Antique Trader Blog - eBay

The web is alive about eBays traffic woes

Karen — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 19:05:39 GMT

The web is alive with chatter this week about eBay’s traffic woes. PowerSellers are blaming the online auction giant of changing its search functions and causing a drop in sales.

More than 5,600 replies have been logged to a forum thread titled “5 DAYS STRAIGHT, NOT 1 SALE” that was posted back in April. On the Internet, April is a lifetime ago. Still, the topic has legs. The chorus has grown louder as the economy lumbers along. If nothing else, it gives sellers a source to cry foul and learn from others.

The four biggest complaints, according to Newark, N.J. based blogger Monique Stout:

* Lack of visibility.
* Defining what constitutes a ‘Best Match’
* Buyer favoritism, and
* A slanted feedback system.

Time will tell if the lack of sales is eBay’s work on its search functions or the slow economy. However, it's clear something even larger that the economy is involved here.

According to the July 10 "Chart of the Day" carried by the San Francisco Chronicle, eBay and CraigsList have finally hit on their collision course.

Both sites had equal amounts of unique visitors in the U.S. for the first time ever, according to comScore data. It shows both CraigsList and eBay registering 50 million unique monthly visitors in May.

However, Amazon.com exceeds both of them by 20 million unique visitors.

Crucial to understanding the chart is comparing how eBay's traffic has changed during the past four years. Back in Nov. 2006 eBay was recording between 75 and 80 million unique visitors a month.

When it comes to sellling antiques and collectibles sellers, it appears traffic matters more than search functions.

— posted by Eric Bradley

How much is a weekend with the Pawn Stars worth?

Karen — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 17:56:06 GMT

Of course, like anything, it's worth what someone is willing to pay.

Right now, apparently the price tag is $14,667.89, the final price hammered in a 10-day eBay auction that ended last night, as 29 bidders battled it out racking up a whopping 62 bids before the auction ended.

100 percent of the monies received will go to support the YMCA of Southern Nevada, a nonprofit organization founded in 1944.

The winner and their guest will be flown to Las Vegas and put up at the Palms Casino Resort for a three-night stay. While there, they'll join the Harrisons and Chumlee for dinner and a poker tournament (the prize package includes $1,000 in Palms Casino Resort chips).

Read the full Pawn Stars Weekend auction details here.

The next day will be spent as an intern at the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop ... how exciting would that be — to be part of the pawn shop crew!

Congratulations to the winning bidder! Feel free to drop us a note and share your experience. And our hats off to the Harrisons, Chumlee, the Palms and all involved - including all the bidders - for teaming up to raise money for the YMCA.

We'll be curious to see if more events like these are forthcoming.

For breaking Pawn Stars news, follow Rick Harrison and Chumlee on Twitter.

— Posted by Karen

You might also enjoy:

• On Pawn Stars it's all business
• Antique Trader interviews Pawn Stars' Rick Harrison

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Recent graduate pays her student loan with $6,000 antique shaving mug

Eric Bradley, editor — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 22:24:57 GMT

Her three year career selling on eBay just hit a jackpot for emerging antiques dealer Cynthia Kelly of Seattle. She recently sold an antique occupational shaving mug on eBay for almost $6,000.

That's an astounding price for an independent dealer considering some of the recent auctions held for occupational shaving mugs. The mug (which you can see here for a limited time) was purchased by another antiques dealer/collector in Pennsylvania, who boasts a collection of more than 200 mugs.

The shaving mug is rare in that it features a stock broker or commodities trader, busily jotting down sale prices on grain, wheat, flour and corn. We touched on these fascinating collectibles in a previous post.

This is Kelly's biggest sale so far with the online auction site. She writes: "It was also a huge surprise for me! I invested $22.50 in the mug at an estate auction and had only expected it to bring $100-$200. When someone offered me $750 to "Buy it Now" during the course of the auction, I knew I had something good.

"I turned down the offer and kept the auction running. When I saw the final end price of $5,998, I was in shock for about 15 minutes straight. The money went to pay off the rest of my student loans (I'm a young antique dealer at only 23), so the money came at a great time. "

You can see all of Kelly's auctions through her eBay store here. This self proclaimed "thrift-store junkee" also promotes a blog about her adventures (and her dog Sammy) at The Cynch.

-posted by Eric Bradley

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Will eBay bounce back?

Karen — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:00:02 GMT

What the heck happened to eBay?

A few years ago many of us were complaining that finding “it” online was the final nail in the coffin of every brick and mortar shop around. A recent Associated Press report now states that eBay subsidiary PayPal could overtake the giant online marketplace in gross revenues by 2011. It’s not that surprising since eBay remains an online marketplace and PayPal has the capacity to be used everywhere for a variety of goods and services. The full story is on page 12.

But why isn’t eBay projected to grow in lock step with PayPal? After all, we who stood by the behemoth when it required us to accept PayPal for every transaction dutifully signed up and paid the fee for the right to do commerce on eBay.

The crippling snag is likely due to a slew of major site and policy changes that occurred at the same time as a calamitous worldwide financial meltdown.
During the past two years eBay has worked to develop new ways to claim their rightful share in the millions of transactions through its sites. EBay had every right to find new ways to make money from the site – business is business. However, the difficulty came when it started to over regulate the transactions and encourage sellers of antiques to “get in line” or get out.

What makes eBay most successful for sellers is the massive flow of site traffic. The extra bells and whistles added on to a seller’s listing are nice but they wouldn’t be worth squat if eBay didn’t attract so many millions of unique users. It’s what is separating other startups with feisty fee structures from becoming the No. 1 Web site for selling antiques and collectibles online. However, there is a downward trend at eBay. Just last month AuctionBytes.com’s Ina Steiner reported eBay’s August-September site traffic has hit a five-year low.

Many of my favorite dealers packed up and left – some in the middle of transactions. One situation I remember vividly: I was all set to buy a framed print when the seller told me in a response to one of my questions that he was no longer selling eBay … right now. He blamed the overly aggressive changes to feedback policies, among other changes. He hasn’t been back since.

So as PayPal breaks into new and growing markets and methods for making payments (some predict we’ll be using our cell phones to buy antiques at brick and mortar shops in just a few years) where is eBay supposed to grow?
Will the threat of losing its valuable site traffic encourage it to rethink some of its policy changes? Even if major changes were reversed – would they be enough to bring sellers back when the economy rebounds?

Eric Bradley
Editor

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Just for fun: What would the rest of the suite look like?

Karen — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:06:56 GMT

Picture this: a bed fashioned in the form of a loaded hamburger — cheeseburger, actually.

Handy Kayla Kroma fashioned the bed after being inspired by the movie Hamburger, where students sleep in hamburger beds. She and her bed have been the subject of several news and magazine articles, and now this "world-famous" bed can be yours!

Part of the eBay listing:

Own the world famous
HAMBURGER BED!!

starting at the VALUE MENU price of $.99

http://hamburgerbed.com/
The Hamburger Bed has been featured in 7 magazines and over
100 web blogs- including the front page of Digg.com!
It has over 12,000 fans on it's facebook page.
http://www.facebook.com/hamburgerbed

The bed is up for sale on eBay (LEARN MORE about the hamburger bed). The current price is $570.

So what do you think? If the bed's a hamburger, what should the rest of the room look like?

Baked potato chair?

Oh, by the way: The pickle's not included ...

— Posted by Karen Knapstein

More fee changes from eBay

Karen — Tue, 12 May 2009 20:27:10 GMT

Another fee structure change is headed down the pike from eBay. This one is just for those sellers who list just a few items each month.

As of June 16, eBay sellers will be able to offer up to five items per 30 day period without paying listing fees, which usually run from 10 cents to $4. They will still have to pay a fee for items sold: a flat 8.75 percent of the sale price ($20 max fee).

If a seller exceeds the five item limit, standard fees apply. The new occasional-seller price structure doesn't apply to fixed-price listings.

Will any of you take advantage of this offer and list a few items each month, paying the 8.75 percent "commission" if your item sells?

— Posted by Karen Knapstein

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Bonanzle passes 1.7 million items & 50,000 users

Karen — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:20:31 GMT

A few weeks ago, Antique Trader signed up on Twitter. You can follow us at http://twitter.com/antiquetrader and see "the man behind the curtain" and check out what we're up to ;)

Many of our followers and followees, if you will, list in the Bonanzle (www.bonanzle.com) marketplace.

Bonanzle published a press release on April 26 touting excellent growth and success (considering it's going head-to-head with the ever-present 700-pound online marketplace gorilla eBay):

BONANZLE GOING VIRAL

Seven months out of Beta, Bonanzle surges past 50,000 registered users and becomes the second largest eBay alternative marketplace – in the same week

Kirkland, WA, April 26, 2009 – Just seven months out of beta, Bonanzle has continued to climb the ranks as one of the brightest stars of ecommerce, surpassing 50,000 registered users and 1.7 million unique items in the same week.

Innovative tools, simplicity, and an emphasis on non-generic inventory have attracted over 13,000 sellers to Bonanzle since its September 2008 launch. These sellers have taken it upon themselves to spread the word about Bonanzle amongst their friends and fellow sellers, intent on building Bonanzle into the largest marketplace for finding “everything but the ordinary.” Thanks to their efforts, Powersellersunite now shows Bonanzle to be the second largest eBay alternative marketplace, with more than 1.7 million unique items available for purchase.

Despite the success of the site in building out inventory, Bonanzle’s team insists that the focus of the site remains on providing the best experience for buyers looking to purchase non-generic items. Says Founder Bill Harding:

“We continue to be stunned at the support our selling community has given us, and what they continue to achieve in terms of building inventory and traffic. For our part, we’re intent on reciprocating their efforts by adding new features to the site every week, many of which are aimed at improving the buying experience so buyers remember Bonanzle as the easiest site to find the rare, unique, or otherwise non-generic item they’re looking for.”

“Our latest effort on this front will debut at the end of this week, and will allow buyers to browse our 1.7 million item inventory on a variety of new dimensions. For example, if you were shopping for soccer shin guards, and you wanted to see only those made with fiberglass protection, we would provide that option. When combined with our site-wide chat system, which facilitates real time answers to buyer questions, we believe our reputation as the best marketplace to find everything but the ordinary will continue to grow.”

If you would like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Bill Harding, please call Mark Dorsey at 206-396-7321 or email Mark at mark@bonanzle.com.

How about you readers? Have you experience buying and/or selling on Bonanzle? Has it been a good experience?

New and improved eBay seller experience?

Karen — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 17:58:26 GMT

EBay is rolling out more changes for eBay sellers to aid in both the seller and buyer experience... From the eBay announcement:

Seller Update: Overview

Keeping eBay a thriving marketplace requires a close partnership between sellers and eBay to give buyers the experience they expect. We continue to invest in driving traffic and buyer loyalty, and we need your help to make buyers happy and keep them coming back. For our part, we're also taking steps to make it easier and more profitable for you to sell.

Easier, more visual shopping and buyer incentives to drive more sales

Key information to set buyer expectations and help reduce your costs

Other updates to make selling on eBay more efficient

The changes roll out in June. What do you think?

Here's a link to the full post

Links to Antique Trader articles

Karen — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 22:13:05 GMT

Here are some of the articles we posted on AntiqueTrader.com this week:

2,000 lots to cross the block in 3 days of Weiss auctions

Victorian lamps and antique glass highlight Woody auction, April 4

Rock Island Auction Company’s Regional Sale proves gun prices are on the rise

Hal Hunt sells Belter bed for big bucks

The best of the Victorian era offered at Fontaine’s April 4 auction

What has happened to eBay?

Stoneware: The Tupperware of the 19th century

Did Napoleon need a nightlight?

The Antique Detective: Revival furniture styles pose problems

Art Markets: President's image on campaign poster subject of lawsuit

Privy to history

And of course there's so much more ...

Buyer vs. Seller POV; Bonanzle vs. Ruby Lane vs. TIAS

Karen — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 19:18:56 GMT

I wanted to take a moment and thank Antique Trader forum user trantiques for their comments in the "Alternatives to eBay" forum thread. [you can read the thread here]. (scroll down to the bottom of the thread)

He takes the time and analyzes his buying and selling efforts on a number of sites other than eBay.

If you're in the market for learning about someone else's online buying and selling experiences, with both positive and negative points, you won't want to miss what he has to say.

Thanks again trantiques. I'm sure our readers will find your insights invaluable.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Do any of you have online buying or selling experiences you would like to share? Feel free to post a reply here or in the forums.

WorthPoint partners with eBay research team

Karen — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 14:50:31 GMT

WorthPoint Signs Partnership Agreement with eBay Research and Education Firm Terapeak

ATLANTA--WorthPoint Corporation Thursday announced that it has signed a seven-year partnership agreement with Terapeak, the industry leader in eBay research and education.

Victoria, British Columbia-based Terapeak, a subsidiary of Advanced Ecommerce Research Systems Inc. (AERS), provides eBay sellers and buyers with two years of trending data to help target the best products to sell, as well as 90 days of item-specific data to guide average expected pricing, sell-through rates, list timing, keyword choice and category selection.

Under the terms of the agreement, AERS will provide WorthPoint with eBay’s entire daily sales of antique and collectible data for inclusion in WorthPoint’s database. In addition, Terapeak will re-sell WorthPoint’s knowledge-based products, which include expertise provided by “Worthologists” (WorthPoint’s art, antiques and collectibles experts), WorthPoint employees and related professionals with more than 2,000 years of combined domain experience that is incorporated into the database.

“We are excited to partner with Terapeak, which boasts the largest customer base for eBay research,” said Will Seippel, CEO of WorthPoint. “WorthPoint’s database already houses 30 million items, and we have become the largest repository of art, antiques and collectible data in the world. WorthPoint has data from more than 500 auction houses and millions of products sold for retail. eBay data will now complement this database, so that consumers, collectors, dealers and others will be able to accurately assess the value of most any item.” Seippel said that the partnership with Terapeak is a major element in a significant WorthPoint product roll-out slated for late January.

“Our partnership with AERS and Terapeak will make WorthPoint the world’s most comprehensive source of information on art, antiques and collectibles,” Seippel said. “We will be adding more than one billion items to our database over the course of this agreement and will make information accessible in an easy-to-use format so that people can learn more about the value of their collectibles. In these difficult economic times, people need help finding additional sources of income, and WorthPoint is the resource to help them do that.”

Commenting on the partnership, Fred Speckeen, CEO of AERS, said: “Terapeak and WorthPoint aim to develop the ultimate resource for collectors and sellers. Comprehensive new products will be created with the vision of serving the breadth of the market, from small collectibles to high-end works of art. We are excited to work with the experts at WorthPoint to offer services that answer the questions most collectibles enthusiasts and sellers ask: ‘What is this worth? Where can I buy or sell this? Which of these items are valuable?’ The combination of education, market research data and analytics will provide pinpoint responses to these concerns and more.”

About WorthPoint

Atlanta-based WorthPoint Corporation (www.worthpoint.com) is an Internet-based data-and-media company that offers a vast database of sales records on art, antiques and collectibles. Founded in 2007, WorthPoint has quickly become the world's largest social network for researching the worth of antiques and collectibles. WorthPoint helps collectors understand the worth of their items and provides expert advice from its international team of Worthologists on how to preserve or sell antiques and collectibles. WorthPoint recently acquired Dublin, Ohio- based GoAntiques, the oldest antiques-and-collectibles site on the Web.

About AERS / Terapeak

Advanced Ecommerce Research Systems Inc. (AERS) (www.researchadvanced.com) is a fast-growing, privately-held e-commerce data and analytics company. The company has two strategic business units, Terapeak (www.terapeak.com) and ResearchAdvanced, which deliver data and analytics based on huge transactional data sets, including eBay. Today, AERS is eBay’s only market data reseller, and has established itself as the pre-eminent provider of the most up-to-date, thorough, and relevant online marketplace statistical reporting available. Currently, AERS websites receive more than one million page views per month.

For more information: www.terapeak.com.

If you're serious about leaving eBay

Karen — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:08:37 GMT

For many, enough is enough.

Change doesn't come readily to many. What's good for some, may not be good for all. At this point, I see change as change. It's going to happen. I try not to put a value on it and just "roll with it."

The last few weeks we've received dozens and dozens (I think the last count was 130) of responses about eBay's last round of changes – most significantly the new paperless payment policy.

For those of you who have decided this is the last straw, so to speak, you may find this helpful. Click on the link below for buying and selling options other than eBay.

17 Alternatives to Buying and Selling on Ebay

Personally, if I were a regular seller, I would prefer a flat-rate monthly fee. Of course, the best option would depend upon the volume of my sales.

Do any of you have any experience with these eBay alternatives? Please post a reply here and share your experience with other readers.

Thanks.

— Karen

EBay sellers will be able to accept a few "prohibited" payments

Karen — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:05:25 GMT

EBay says that sellers can accept a few checks and money orders from buyers, but they will be watching so this option is not abused...and sellers cannot promote that they will accept non-electronic payments.

What should I do if I have long-standing, repeat customers who insist on paying with checks or money orders, even after I explain the benefits of electronic payments and offer suggestions?

We know this may happen occasionally, and if you accept checks or money orders from these customers a reasonably small percentage of the time, this will not be a violation of the new payments policy. However, we will not allow abuse of the new policy and will be watching for sellers who accept a significant amount of prohibited payments. Remember also, you can refuse to accept these payment methods. If the buyer doesn't pay, you can file an unpaid item (UPI) complaint. Buyers who insist on paying with these prohibited payment methods in a UPI claim will lose the claim and will not be allowed to leave negative feedback.

You can check out the eBay payment policy here.

If you're an eBay seller and going to stick with them and do the electronic payment thing, you may want to read this:

ProPay Announces Details of Electronic Payment Alternative for eBay Sellers

You can always drop us a line and let us know how it's working out for you.

ProPay and eBay: Good for ProPay!

Karen — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 13:38:09 GMT

This from DigitalTransactions.net:

How ProPay Plans to Leverage Its Position in eBay Transactions
(September 29, 2008) ProPay Inc., the only third-party payment processor chosen by eBay Inc. to handle transactions under its new all-electronic payment policy, says it is looking to the arrangement for big growth but hasn’t yet worked out any projections for how much volume it will generate. “We see this as a growth opportunity,” says Greg Pesci, executive vice president of business strategy for Orem, Utah-based ProPay. “It’s ready to scale.”

What Pesci and Bryce Thacker, executive vice president for sales and marketing, are looking to “scale” is a payment-processing product that will be integrated into eBay’s checkout process, so that buyers won’t leave the eBay site. It will offer eBay sellers a merchant account on which they can accept credit and signature-debit cards, along with an encrypted card reader that works with ProPay’s virtual terminal for card-present transactions. Pesci and Thacker say pricing will be a transparent discount rate plus a transaction fee. Exact pricing, they say, will be established by late October, when the new eBay policy on electronic payments goes into effect (Digital Transactions News, Sept. 16).

ProPay’s product will include two levels of service, dubbed eAuction and eAuction Pro, though eAuction will be offered first, followed by Pro within a couple of months. The former is aimed at smaller sellers, includes basic card processing for eBay sales only, and carries a $24 annual fee. Rebate credits are available for sellers whose monthly volume equals or exceeds $3,000. Pro includes this plus electronic invoicing, a virtual terminal, and support for phone orders.

Ebay said in August it would no longer allow sellers to solicit or promote checks or money orders for payments after late October. In addition, it announced an electronic-payments program that requires processors to integrate their products with eBay’s checkout. This summer, it began talking to processors who are listed in its so-called acceptable-payments policy about becoming part of the program. This month, an eBay executive told Digital Transactions News ProPay, which has been handling eBay transactions for about eight years, and eBay’s PayPal unit were the only processors that were ready, though eBay is still talking to other processors and hopes to recruit several more.

Pesci and Thacker say the development effort to get ready was significant for ProPay, which is an independent sales organization for Wells Fargo & Co. Some two dozen staffers out a head count of about 125 worked on the project after eBay’s call came in July, they say. “We’ve been handling it internally, and there are still some things ongoing at the moment,” says Pesci. “It proved to be a significant commitment, but we feel good about having done it.”

Having electronic transactions on the giant online marketplace to itself—except for PayPal—should be worth a hefty boost in volume, but Pesci and Thacker say they haven’t yet been able to work out a projection. “It’s tough to tell at this time,” says Thacker. “We’ve had projections all over the board, though as a private company we probably wouldn’t release that.” Nor will ProPay reveal how many merchants it services or the break down in merchants between e-commerce and physical point of sale, though Thacker says “most of our work is in card-not-present transactions.”

Still, both men are mindful that eBay expects to bring on other processors. “That will be healthy for everyone,” Thacker says, though he adds that ProPay hopes to have the market to itself “as long as possible.”

What do you think? Will ProPay's volume increase dramatically? They are certainly in a position to benefit from eBay's business volume. Will sellers choose ProPay over PayPal as a form of protest to having to pony up more fees to eBay? Or will eBay buyers and sellers jump to a different venue, like OnlineAuction and CraigsList?

I know I will be watching the wires for new developments ... and for ProPay's pricing.

— Karen

Deployed troop's antiques & collectibles stolen

Karen — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 21:56:13 GMT

Oh, man. I'm so mad. You would be too: Check out this article from the NBC Action News about a couple of "enterprising" fellows in Kansas who were involved in the "theft of antiques and household goods put in storage by military personnel who were deployed or transferred from Ft. Leavenworth."

From 1999-2003, an employee of Century Van Lines in Leavenworth, Kansas, sorted out valuable goods soldiers stored with CVL and placed them up for sale on eBay and at his "garage sale."

Stolen goods including collectable lunch boxes, decorative platters and oriental rugs were sold to antique shops and individuals in Kansas, Missouri, Wisconsin and Ohio.

You can read the entire article here.

Stealing from servicemen and women who are away serving their country ... shame on you!

— Karen

No cash allowed?!?

Karen — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 20:46:55 GMT

Plastic preferred.

My heart is heavy. Beginning in late October, eBay will no longer allow payments by check, money order, or "well-concealed cash."

The only acceptable forms of payment will be:

    * Direct credit or debit card payment via a merchant credit card account
    * PayPal
    * ProPay
    * Payment on pick-up

I've never sent cash through the mail, and I don't advise it, but I've paid for my eBay purchases via check and money order countless times.

I don't have a PayPal account, and in the past, I've never even bid on items where the only acceptable form of payment was PayPal. I've never even considered it. I guess I'm just not comfortable giving anyone the fast track directly into my savings or checking account.

Supposedly, this new system will be better for buyers and sellers. (You can click here to read the reasons, which are listed here on the eBay site.) Buyers, eBay says, will experience more consistent, safer, and faster transactions. Sellers will experience faster, more reliable, and increased sales.

EBay says, "These payment changes should also increase buyer confidence in shopping on eBay, which should result in increased sales for you and other sellers."

Perhaps it is a change for the better; I guess time will tell. Maybe I'm just a bit old-fashioned and maybe a touch paranoid. But I'm going to have to decide: Do I give up buying on eBay? Or do I relent and maybe get a specific credit card — with an intentionally low credit limit – that I will use solely for my eBay purchases. Or maybe I’ll get a pre-loaded debit card just for my eBay purchases.

Do I have any other alternatives?

To my knowledge, no matter what, sellers are going to have to pay to process electronic transactions. Also, keep in mind that eBay owns PayPal, which adds another layer of icing, if you will, to the fees cake that is placed before sellers.

Does anyone else out there have any feelings or opinions — good, bad, or otherwise — about eBay's paperless payment policy? Will it have an effect on your eBay buying or selling?

Am I over-reacting? If you think so, post a reply to set my mind at ease.

Post a reply here or e-mail Robyn.Austin@fwpubs.com and let us know. We'd love to hear from you.

— Karen

Added 9-11-08:

Thank you to Brandon Crotts for this link to information about ProPay:

http://www.propay.com/company/eBayAnnouncement.aspx

"... and we can't make any exceptions"

Noah — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:21:18 GMT

I'm troubled.

I read a news story this morning and I'm stuck on it. At the heart of the matter:

A Waterbury antiques dealer has been barred from selling vintage American flags on eBay because of restrictions he placed on who can buy the flags.

(You can read the full story here.)

Mark Albino, owner of C&M Antiques and Collectibles in Waterbury, veteran, and dealer of vintage flags, will not sell a flag to anyone who might desecrate it. An honorable stand to make.

Albino is also a powerseller on eBay, and eBay will not allow such buyer discrimination. Their policy is you either sell internationally or you don't - you don't get to pick and choose which countries you will ship to.

Perhaps Albino needs to find a new venue to sell his vintage flags ...

What are your feelings about this? It's a sad situation when we have to worry about the buyer's intent.

— Karen

Do you know AuctionWally?

Noah — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:40:01 GMT

If not, you should.

AuctionWally, a 25-year veteran in the auction and appraisal field, has an antiques appraisal blog that is just chock-full of information on antiques values and how to sell them. You can find him at http://www.antiquewally.com, where you can view 500 stories and appraisals for free.

I found this recent article on examiner.com especially interesting: Auctionwally's tips for buying expensive collectibles from eBay and elsewhere

AuctionWally also tips us off to scam examiner in Karin Malchow, who keeps current with the latest scams (from Internet hucksters to door-to-door cons) and alerts readers to them.

Knowledge is power, everyone! Protect yourselves.

— Karen

Another swing against eBay

Noah — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:01:17 GMT

This week, eBay's latest change goes into effect: if a seller lists multiple "identical" listings, only one listing will show up in the search results.

And sellers are understandably upset about it. Imagine paying to list dozens of items, and not having them show up in search results ... they are effectively "hidden" from potential buyers. Ouch!

Click here for a very interesting (and hot) discussion on the AuctionBytes blog.

How many more sellers will jump ship with this "improvement"?

One person did respond with a great idea. They would like a "Sellers I never want to buy from" list so those sellers won't show up in searches. Great idea!

Do you all have any thoughts on these? What kind of improvement would you like eBay to make?

— Karen

Has the bottom dropped out?

Sandra — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:48:18 GMT

From the Wall Street Journal: New Bargains on Old Furniture: As 18th- and 19th-Century Antiques Fall Out of Favor, Prices are Plummeting

A very interesting article to be sure. I like that the author cited several of the big names in the antiques marketplace who have different positions and see a different perspective of the situation.

The result: Good news for buyers, bad news for sellers. Sellers of mid-century modern may have a fighting chance to keep a decent share of the market.

Personally, it sounds like it's a good time for me to look to upgrade my antique dining room set.

Now, if I can just find one of the deals they say is out there ...

What do all of you think? I think down-turn, but has the bottom dropped out of the market?

— Karen

P.S. While you're cruising the cyber super highway, I encourage you to check out http://rarevictorian.com/.

Internet posse roots out auction fraud

Noah — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:32:33 GMT

Iffy eBay goods draw ire of Internet posse: Cyber-vigilantes track down sellers of questionable items—often with blessing of overworked authorities

I was going to comment on a similar story yesterday, but didn't quite find the time. Today I just couldn't miss the opportunity again.

I encourage you all to read it. It reminds us of that age-old saying: If it's too good to be true, it probably is. That's not saying you can't get taken to the cleaners with a phony item if the price is in the ballpark of where it should be... but you want to stick with reputable dealers to minimize your chance of being swindled.

Buyer beware.

— Karen

"Antique" from 1984?!

Sandra — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 17:51:55 GMT

My Mother called the other day and asked me to see if I could find a replacement handle for her vintage Mirro pressure cooker on the Internet. Confident, I said "sure." I really wanted to find a replacement for her because I didn't want to give her back the cooker that she had given me.

Unfortunately, I had no luck finding the handle for her model. I exhausted all the cookware parts suppliers that I was aware of and had to resort to my favorite online auction site: eBay.

While perusing the vintage and antique cookware listings, I came across this listing:

What is wrong with this picture? "Antique Visions Rangetop Cookware 1984 by Corning."

I realize that sometimes we use the term "antique" rather loosely when it comes to describing "old stuff," but 1984! Not even close.

— Karen

Unusual French art glass vase

Sandra — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:49:27 GMT

Check out this unusual Schneider art glass vase that recently sold on eBay for $2,425. (Item number 120283294262 if you want to see many more images and more of the description.)

ANTIQUE SIGNED SCHNEIDER FRENCH ART GLASS VASE WITH IRON MOUNT CIRCA 1920S. The glass body is mottled red-orange to yellow, and is mounted by iron, which to my eye resembles very moderne styled stick figures assending the sides of the vase. The design is Arts & Crafts in style with the hammered base, but also has an Art Deco & a very modern architectural element, with the simple & interesting criss cross design. Arms outstretched they climb...Anyway...this jewel has something for everyone, as I believe the design is as valid now as it was then. The vase is approx. 20 3/8"h X 9"(dia. top) X 5 1/2" (dia. bottom).

I'm awestruck by the craftsmanship and the design.

What do you think of it?

— Karen

Question of the Week: Who’s bidding against me now?

Noah — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 21:27:21 GMT

EBay. At the mere mention of the site, strong feelings tend to surface, and whether you love it, hate it or couldn’t care less, it is a powerful force in the cyber-marketplace for buyers and sellers. The changes made earlier this year haven’t seemed to cause much of a ripple in the number of listings, though it did “inspire” a few eBay sellers to venture out and start their own auction sites. (OnlineAuction.com is just one of these sites, and is picking up steam; when I last checked, they were up to 14.8 million items listed.)

I admit it: I am an eBay fan. I’ve been a registered user since 2000 and the great majority of my experiences have been positive. But, I’m only a buyer – I’ve never sold anything on eBay or any other online auction site. I’ve participated in enough eBay auctions to recognize certain “adversaries” who collect the same treasures as I do, and I’m fine with getting involved in an auction with these opponents because I bid what I’m willing to pay and no more (which, I believe, is one of the secrets of always being satisfied with any auction purchase, but I’ll save that for another time) and may the highest bidder win.

Recently, I’ve been reading discussions about one of the eBay changes that I believe affects buyers more than sellers: bidder anonymity. Keep in mind, though, I don’t have a seller’s perspective. (Perhaps some of you can help me out with that.)

In the U.S., eBay bidder IDs are kept “partially anonymous,” that is, you can always see the sellers’ IDs, and if you sign in, you can see your own ID. Everyone else’s is kept somewhat anonymous (“to enhance bidder privacy” and protect bidders from fake second chance offers) by asterisks filling in between two random characters from bidders’ User IDs. Only after an auction ends does the winning bidder’s full User ID show up in the bidding history.

There has been quite a bit of discussion on the “absolute anonymity” that eBay has implemented in Australia and the U.K., where bidder IDs are now kept completely anonymous. Think about that from a bidder’s perspective. The largest ramification that I can think of: What will keep a seller from logging in and shill bidding, that is, making phony bids to drive up the final sale price?

EBay has discouraged its sellers with its recent restructuring of seller fees and taking away the seller’s ability to leave negative feedback for buyers.

This week Antique Trader wants to know: If eBay implements absolute bidder anonymity in the U.S. – which some people think is imminent – what effect will it have on bidder, and thus, buyer, participation? How important is it to you that you know who you are bidding against?

What do you think? E-mail robyn.austin@fwpubs.com and tell her what you think, or post a reply here.

Karen Knapstein
Online Editor

I tried not to do it, honest I did...

Noah — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:15:41 GMT

... but this has to be one of, of not the strangest collectibles that I have ever seen. The thing is, too, that it sold for $150 on eBay, and that this designer does custom jobs on My Little Ponies, bit that she didn't have any open slots right now (the emphasis is mine).

My. Little. Pony.

There is a certain undeniable deviant quality to it, which is why I ultimately couldn't resist posting the link. I'm a sucker for Outsider Art, and always like to see what kind of things there are subcultures for out there. And trust me, if you like to collect things like weird '70s collectible plastic ponies, then deck them out like you favorite video game characters, then, well... You're a sub-culture. Face it. More than that, you're a subset of the whole freaky doll subculture, which is another thing unto itself that is best left off these pages. Trust me, though, it exists.

This is a link to an auction watch at a blog called Gamer Tell,and the "art" comes from a deviant artist named Anime Amy, who is good at what she does, even if it borders on the absurd, which may just be the point...

Question of the Week - EBay to end live auction affiliations. Will this affect your buying?

Noah — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:47:22 GMT

Since former eBay CEO Meg Whitman stepped down and new management took over, there has been a host of well-publicized changes at the online auction giant. Changes in fee structure, limits on selling “digital” items and now, the latest, was an announcement from the company that it will, by the end of the year, end its “Live Auction” affiliations.

What does this mean? Exactly what it sounds like. No longer will eBay be partnering with brick and mortar auction houses, both big and small, to broadcast auctions live over its interface. This will surely have some smaller houses shaking a little bit, and the bigger ones not so much. EBay has also stated that the live auction segment is not too big a part of its business, thus the end of the experiment. What exactly does “not too big” mean? To a juggernaut like eBay, probably $100M or so… Pocket change, really.

The question this week for AT readers is this, then: How much have you used the eBay Live Auctions feature, and will this change affect your online auction buying?

Send your answer to noah.fleisher@fwpubs.com, or go online to www.antiquetrader.com/atblog, look for the question of the week, and post your answer in the comments section.

My daughter would love to have this...

Noah — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:24:37 GMT

Only it would be a bit of a hassle to dissassemble, move and re-assemble into our backyard in Central Wisconsin.

The famed solar powered ferris wheel on the Santa Monica pier is up for sale. Bids start at $50,000.

We'd have the kids lined up around the block, though...

My wife is from Santa Monica, her birthday is coming up, and I'd sure love to give her something that reminded her of home.

Despite changes, 'softening economy,' eBay still rakes in the dough

Noah — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:13:28 GMT

This is from a U.K. paper, The Register, about the exoribtant amount of cash eBay raked in during the first quarter of the year this year, despite all the changes and what new CEO James Donaohoe called a "softening economy" on both sides of the pond.

The catch is that the eBay user base didn't really grow during this period. So where did all the moolah come from?

A weak dollar, for one, and jacked up fees on its sellers, for two. Oh yeah, how can we not mention the fact that number three must be PayPal, the unit that all users ore explicitly forced to use for their payment transactions, this from the Wall Street Journal. The whole PayPal forced use thing is the part that I personally find the most distasteful.

See, when you own the whole monopoly board, you're going to have all the money.

eBay to end Live Auctions - What's $100M, anyway?

Noah — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:58:53 GMT

I know I'm a bit late in sounding off on this, by at least 24 hours, but I wanted to wait and see if there was going to be any sort of uproar from the online antiques community over eBay's decision to end its Live Auction business.

I reckon not, though. It may be that the online auction sites are more than ready to jump in and take over - many were never affiliated with eBay's live auctions in the first place. The big boys, like LiveAuctioneers and Proxibid will probably have a bit of a hiccup in auction during the initial period of change at the end of the year, if only for a second as users have to type in a new URL. I imagine that they will be more than ready to pick up where eBay leaves off, however.

By some estimates, eBay's Live Auctions generate about $100M a year. I have no hard data to back this up, just the word of a colleague in the business, but even so, if it's a fraction of that, that's some serious do-re-mi we're talkng about. I guess not to eBay, though. Besides, it's obvioulsy written off several segments of its business with all the changes since Whitman resigned and droids have been installed as overseers.

Here is a link to the message from Jim Ambach at eBay, to compliment the link to the Yahoo story above.

I've exchanged a few emails with John Werry, the proprietor of the Rare Victorian Furniture Blog, and he's equally miffed at the ongoing attitude of the online auction giant. He's a good guy and hopefully won't mind if I quote his comments. Check out his recently madeover blog above, too. It's a good read.

"I think it's a mistake for Ebay to not pursue domination of the electronic link to the live auction world since live auctions will never go away. Maybe their strategy is to not continue to fund the foundation of that link and to instead wait for someone else to build it up, and then acquire them later, if needed.

I can just see their strategy discussion now, 'hmm... let's see. we'll focus on funding the servers, bandwidth, and storage for selling millions of $0.25 items that may not sell and generate a commission and abandon the guaranteed-to-sell $198,000 Charles Rohlfs chair. Sounds like a plan.'"

See, it's funny because it's true...

As changes near, eBay debate encore

Noah — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:56:04 GMT

Rob Pegoraro, a blogger at The Washington Post, gives the eBay issue a look from both sides of the issue and concludes that eBay is a ~~Monolith~~ Marketplace, and that it's 80M+ users think of it as a community. It's a nice little examination of the debate that the eBay antiques... uh... sector has been having for a few months now.

This conclusion has resulted in the weird disconnect from reality that has emanated from eBay HQ high on its magic mountaintop in the mist, where it's suspected that a few remaining regular human beings actually may say hello now and then as they pass in the hall on the way to bathroom in the basement.

It's also now thought that the great ancient demon Cthulhu might be the real replacement for Meg Whitman. That's just what I hear, though...

The last I'll post about the most stupid eBay auction ever...

Noah — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 16:40:27 GMT

I think this guy, at a site called Blorgable, sums it up as well as my not-so-well-hidden cynicism ever could.

You will never hear about corn flakes on this blog again, and that's a promise from me to you...

"Something really dramatic just happened with our cornflake."

Noah — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:21:50 GMT

I posted about this the other day, the corn flake shaped like Illinois...

The AP is reporting that eBay pulled it for some violation or another. Not to worry, though, it's been taken care of and is now back online for all the people dying to have it...

I was a little worried, myself, but am now happy to report that you can get the Illinois flake, as well as one that looks like Hawaii and a couple other states...

The line, "Something really dramatic juts happened with our cornflake" is one of the best I've ever heard...

Beware fake antique whiskey in Scotland... and online!

Noah — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:14:09 GMT

This doesn't say anything about whether the whiskey's any good, but the bottles most certainly aren't.

This comes via a Chicago Web site called The Chicago Syndicate. It's a fun Web site, but the story is real, and serious.

There are a lot of folks out there that take their antique whiskey bottles - and their whiskey - seriously. If you are buying bottles online, and it's coming from Europe, especially Scotland, caveat emptor!

Just what I've always wanted! A corn flake that looks like Illinois...

Noah — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 15:19:13 GMT

Um... I'm... I'm just not sure what to say about this, or why I'm even posting it...

I feel a little confused, and fragile... Somebody hold me...

Retiring eBay CEO Whitman joins McCain campaign...

Noah — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 19:52:35 GMT

This is posted, from the AP Wire, with absolutely no bias either way on behalf of Antiques Trader. It's just simply an interesting bit of news about that dear friend of all online antiques... Meg Whitman.

Retiring eBay CEO Whitman joining McCain campaign
Source: AP - AP Wire Service

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - Outgoing eBay chief executive Meg Whitman is joining Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign as national co-chairperson.

The McCain campaign said Friday that she will help raise money and policy development and travel the country on his behalf.

Whitman also helped former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney during his bid for the Republican nomination.

She announced in January that she would retire from the online auction company after a decade at the helm.

She is leaving as eBay Inc. faces slowing growth.

Like I said, Trader has no opinion. It's just interesting...

Trader Question of the Week: What's the single most valuable antique you've ever bought at a show?

Noah — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 21:23:20 GMT

I guess it's only fair to open this question up to a broader range of sources, so let's say then: What's the single most valuable antique you've ever bought at a sale of any kind? How's that?

When I go to a shop or a show, I tend to forget value and buy with nostalgia. This doesn't take me back too far, to the 1970s and early 1980s, so I always end up with a beaten-up Star Wars action figure, or dog-eared football card of some Dallas Cowboy I loved as a kid.

Once, though, on a lonely Sunday while waiting for a movie to start in Downtown Waupaca, WI, I wandered into an antiques store to try and find something for my daughter. After an hour of looking, and believing I would leave empty-handed, I came to the last booth and saw it: A Lawson Wood print of two monkeys and a bear with the caption, "A good story, well told."

I loved it immediately. The giggling bear, one wise ape scratching his chin with amusement, and one more monkey telling the story with an arm draped over the bear and a casual hand about to make the final point. The ground is littered with apple cores, nuts and banana peels. Simply awesome.

Monetary value? Who knows? Sentimental, seeing my daughter's face light up whenever she looks at it and points, then says, "Papa!"?

There's no value that can be placed on that.

So, what's the single most valuable antique you've ever bought at a sale of any kind?

Send your answer to me at noah.fleisher@fwpubs.com, or post your answer in the comments below.

Despite it's corporate blindness, good ephemera deals on eBay still exist

Noah — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 13:48:09 GMT

For some reason it was very hard to write the headline to this post and not sound like I was trying to speak like Yoda...

"Hmmm... On eBay good ephemera buys still there are... Blind is eBay corporate... they must unlearn what they have learned..."

But I digress.

Marty at Ephemera Blog has posted this about another post he read and enjoyed about eBay still being the place to get good buys on ephemera, and he's right. Put aside your feelings about eBay corporate acting like a bunch of dolts in hurting it's dealer base and you can see, just by reading Marty's post, and the post he links to, that they're right.

As Master Yoda might say, "By your anger blinded be not... Good buys on ephemera there still are..."

Oh man, if I could get this mastadon and that triceratops... No one would mess with me!

Noah — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 19:00:42 GMT

The untold 10s of you - 10s, I say - that read this blog regualrly, might remember earlier this week when I posted about competing antiques auctions at Christie's and Sotheby's between a letter from Abe Lincoln and Triceratops.

Like the child of the 1970s that I am, raised on countless episodes of Land of the Lost - remember the slestaks, anyone? - I shamefully chose the triceratops over Honest Abe's historical letter. I'm still carrying the shame with me, oh yes, but check this out:

A family in the san Francisco area is selling the fossil of a complete Mastadon, found on their property, on eBay(!) for a starting bid of $115,000. This is a rather humorous article from the SF Chronicle on it; an entertaining read for a few minute distraction.

I have to agree with the writer's point: You can get mastadon bones on eBay for anywhere from .99 cents to $10, which is probably enough to satisfy the type of person looking for mastadon bones on eBay.

Still, if I could afford it, I'd do it in a second, and along with my triceratops, I'd rule the playground!

Antique Trader 3-19 preview, comin' at ya'

Noah — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 19:45:09 GMT

Here's a first look at our March 19 issue, a special for the Atlantique City Antiques Show, which is owned by Trader's parent company, F+W Publications.

It'll be a glossy front with an extra 5,000 copies distributed at AC on March 29-30, 2008 at the Altantic City Convention Center.

I'll be there. If you are around and want to say hi, please do...

Question of the week - Would your antiques business/hobby survive without technology?

Noah — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 14:43:40 GMT

I’d be lost without my work Blackberry, or my personal cell phone, or any of the three email accounts I maintain on a daily basis, or without my ability to type my antiques-related feelings about various antiques-related happenings in the world on the Antique Trader Blog – www.antiquetrader.com/atblog, by the way…

I lie awake at night and wonder if I’ve sent this email or that, or if a certain press release was sent or of that PR contact responded to my query. As much as I don’t want to admit it, I’m 100% hooked on tech.

In fact, I’d say that, if all the technology upon which my work is predicated were to suddenly disappear into the ether, I’d probably wander around, bereft for some time, in the words of Beatrix Potter in Peter Rabbit, going lippity, lippity, lipitty…

Then, I reckon, I’d hitch up my jeans and get on with it, doing business the way it was done for thousands of years – in person, face-to-face. It might, in fact, be quite refreshing.

Here’s what Antique Trader want to know this week: How would your antiques business or hobby fare without technology? How exactly would you cope in the short term, and what would you do long term?

Let me know at noah.fleisher@fwpubs.com, or post your answer in the comments section here.

Alternate Online Auctions - What are you using?

Noah — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 17:45:40 GMT

Just wondering, as I negotiate the explosion of sales and sites that have sprung up in response to eBay's "changes," what sites, exactly, are you going to either to supplement your eBay sales or to use as a whole other alternative?

I'd like to check them out, possibly start offering some reviews and interviews.

Anyone? Anyone?

Let me know in the comments section here, preferrably, or at noah.fleisher@fwpubs.com (as long as email's working by today...)

$3M record collection buyer a fraud - eBay bumming again

Noah — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:03:58 GMT

That record collection - easily the best record collection in one single place - was being sold by Paul Mahwinney out of Record Rama in Pittsburgh, PA (is there ay other?), which sold for $3M to an a buyer in Ireland on eBay last week?

Fraud.

I can't imagine that eBay, who has suffered so much bad press lately, can be terribly happy about this.

The "buyer" said that he was the victim of identity theft and that he got the invoice and couldn't believe it. I reckon that's possible, and a terrible email to get from PayPal, which is already such an unpleasant system.

Furthermore, it's reported that a rare Stones album, that Mahwinney has valued at $10,000, can be bought elsewhere on eBay for $599. Ouch.

Antique Trader 3-05 preview - Comin' at ya

Noah — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 21:56:27 GMT

Here's your weekly sneak peak at the upcoming Trader, that literally just went to press.

Is eBay trying to fill a leaky bucket?

Noah — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:34:34 GMT

I like this story about eBay after Whitman on the Forbes Magazine Web site, even if it is a bit too much re-hash and a bit too much corporate speak.

The writer, from Wharton College, outlines some interesting options that eBay and CEO-elect James Donahoe might take to shore up some of the problems it has right now. The article is, however, stictly from a business perspective and fails to approach the human side of the story, which is what we all know is going to drive the future of the business.

There still seems to be a disconnect between the corporate side of eBay and Wall Street to the nuts and bolts dealers who live and die in the trenches of online auctions.

One of the main thing I took away from the above article was thatr eBay will be looking to make inroads into Asia in order to beef up its revenue and return to the glory days of bazillions of dollars. Interesting philosophy, but if a bucket is leacking water from a hole, and you simply fill it at the same rate, there's certainly no net gain and - eventually - you're going to run out of water.

"eBay specials won't raise sinking ship"

Noah — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 21:01:03 GMT

I'm hard-pressed to disagree with Daryle Lambert's take on eBay's latest salvo - too late - to it's angered buyers.

Daryle posits, as several in the business have, that it's the mid-level buyer that get's hurt the most. eBay's original attempt to please stockholders was it's first mistake. Then it throws a piece of candy to a starving person and says it's dinner.

Many readers have written and agreed with this stance, and many have said that eBay, because it's eBay, will always have a palce. What alternative is there, right?

Right...

Dude... It's like, this dude's got all these records... and, dude, he's selling them...

Noah — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:52:51 GMT

Antique Trader had an article about this sale, by one Paul Mahwinney of Pittsburgh, of perhaps the greatest single collection of records ever to be sold at one time. Our story was in the 2-20 issue.

It is truly an amazing collection, and, if I had a cool $3M for just about every record ever recorded - and you can bet there are some rare and valuale ones in there - then I'd get in a second.

I'd reference Trader's article, but I couldn't resist this headline: Dude Auctions off "World's Greatest Record Collection."

Dude... Whoa...

Trader Question of the Week - 10 Years from Now?

Noah — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 15:17:27 GMT

In 1998, the Internet boom was full steam ahead, billions were being made simply by attaching .com to certain words. The age of the World Wide Web had arrived! In a matter of days - no, hours! - the everything was going go completely digital and anyone left behind was going to be sorry and, worse, poor in a world of uber-millionaires!

No one needs to be told what happened next.

We can also remember a little online auction site called eBay that was just starting to get legs under a female CEO named Meg Whitman. In the 10 years from then until now, eBay has helped redefine not only the auction business, and the antiques business, but the very nature of the Web itself. Who, exactly, could have foreseen that? My guess is very few.

My powers of prognostication are limited, weak, but I did get to wondering this week where the auction business will a decade from now. If I had to guess, which I suppose I do seeing as how I'm the one posing the question, then I would say there will be two or three major online auction players who contract with every large and small auction house and individual dealer. The world of Web auctions will be like one giant Brimfield of the ether, where anything can be gotten to through a few central portals. There will, of course, always be a few rogue individual auctions that will have to be chased down and brought to heel...

Antique Trader, then, wants to know this week: Exactly where do you see the Antiques Business in 10 years?

Post and answer here in the comments, or email it to me at noah.fleisher@fwpubs.com.

Antique Trader 2-27 comin' at ya

Noah — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 21:20:10 GMT

As we like to do around here, just a li'l sneak peak at the 2-27 cover.

More stolen Art in Europe - $160M worth

Noah — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 18:41:14 GMT

Just what exactly will it take for owner's of private, important collections of art - especially those on public display - to add security?

This is an unbelivable story, reported widely across the world this morning, about more than $160M in art stolen from the Beuhrle Collection in Zurich. I like the New York Times coverage best, so I linked to it here.

Chances are the artwork will go underground and decorate the home of some one who doesn't care that it's stolen goods. The market in art theft if huge, and the paintings are re-sold at hugely below actualy value. You could pick up one of these paintings, the Cezanne for instance, for a song... Say $15 million...

Let me just go check that shoebox in my closet. Maybe I'll cash in those bonds I got for my bar mitzvah so long ago.

Hey Beuhrle Collection! Get a lock on those doors and a connection to the police. Then maybe those priceless paintings will remain where they are and you'll be proven worthy to own such cultural treasures!

Online auctioneers divide eBay exodus booty

Noah — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 14:52:00 GMT

I've always wanted to use the words exodus and booty in a headline, and today was my chance. Just look at it... Marvelous in its simplistic complexity... Or maybe I just need another couple of hours of sleep - my two-year-old daughter has been up sick for most of the last two nights, so my mind is a little hazy...

Anyway...

I like this story from over at CNN Money, talking about how a lot of other online sites are already picking up the pieces of the shattered eBay buying coalition. Hardcore eBay-ers will stick with the compnay through thick and thin, but many others are leaving, or simply cutting back and "diversifying," if you will, in other online markets. Certainly a good idea given looming economic issues and a highly unorthodox presidential election.

The article also contains links to all of the Web sites it discusses, giving you a good chance to check them out and decide what, if anything, you like.