eBay News & Announcements
This week eBay made a few system improvements and also offers up enhancements for store sellers who use e-mail marketing. New system changes include a faster refresh on item pages. When auction-style listings are down to the last 15 minutes, buyers will see a new refresh link that updates only the top portion of the listing where the current high bid and time remaining information is located. In addition, the "Watch this item" link located to the right of the auction information is now a "button" and will be shown in the center of the item page.

In other eBay developments, sellers can now use the e-mail marketing tool to tell customers about new products and to build customer relations. Some of the new improvements include a faster e-mail marketing campaign set-up, new templates to showcase items and the ability for sellers to design their own templates. Sellers can also personalize content in e-mails and automate delivery of marketing e-mail. Finally, eBay increased the number of people sellers may e-mail to 5,000 for for each eBay Store subscription level.

Third Party eBay Services & E-commerce Tools Round-Up
A recent Google Base blog update mentions a new look for Google Base. The Google Base Web page once again hosts a search query box and when you view some results you can sort it in a table or a grid. The user interface is a bit cleaner and, according to the blog update, it is also faster. Another new feature includes options for users to provide ratings and reviews.

Google Base: Grid and Attribute Aid Added. (Click for larger image.)

For those submitting listings to Google Base, a new Attribute Recommender is included in the latest update. The Recommender helps you avoid creating custom attributes in cases where pre-defined, more commonly used attributes already exist. It also encourages standardization across attributes that are included in Google Base, making items easier for searchers to find.

Monster has announced that PayPal is now an available payment method on the Monster.com e-commerce site. The addition of PayPal enables merchants to use the funds already stored in their PayPal accounts to help staff their businesses when using Monster's recruiting services.

Eye on The Little Guy: Don't Let Feedback Fool You
While millions of dollars of transactions transpire every day on eBay without a hitch, unfortunately, there are still scammers on both sides of the virtual auction gavel, as evidenced by the latest case generating some buzz among listers and buyers. An ex-eBay seller who went by the username of dorumotorul scrooged some bidders. Even with a 99.9 percent positive rating of over 1,400 (over a 12-month period), this seller, over the month of November, still managed to con bidders out of more than $2,900. One buyer purchased an Xbox system for $425 on Nov. 12th and in the feedback comment they stated, "Ripped off for $425.00, No response, Claim Filed, 1/3 of Christmas budget gone!"

Sadly enough, it happens, proving that sometimes having a good feedback rating isn't enough to keep buyers confident about your ethics. And, because you never know when a bilker is going to strike, prompting lots of attention and causing bidders to be wary all over again, it's always a good idea to prominently display buyer protection policies at your store.

In this latest case many of the buyers who were purchasing Christmas gifts ended up with nothing. According to the comments being left, the seller's phone has been disconnected and the jilted buyers can't make contact. More than 30 people on eBay have been affected by the actions of this one seller alone.

One buyer, donmcgregor, who paid for an unsent item from this buyer, filed fraud reports with both PayPal and his own credit card company. He also offered to testify against the user at his own cost, should he be found and charged.

Bidders who don't take any protective steps before placing a bid will have a difficult time getting their money refunded. In many instances, however, some part or all of a purchase, depending on the purchase amount, could be covered through protection plans. eBay offers a Standard Purchase Protection Program that will reimburse a buyer who meets the requirements, if an item was not received or it was significantly not as described. Through this a buyer can be reimbursed up to a maximum of $200 (minus a $25 processing fee; only items of $25 or more are eligible).

The PayPal Buyer Protection plan is Similar, but can only be used when an eBay purchase was made using PayPal. Buyers may receive coverage up to $1,000. Sellers should be sure to include the PayPal logo in the "Buy Safely" section of their listing so shoppers know the coverage is available.

Research Says
According to electronic payment company CyberSource Corporation, most online shopping happens during the workday hours. Between Dec. 3 and Dec. 9, CyberSource says that peak shopping hours online were 1 p.m. Pacific time, 4 p.m. Eastern. Despite the increasing number of homes with broadband Internet access, the highest volume online shopping days are Mondays and Tuesdays with the weekend days of Saturday and Sunday typically showing lowest volumes.

Only on eBay...
This week the current owners of the residential house located at "2156 N. Tripp" put the home up for sale on eBay. There are countless homes for sale on eBay, but this one just happens to be Walt Disney's birthplace in Chicago's Hermosa Park. Built in 1892, this four-bedroom house is listed with an opening bid of $250,000 but shows the reserve has not been met. According to industry reports, the owners purchased the home in 2002 for $190,000 and have been renting it since. Disney's childhood home is a 30-day auction that ends on Jan. 6.

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