Show 08-27-06: Half.com 6 Years Later, IRS Auction Tax Reporting, eBay Larger Gallery Pics, Google Checkout Stumbles, BidMyGilligan, XP Media Center, Feedblndr, Overseas Selling, Overstock.com $1 Wholesale Shipping, NetVibes, Wholesale Hemp, Practice Poster

Stripped of its planetary status, the now “dwarf planet” Pluto was auctioned off this past week by the International Astronomical Union.

The winning bid of one gazillion samoleans was submitted by the estate of Scrooge McDuck. In a press release following the auction, the McDuck estate allowed that plans were in place to transform the erratic little orb into a memorial for” a good friend and former colleague of Mr. McDuck”.

6 years ago eBay purchased Half.com for $300 million…and there it sits…how much is too much for nothing at all? Will the IRS’s plans for new tax reporting guidelines nip on-line auction sellers where it hurts? UPS reports on the buying habits of “Chuppies” (China’s emerging middle class)…seems that all things US are hot: DVD’s,CD’s,jeans…and of course, moisturizer (in blue if you’ve got it). eBay announces larger gallery pics for, you guessed it, a slight fee increase…and it appears that they’ll be increasing fees for large fonts soon as well. First reports in on Google Check-out are mixed with problems being reported across the board with one major e-commerce player having pulled the service altogether.

We visited a social site for the over 50 crowd and found a watered down version of AARP…pretty to look at but about as insubstantial as grandma’s handshake. BidMyGilligan tries to parlay eBay traffic into web site traffic…a good idea in theory…but not so in practice. An eBay blog that is a step in the right direction but additional steps are needed. Scendix Software’s new application for Window’s XP Media Center demonstrates how the battle for the living room is taking shape, auction-wise that is.

Feedblndr combines all of your auction RSS feeds into one and this is a good thing. Keywords in URL’s: one blogger walks us through how differently the search engines treat this…very important reading for anyone thinking of opening an e-commerce site. Incorporated?…if not, a site that should be of interest. A US site that will accept foreign shopper’s shipments for re-shipment…and that will pay you $25 for help signing them up.

Overstock.com’s got $1 site wide shipping and this includes the wholesale section of the site…TOASA members show marketing smarts by offering free shipping. Using Netvibes as an on-line RSS aggregator..its so simple, I use it. A Solar Panel and finished goods manufacturer that drop-ships. A wholesale supplier for hemp…clothes, oils & food, that is. Practice Poster makes for perfect posts.

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