phpAuction Releases XL Premium Version 4.0
PhpAuction is a software solution for those looking to create their own online auction site and has recently been upgraded to Version 4.0. According to the company, this upgrade includes security improvements, a new design for the front and backend and an easier installation process.

PhpAuction XL Premium lets multiple industries create niche auction sites to cater to different markets. This is done through the admin interface by creating custom fields for your auctions on a category basis. The software lets you list items in fixed-price and auction format, as well as in "buy now" or "adult only" categories. Site owners can also set a variety of seller fee options, such as final value fees, set-up fees, and others. They can also choose three different ways to collect fees from sellers including pay, prepay and invoicing. phpAuction Releases XL Premium also includes a Web store module.

The encrypted versions of XL Premium are $445 for user installed and $525 for an installed version, while non-encrypted versions cost $1,113 and $1,213 respectively. For the month of November two design templates are given free with purchase. For those interested in the auction site software platform, examples of phpAuction in use can be seen on Grrabit.com and SalvageAutosAuction.com.

Auctiva's BuyShield Widget
This week auction tool provider Auctiva announced BuyShield, a new product warranty seller stamp that tells potential customers who browse your products that you are a trustworthy and credible seller. 

The BuyShield service, which Auctiva says will be available in a couple of weeks, is a warranty quote widget that is discreetly placed at the bottom of your listings. With a single click, the widget expands to reveal the price of a warranty for the item in the listing, so your customers do not leave your listing to get the quote.

The company said that the warranty widget will automatically be added to listings where it is logical to offer a warranty, such as electronics, computers and tools. Additionally, Auctiva will pay sellers 10 percent of the profits for all warranty sales generated by your widget.

bidCal Lets You Monitor eBay Activity
BidCal is a free online tool that eBay buyers can use to monitor upcoming auctions from inside their calendars, including Microsoft Outlook, Apple iCal and Google Calendar. Avid buyers looking for good deals can set alerts to be delivered via their calendar.

The bidCal Calendar tool allows you to build a filter of items you are interested in and it then feeds all relevant items that match this filter right into your calendar. Any item that is matched against your filter criteria will be visible in your calendar, giving buyers a near real-time stream of the current bid price, displayed as an 'event' at the precise time the auction ends.

Hot Products and Trends For Holiday 2008 Selling
As the holiday buying rush approaches, the biggest question for sellers is "What should I be selling?" To help you figure out what to stock your store with this holiday season, here is a roundup of top eBay toys and hot holiday retail trends.

eBay Survey Reveals Holiday Toy Favorites
Sellers looking to cash in on eBay Christmas sales can look to a new eBay holiday survey to help them decide what toys they should consider listing. The survey, commissioned by eBay and conducted by the Opinion Research Corporation, found that board games such as Monopoly and checkers top the list of all-time favorite holiday toys, actually beating out video games. Here are some additional fun survey results that just might help you get your eBay store stocked for the holidays:

• Monopoly is the all time favorite toy reported by survey respondents. This iconic board game, widely popular today, beat every other toy or game.
• One in four respondents said that Barbie, the original material girl and constant re-inventor, is their favorite doll.
• Although the Wii is tiny, it packs a lot of punch. The console is tied with PlayStation. Other popular systems were Nintendo NES and Atari.
• Even without super powers, G.I. Joe tramples his competition. Superman's super powers only launched him into second place.
• Christopher Robin is not the only one who treasures Winnie the Pooh; Pooh Bear was the front-runner in the fictional character category. Curious George, the mischievous monkey, was the next most popular protagonist.
• LeapFrog Tag Reading System is the top educational toy, followed by Speak & Spell.
• Everyone loves to cozy up with something soft, and with whom do we most like to snuggle? Beanie Babies and Care Bears are the favorite cuddle creatures.
• Who remembers Monchhichis? These morphed monkeys were tied with Webkinz as the least favorite toy reported by survey respondents.

NPD Group Says Toys Second to Apparel
Market research company, The NPD Group, Inc., recently released its Holiday 2008 Survey results. According to the survey, a whopping 26 percent of consumers indicated that they plan to spend less this year, leading Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst, to predict flat to declining sales for the holiday season. Still, even if we see a decline, consumers will still be buying gifts this holiday season. The NPD Group research says that apparel will be the most often gifted item, followed by toys. Here are the top five items consumers plan to buy as a gift, according to the NPD Holiday 2008 Survey results:

• Apparel — 49 percent
• Toys — percent
• Movies — (VHS, DVD) 29 percent
• Books — 27 percent
• Electronics (TVs, Home Theater Systems/DVD Players/Recorders, Home Audio Products, Satellite Radio, GPS Systems, Cell Phones, Desktop/Laptop Computers, Computer Peripherals, Digital & Video Cameras, MP3 Players) — 23 percent.

Top 25 Hottest Retail products
The Retail and Consumer Products practice offers a weekly look at the Top 25 Hottest Retail Products. The weekly list is compiled using the most viewed products across six leading e-commerce sites including Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, CircuitCity.com, Target.com, Toysrus.com and Walmart.com. Unlike eBay's hot products list, which puts video games behind more traditional toys, this top trends list shows video games are going strong.  Here are the top 10 most-searched products from the Top 25 Hottest Retail Products list:

• Nintendo Wii
• Guitar Hero: World Tour
• Wii Fit
• Nintendo DS Lite
• iPod Nano
• iPod Touch
• Xbox 360
• Playstation 3
• Tinkerbell (DVD)
• Garmin GPS