If there's one thing that's sure to turn the heads of bargain-seekers, it's the word "free," and a new eBay program capitalizes on this fact by waiving some insertion fees. Unfortunately, there is a catch or two, and the auction company doesn't seem likely to win over many of its critics with this move.
Early last year, eBay inflicted some damaging policy changes that sent many sellers running for the hills. Now, they apparently are changing the rules to remove negative comments left by customers towards the sellers.
Psychology researchers have suggested fear of losing drives up auction prices, not more “rational” economic principles. So the next time you sense you’re overbidding on eBay, you probably are, not due to any theoretical “price the market will bear,” but instead due to some competitive wiring in your brain that says win at all costs.
Things aren't cool anymore once everybody starts doing them, that's the Law of Cool*. The same applies to selling one's immortal soul on the Internet, which has entered let's-throw-a-toga-party-like-they-did-on-Animal-House status**. Our latest soul peddler is from New Zealand, who learned like others before him that hosted auction websites don't want anywhere near his soul or lack thereof.
The auction-based process used by Google and other search advertising companies sets the keyword price for ads, in a way that Google's chief economist described as an efficient and equitable process.
The price for inserting media like books, movies, music, and video games on eBay drops in response to angry seller feedback.
People sell all kinds of stuff on eBay. The past brings us listings for immortal souls (deleted), Britney Spears hair (mostly deleted), and even cruel Christmas presents (deleted pronto). And now someone is selling his personal data to the highest bidding marketer.
The minor shuffling Yahoo undertook last year saw the formation of three divisions to oversee the company's operations. Yahoo Network Division head Jeff Weiner explained how it's going to work.
Those “Highlander” movies (and the television series) are fairly fuzzy memories for me, but I’m quite sure that they involved a bunch of guys running around, chopping each other’s heads off, and absorbing each other’s power. Well, Yahoo Auctions pretty much decapitated itself, but that act effectively leaves eBay as “the only one.”
In June, Yahoo will give up competing with eBay and other auction sites in the US and Canada by shuttering Yahoo Auctions.
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