Show 07-16-06: eBay Sign-Up Fraud, Credit Card Safety, Skype Hacked?, Sellathon Top 10,000 Sellers, USPS Counterfeit Money Orders, SEO Tools, Google Base & Checkout, Over 50 Market, Poker Sets Bust, DOBA

Posted by Michael Donahue on 07/16/06 in Podcasts, eBay News, E-commerce News

“I can’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas…I’m frightened by the old ones” ~ John Cage
Aided by a lax sign-up process, eBay is an easy mark for fraud…the debate rages…why is the simplest step, credit card verification, so difficult to require?…and how is public ignorance of how safe credit cards are helping the stalemate. Has the Skype protocol been hacked? Yes, according to industry insiders…there is even a legit add-on to Google Talk that is cheaper. Sellathon posts the Top 10,000 eBay sellers by feedback…but what about the Top 10,000 by dollar volume?

3 steps to take in order to make sure that a USPS Money Order is not counterfeit. Misspelled words are for more than auction searches…ever thought of using them in your meta description and keywords? SEO tools that you should use no matter where you sell on-line. Yahoo offers $50 in free search words credit. And speaking of search, you need to know how each search engine is different and how you can improve the quality of your searches.

The most overlooked source re Google Base and Check-Out is, surprisingly enough, Google itself….there’s even a page the walks you step-by-step on how to integrate Google Check-Out into your Google Base listings. McAfee’s Site Advisor is a free Foxfire extension that alerts you to bad sites in your search results…you need it. 1&1 makes cents when it comes to web hosting.

There is a segment of the market that has more than tripled in the last 10 years and that is only getting bigger….and chances are you are ignoring it entirely. Poker Sets are all-in & busted as profitable auction items…a case study on how the internet cut what was a very profitable item to pieces. Considering signing up for DOBA?…listen in as we discuss why you should reconsider using a drop-shipping gateway that only adds mark-up and little else.

Music from this week’s show:

“Feeling Good” - Four Women: The Nina Simone Philips Recordings
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Links from this week’s show:

Power Press Web Site Marketing Strategy - Using a Press Release to drive sales to your eBay store or auction, authored by yours truly (*hint*hint*).

VOIPWiki Blog - Skype’s protocol has been hacked.

Talqer - Add-on to Google Talk that is less expensive than Skype.

Sellathon’s Top 10,000 eBay Sellers - More feedback on feedback, by way of feedback.

USPS Money Order Security Checklist - In short, hold it up to the light and know what you’re looking at.

Keyword Typo Tool - Gemerate tipos for fun & prfoit.

Free SEO Tools - Forearmed is forewarned.

Yahoo’s $50 Free Advertising - Head start in sponsored search advertising.

Search Commands by Search Engine - Old but still relevant article and charts on how to find your way along the streets of Babel.