eBay Smart Start Class Notes

Presented by: Bob Willey - Bob's Neat Stuff

There were a few links that we discussed today, and I wanted to include them in an e-mail:

http://pages.ebay.com/sellercentral/bestpractices.html?ssPageName=CMDV:IC0606 Best Ebay Practices

http://pages.ebay.com/advancedsellingguide/advancedsellingguide.pdf Advanced Selling Guide (a lot of good info 14pg)

Notes:
**If you ever go to do research on eBay for pricing, ALWAYS go to COMPLETED ITEMS, never use the active items, since the active items have not closed yet. Closed items will give you realized prices (better than reference books)
**NEVER respond to an e-mail that looks like it is from eBay or PayPal requesting account information, passwords or credit cards. Ebay nor PayPal ever request this type of information in e-mail. Some of these "Spoof" e-mail look very convincing, and it is a way for scam artists to steal your account info. If you think you have gotten one of these and responded by accident by going to their website, IMMEDIATELY change your password on Ebay and PayPal, and send a copy of the e-mail (with headers) to: spoof@ebay.com

http://www.antiphishing.org/
What is Phishing?
Phishing attacks use 'spoofed' e-mails and fraudulent websites designed to fool recipients into divulging personal financial data such as credit card numbers, account usernames and passwords, social security numbers, etc. By hijacking the trusted brands of well-known banks, online retailers and credit card companies, phishers are able to convince up to 5% of recipients to respond to them.

http://www.endicia.com/default.cfm?referredby=a238 (Postage printing)
www.u-pic.com (Private Insurance)

http://mygallery.timegonebuy.com/customer/bobwilley/bobwilley.html?/
http://tinyurl.com/6r8cj Bob Willey’s eBay Trading Assistant Webpage

Subject: AuctionBytes NewsFlash - November 19, 2003
From: Ina Steiner <ina@auctionbytes.com>

AuctionBytes NewsFlash - Today's online auction news from AuctionBytes.com!
ISSN:1539-5065
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To subscribe go to: http://www.auctionbytes.com

eBay Users Buy $24 Billion in Goods in 2003, Company Raises Guidance

By Ina Steiner

AuctionBytes.com

January 22, 2004

eBay had a successful fourth quarter in 2003 with gross profit for the

3 months a record $532.9 million, 82% of net revenues. eBay said it

may reach $3 billion in net revenue in 2004, a year earlier than the

company had aimed for.

eBay reported financial results Wednesday for its quarter and

full-year ended December 31, 2003. eBay generated consolidated net

revenues of $2.17 billion in 2003, a 78% increase over the $1.21

billion reported in 2002.

eBay reported record consolidated Q4-03 net revenues of $648.4

million, up 57% year over year, and record operating income of $203.1

million, up 78% year over year.

"eBay's outstanding fourth quarter demonstrates yet again the

extraordinary power of our community," said Meg Whitman, President and

CEO of eBay. "Across every important metric, eBay's global momentum is

rapidly accelerating. The business is delivering tremendous results

and our long-term prospects couldn't be brighter."

eBay sellers listed a total of 971 million in the full year 2003, 52%

higher than the 638 million listings reported in the full year 2002.

Gross Merchandise Sales (GMS), the total value of items sold, was a

record $24 billion, representing a 60% year-over-year increase from

the $15 billion reported in the full year 2002.

eBay's fixed price trading contributed approximately $2.0 billion or

28% of total GMS during the fourth quarter, primarily from eBay's "Buy

It Now" feature.

eBay said it had 94.9 million confirmed registered users at the end of

the fourth quarter, and 41.2 million active users (the number of users

who bid, bought or listed over the trailing 12 months).

eBay said it hosts approximately 154,000 stores worldwide. However,

the company initiated store fees for the first time for certain of its

international websites in early Q1-04, therefore, the number of eBay

stores worldwide may decrease in future periods.

Based on Q4-03 GMS, eBay now has ten categories that deliver $1

billion or more in worldwide annualized GMS:

eBay Motors at $7.5 billion;

Consumer Electronics at $2.6 billion;

Computers at $2.4 billion;

Books/Movies/Music at $2.0 billion;

Clothing and Accessories at $1.8 billion;

Sports at $1.8 billion;

Collectibles at $1.5 billion;

Toys at $1.5 billion;

Home & Garden at $1.3 billion;

Jewelry & Gemstones at $1.3 billion

***

"Sticker Shock? Sticker Schlock! Discounting can move most products,

but not antiques. Oddly enough, fanciers of old wares feel more

confident when paying more," By Karen E. Klein

Business Week, 1/13/04

http://digbig.com/3kxc

"Some franchisees unhappy with UPS: Parent's policies chafe bottom

line, they say," by Dave Hirschman

Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 1/16/04

http://digbig.com/3meq

"To raise needed cash, she does it eBay: Employee gets OK to auction some donated items on Internet for battered women's shelter," by John Higgins
Beacon Journal, 11/18/03
http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/news/local/7289351.htm

"eBay chairman joins meetings site board," by Evan Hansen
Cnet, 11/18/03
http://zdnet.com.com/2110-1104_2-5108323.html

"More consumers cruise to eBay to buy, sell cars," by Charles E. Ramirez
The Detroit News, 11/17/03
http://www.detnews.com/2003/technology/0311/18/a01-327048.htm

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http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/market

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Security Issues for Windows and IE

http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/security.htm

Your home computer is probably less secure against online intruders than you think, especially if you have broadband Internet access through a digital subscriber line (DSL) or a cable modem. The number of reported flaws in computer operating systems, web browsers, and the like that a hacker can use for access has skyrocketed, from 1,000 for the full year 2000 to 2,000 in the first six months of this year.

Those vulnerabilities worry Richard Clarke, the president's special advisor for cyberspace security. "If I were a consumer," Clarke recently told Consumer Reports, "I'd be mad as hell that my operating-system software, my application software, my PC vendor, and my Internet provider have left me vulnerable, haven't told me how to fix these security flaws, and haven't made it easy for me to fix them."

Yet Clarke's agency, the President's Critical Infrastructure Protection Board, doesn't appear to be doing much to make Internet providers more responsive to computer-security concerns. The board's plans for beefing up national Internet security do include increased training in Internet crime for state and local police, as well as two measures that Consumers Union has recommended--the collection of national statistics on computer crime and the creation of a national portal to report computer break-ins.

The version of the computer-security strategy that we saw in late July 2002 relied heavily on public-education campaigns and ignored a far more effective measure--requiring the companies that provide high-speed Internet service to inform their customers about the need for protective firewalls and to support their use.

Clarke's chief concern is identity theft. A criminal or terrorist who steals personal information from your computer in order to impersonate you can operate anonymously, essentially beyond the reaches of law enforcement. Clarke and other officials are also concerned that a criminal or terrorist may commandeer thousands of home computers and use them as the conduit for an attack on the computers that run power plants, financial institutions, or other major enterprises. Putting a firewall between your computer and the Internet can help prevent such misuse.

However, 50 percent of the broadband users we have surveyed said their provider had never mentioned a firewall when the service was installed. Support for firewalls was just as hit-or-miss: AT&T Broadband's web site says the company won't provide support for firewalls that customers install, while Cablevision offers users discounts on retail firewall software.

Clarke says a user whose Internet provider isn't helping with security should complain or switch to another provider. But switching is impossible for the 40 percent of broadband users whose provider is the only one in the neighborhood.

William Murray, executive consultant for the security management firm TruSecure, doubts that trying to educate tens of millions of users will secure the Internet in the short run. "If I were Dick Clarke, I would attempt to change the behavior of Internet providers," he says. He advocates encouraging them to enforce strict terms of service, to block traffic to customers whose computers are under attack, and to prohibit anyone from using the provider's computers to mask their identity via falsified Internet addresses.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

These measures help keep your computer safe:

Regularly update your operating system, web browser, and other key software to take advantage of manufacturer remedies for security flaws.

Install a security firewall if you don't already have one. Look for a firewall that handles both incoming and outgoing communications. If you or the kids regularly use instant messaging or other kinds of online file-sharing, they could be an entrée for malevolent software; a firewall with outgoing protection will prevent that.

Run antivirus software, preferably a product that automatically updates its antidotes.

Don't open any e-mail attachment unless you know what the attachment contains.

To report hacker attacks on your computer and help the authorities stop further attacks, contact the SANS Institute's Internet Storm Center (http://isc.incidents.org). The center provides free software that works with your firewall software to collect, track, and report the details of hacker attacks throughout the world. You can request information by e-mailing info@dshield.org.