enter both competitions, the 3 Skypephone competition ends on Monday 17th December and the Bling! It competition closes for entries on Wednesday 19th December.
Win a free 3 Skypephone
December 7, 2007
We’ve told you how great the Skypephone is and if you’ve not got one you should have. Now there’s a chance to get one for free: The guys over at 3mobilebuzz are running a little competition - the winner gets three 3 Skypephones, second place gets two and third place gets one.
All you need to do is explain why you want a Skypehone – and it can be done however you want as long as it can be linked to. For example, it could be a blog post, forum thread or simple webpage, a picture or a set on Flickr (3mobilebuzz tried Flickr), a link to a YouTube video (Shouldn’t be hard to beat 3mobilebuzz’s attempts) or even a Facebook group where 100 friends sign up and support the quest for a 3 Skypephone. The more creative the better.
The only rules are: the content needs to be original, tag all your videos 3mobilebuzzcomp1!, and the URL of the site which brought the competition to your attention (that’ll be http://www.tamebay.com) needs to be included on the entry email. The deadline for submissions is midday on Monday 17th December.
Entries must be sent to the hallowed keeper of prizes, enforcer of rules and judge of all, Jack@3mobilebuzz.com. You’ve got until the 17th December to get your entries in.
Competition: You Gotta Bling! It to Win It!
December 3, 2007
Last week we blogged about Bling! It, the revolutionary photo editing software that will have you transforming ordinary product shots into extraordinary ones – and fast!
Today, Bling! It and TameBay have joined forces to offer you the chance to win 1 of 20 copies of Bling! It!
Total competition prize value is $999!!
All you need to enter the competition is download the 15 day trial version of Bling! It, install it on your machine and start Bling!ing your product shots. Entries will be published in the TameBay Forum on the TameBay Flickr stream and on the Bling! It blog and can be linked to your eBay shop or website if you wish. It’s a great opportunity not only to win some fantastic software but also to get traffic to your products.
Competition Objective
To take an ordinary product shot, one you would use on your own eBay shop, and use Bling! It to delete the background and drop in a new one. You can be as creative as you want to be, here’s an example for you:
Comment:
I selected as much of the background as I could with the Red Brush (Delete Local Brush), I then used the Blue Brush (Blend Exact Brush) and painted round the fluffy parts of these barrel cleaners.
Then I selected a background from the Bling! It Library – I could’ve used my own or designed one in Bling! It but this background I thought looked best.
I then Sharpened the image a little – look at the difference between the brass bases! Then I added a little shadowing and lowered the Intensity of the shadow to make it barely visible and saved the file!
Submission Rules
Submissions should be sent to chris@tamebay.com
Each submission to include one “Before Bling!†and one “After Bling!†image, accompanied by a short comment about the Bling! It software
Bling! It and TameBay will pick 20 winners who will each win a full licensed copy of Bling! It (RRP $49.95 plus VAT)
Total value of this competition is $999!
Submission Deadline Wednesday 19th December 2007, 23:59pm GMT
Winners will be announced on Friday 21st December 2007 on TameBay and BlingIt.us and each winner will be emailed their license activation key.
If you already own a copy of Bling! It? You can still enter – if you win give a copy to a friend!
A link back to your website or eBay page will be provided, if requested.
Get Bling!ing!
Download Bling! It to get started and Happy Bling!ing!
PS Challenge returns for north American Powersellers
November 16, 2007
US and Canadian Powersellers have the chance to win up to US$1,500 this Christmas as eBay repeat last year’s Powerseller Challenge. Sellers who enter will be given a personalised sales target: those who beat the target receive up to 1.5% of their sales above the target back, up to a maximum of US$1,500. There are also ten sweepstakes prizes of US$1,500 to be won: so even if you’re taking December off selling (you crazy person!) you could still be a winner.
What’s particularly interesting is that eBay are using the DSRs (”the feedback stars”) to determine eligibility for the prizes: only those with 4.5 or more on all stars, and an average of 4.8 will get the 1.5% credit; anyone below that will only get 1%. From statements made at Live and elsewhere, we expect those stars to be more and more important for sellers over the next year.
Spam your friends, win a sat nav from Tazbar
October 23, 2007
Tazbar are running a promotion until 31st October: get your friends to sign up to the site, and you will be entered into a prize draw to win a Sony Sat Nav. I’ve got to admit, I don’t like these kind of promotions: paying *me* to introduce my friends is creepy: offer my friends a freebie, and it’d feel like I was doing them a favour by telling them about it.
But if you fancy entering, just ask your friends to add your Tazbar ID to the promo code box when they register. As a bonus, if they purchase anything on Tazbar before the 1st November, you’ll get a further three entries into the draw. And you can invite as many of your friends as you think won’t mind.
33% off eBay fees for eBay.com, eBay.ca
October 17, 2007
From 18th October until Bonfire Night on 5th November eBay sellers in the US and Canada benefit from a massive 33% saving on insertion fees for eBay auctions and buy it now listings. If the start price is less than $1 the discount is 50%.
That’s represents a massive saving in the early part of the Christmas sales season and is sure to see sellers reevaluate their mix of core listings vs shop inventory format. I’d love to see a promotion like this in the UK but it’s unlikely to happen. For those that sell to the US it’s well worth listing on eBay.com or eBay.ca to take advantage.
When new is not new?
October 12, 2007
PayPal have announced a new shopping site just in time for Christmas. Their marketing reads “Wouldn’t it be great if there was a single place where you could shop at over a hundred retailers all accepting PayPal? Our new PayPal Offers is that place.”
It’s not new though, it’s just a PayPal branded version of Rewards Online. You still have to remember to log into the site and click through to your preferred shopping destination. The one and only improvement bar the branding is that they’ve scrapped the paltry 12p rebate they previously offered for shopping on eBay and replaced it with a free prize draw entry for £25,000. Now that I wouldn’t mind winning!
What is good is the 17% cashback from Skype, if you’re buying additional Skype services that makes buying through PayPal Offers worthwhile.
eBay Belgium take 8000 users out for the day
October 4, 2007
Last Saturday more than 8.000 Belgian eBay users were invited together with their family to come to the Walibi amusement park, close to Brussels. Despite the rainy weather, it was a great day, with lots of fun. The Belgian eBay team had invited its most active and passionate buyers and sellers. The idea behind the project was to say “thank you” to their users for their passion and loyalty.
