Online holiday shopping season kicks off

By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO, AP Business Writer Mon Nov 26, 7:50 AM ET

NEW YORK - Retailers are hoping last week's strong start to the holiday shopping season at malls and stores translates into a busy buying season online, which officially begins Monday. The Monday after Thanksgiving, tagged "Cyber Monday" by the National Retail Federation, marks the first big online shopping surge for many merchants as consumers return to their work computers.

A number of retailers are hosting one-day sales or special offers for the occasion. Internet research firm comScore Inc. estimated online sales may exceed $700 million online on Monday.
As for brick-and-mortar outlets, ShopperTrak RCT Corp., which tracks total sales at more than 50,000 retail outlets, reported late Sunday that sales on Friday and Saturday combined rose 7.2 percent to $16.4 billion from the same two-day period a year ago.

The biggest draw was electronics, benefiting chains like Best Buy Co. and discounters such as Walmart and Target. Popular-priced department stores including J.C. Penney Co. and Kohl's Corp. drew in crowds with good deals.

Toy stores like Toys "R" Us Inc. fared well too. Still, apparel sales appeared to be mixed at mall-based clothing stores, though a cold weather snap helped spur sales of outerwear and other winter-related items. "This was a really good start," said Bill Martin, co-founder of ShopperTrak. "There seemed to be a lot of pent-up demand." Now the attention moves online. Toys "R" Us Inc. will hold a one-day online sale and rival eToys.com will launch a two-day sale. Walmart Inc. will begin five days of online-only sales.

Online jeweler Bluenile Inc. will give customers 20 percent off purchases paid through PayPal, eBay! Inc.'s electronic payment division. Target Corp., Circuit City Stores Inc., Sears Holdings Corp., Crate & Barrel, the Discovery Store and Overstock Inc. are among dozens of retailers offering free shipping that day.

"The online community is getting more competitive as the amount of new customers slows," according to Scott Silverman, executive director of Shop.org, an online arm of the National Retail Federation. "Add to that the concerns about the economy, and promotions and sales provide a great way to get people excited."

Silverman said the number of retailers offering free shipping with no conditions, such as a minimum purchase, has jumped to 41.4 percent from 36 percent last year. Nearly one-third of retailers are also having special one-day sales for Cyber Monday. Forty-two percent plan some kind of promotion, according to the NRF's annual survey.

In fact, the number of retailers hosting online deals on the Monday after Thanksgiving has surged to 72 percent of those polled from 42 percent just two years ago. Despite a decent showing, many shoppers interviewed said they planned to curb their spending. Earl Lee, a mechanic from Live Oak, Fla., who was shopping in Tallahassee, said that he was planning on spending less this holiday season.

"Gas prices, everything's so high," he added.John Muller, of Clifton, N.J., who was standing outside Macy's Herald Square in Manhattan on Sunday, said he plans to spend only about $500 this year, half as much as a year ago, because of higher expenses and worries about the economy. This year, "we are mostly buying for the kids," said Muller, who has two children, ages 3 and 7.

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Online merchants happy, so far

from CNNmoney

Sites eBay! & Amazon

say they're seeing bigger-than-expected

spike in traffic,

deals in first days of holiday shopping season

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Two online retail companies gave positive reports on the first days of the Thanksgiving weekend, saying sales were up significantly in the traditional holiday kickoff period from a year earlier.

eBay! said its Shopping.com site saw a 61 percent increase in Black Friday traffic from the 2006 period. Meanwhile, PriceGrabber.com, a comparison-shopping site run by Britain's Experian Group Ltd., said referrals from its site to participating merchants were up 47 percent on Black Friday from a year ago. According to both merchants, projections for online sales increases this season are in the 20 percent range, to about $33 billion. "Early signs from a very busy Black Friday show that many shoppers are grabbing their mouse instead of their car keys this holiday season," Jim Griffith, eBay Inc. dean of education, said in a statement.

Amazon 'Kindles' readers' imaginations
Both eBay and PriceGrabber said the Nintendo Wii game console was among the most popular items sold online. eBay said its namesake site sold 358 Wiis on Black Friday at an average price of $411.76, more than $161 above its suggested retail price. eBay said Webkinz pet toys were the hottest toys on the Shopping.com site this year. Both sides are expecting a bump up in traffic on Monday, a day often referred to as Cyber Monday because it's usually the first big day of holiday online shopping of the season. But the sites say they expect the second Monday in December - Dec. 10 this year - to be the busiest day for shopping online

Online Shopping Brokers: eBay Stores

Online Shopping Brokers: eBay Stores

How to Boost Your Business With Ebay Stores
By Ian Mcintosh

Ebay Stores is a relatively new development from eBay, it allows sellers to place all of their items for sale in one central location. This location is called the seller’s “Store”.

Although eBay Stores haven’t been around for a long time, they have become very popular and you can find all manner of items in them. Almost every subject under the sun is covered, in fact there are as many eBay Store types as there are eBay categories. Just go to any category on the eBay site and there will be people selling their goods from an eBay Store.

Store themes range from baby clothes and bridal wear, through photography, collectibles and computer equipment, right up to industrial plant and machinery. High value specialist sites Real Estate and Cars also have many Stores on eBay.

So how can you profit from having an eBay store?

The main benefit of a store is to capitalize on the huge traffic that eBay can bring. Every day millions of people visit the site and many thousands sign up as new members. If you don’t have a store presence on eBay you will never have a chance of catching some of that traffic and converting it into sales.

It only costs a few dollars to open an eBay Store and pennies to list an item. Imagine how much it would cost to open a store in the “real” world! Worse, you might not even get as much exposure for your items as you do with your eBay Store. It really is an amazingly cost-effective way to start or expand a business.

So is it time for you to consider opening your own eBay Store? The answer is undoubtedly yes! Whether you have an inventory of many thousands of items or you only have a few specialist things you want to sell, eBay Stores listing fees are dirt-cheap and make it very cost effective to get going.

So why not get started today and open your first eBay Store!

Making money from your eBay Store is easy!

Online Shopping Brokers: eBay!

Online Shopping Brokers: eBay!

EBay: EBay Can Be A Lucrative Business
By Donny Lowy

eBay offers sellers the opportunity to instantly connect with millions of customers. eBay, the giant online auction house, offers the opportunity for sellers and buyers of almost every type of merchandise to connect. Buyers can search eBay for deals on brand name clothing, hard to find collectibles, and rare antiques.

Inside eBay you will find categories, and subcategories, covering thousands of different products. A browser can easily spend countless hours searching eBay for unique items that match almost every type of interest, no matter how eclectic. eBay has developed a strong online auction that has enabled thousands of people to set up full time businesses, based exclusively on eBay.

So how can you enter the lucrative market of eBay?

1. Know the eBay market. Before you decide to sell on eBay you want to research what sells and doesn’t sell on eBay. You would be surprised at what sells, and what doesn’t. Remember that people shop on eBay for different reasons than they shop at a local mall.

2. Review eBay product sales. How does your product sell on eBay? When does your product sell for the highest price on eBay? What are buyers on eBay really looking for, when it comes to your product?

3. Frequency of eBay auctions. How many auctions are being finalized on eBay for your product? A high number of finalized auctions on eBay, indicates a high level of interest on eBay for your product.

4. eBay profitability for your product. Are the auctions on eBay ending at a high enough profit to give you a profit? The profit can be low, as long as the volume on eBay makes up for it.

eBay definitely offers plenty of opportunities. eBay businesses can develop six figure sales while avoiding many of the high fixed costs of non eBay businesses. You can be successful in the eBay marketplace provided that you have fully researched eBay, and you understand what it takes to be successful on eBay.

Online Shopping Brokers: eBay

Online Shopping Brokers: eBay



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About eBay

Founded in 1995, eBay Inc. connects hundreds of millions of people around the world every day, empowering them to explore new opportunities and innovate together. eBay Inc. does this by providing the Internet platforms of choice for global commerce, payments and communications. Since its inception, eBay Inc. has expanded to include some of the strongest brands in the world, including eBay, PayPal, Skype, Shopping.com, and others. eBay Inc. is headquartered in San Jose, California.

Company Narrative

Despite differences in language, culture and economic status, people around the world are united in their fundamental need to connect, discover and interact.

People seek fulfillment of these fundamental needs in their day-to-day activities. As we explore, learn, shop, share and talk with each other, we are also aspiring toward a more emotionally satisfying experience as human beings.

eBay's original vision was to create the world's first global economic democracy. We saw a "people's market" in which anyone in the world could sell or buy just about anything for a fair price. And today on the eBay marketplace, trust, honesty and efficiency are rewarded more than size or status.

But over the past 10 years, the Internet has expanded, and so has humankind's relationship with it. More and more of our day-to-day activities are conducted online. The Internet continually enhances our ability to connect with the world around us.

And eBay Inc. now plays an even larger role in our lives, as well. It's no longer just about fairness. It's about fostering that human connection through "Social Commerce," which we define as "a powerful combination of commerce, communication and community that enhances traditional buying and selling."

eBay Inc. will make Social Commerce a global reality. We will continue to expand economic opportunity by fostering an emotionally satisfying experience for people around the world to explore, learn, shop, share and talk with each other. We will do this by managing and growing some of the strongest brands in the world, including eBay, PayPal, Skype, Shopping.com, and others.

We will continue to innovate and integrate the technologies and policies that make these day-to-day activities even more trusted, fair and efficient than they are today.

Hundreds of millions of people who use eBay today are already experiencing this new way to connect. eBay Inc. will make it so easy and rewarding to engage in Social Commerce that we believe hundreds of millions of more will participate. And this next generation will bring with them new products, ideas and opportunities for everyone.

Ultimately, eBay Inc. will raise the expectations—and aspirations—of people around the world as they seek to connect, discover and interact with each other.

eBay Headquarters:

eBay Inc.
2145 Hamilton Avenue
San Jose, CA 95125

PayPal Headquarters:

eBay Park North
2211 North First Street
San Jose, CA 95131

Skype Headquarters:

2 Stephen Street
London W1T 1AN
United Kingdom

Online Shopping Brokers: eBay



Online Shopping Brokers: eBay



Online Shopping Brokers: eBay