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The month of October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Bling My Bra is thrilled to be able to raise money for the second year in a row for this great cause! Once again, we will be auctioning off one-of-a-kind themed art bras through Giving Works auctions on eBay. Proceeds will benefit Susan G. Komen For the Cure. Look for eBay seller ID BlingMyBra or do a keyword search for “bling my bra”.

Founder Beth Cherkowsky of DepressionGlassWarehouse has handed over the reins to Kat Simpson of KatsKloset, who is heading up a committee of volunteers. This year’s committee includes Kat Simpson (@KatsKloset); Beth Cherkowsky (@DepressionGlassWarehouse); Danni Ackerman (@Udderlygoodstuff); Cindy Shebley (@CloverCitySells); Melinda Jackson (@GalleriaGifts) ; @eBetsy (TexAnna’s All*Store, The Acquisatory); Marlene Gavens (@TheSavvySeller); Beverly England (@samican2);  Christy Librizzi (@kaycee_studios); Karen Locker (@mommysbazaar); and Lee Mirabal (@sellvoice, co-host of eBay Radio).

Now the fun part: How can you get involved? There are several ways!

1. Make a themed art bra or bras to auction off
2. No time to sew or create but have a great idea? We have someone who will take ideas and run with them!
3. Help spread the word through Facebook, Twitter, and other social media networks
4. BID BID BID!

The featured bras are exquisite one-of-a-kind creations, incorporating fantasy, humor, and — above all — originality. Some will be created by celebrities, including Marsha Collier, bestselling author of the eBay For Dummies series and ecommerce expert. Some will represent hobbies or interests. EBay Radio will also be submitting a bra. There will be additional opportunities to donate to the important cause of breast cancer awareness through listings for related items in the Bling My Bra store.

The eBay auctions will be featured throughout the month of October through eBay seller ID BlingMyBra and keyword search “bling my bra”. Proceeds will benefit Susan G. Komen For the Cure.

Updated information is available at http://www.blingmybra.com. For more details, contact MediaRelations@blingmybra.com.

This is so cool! The guys over at ZippyCart.com came up with a fun illustration on ecommerce. Using that old game of Operation as a template, they came up with the e-commerce version…check it out!

[Via: ZippyCart.com: The Best Ecommerce Software Reviewed]
View Larger Image and Get the Embed Code to Add This Infographic to Your Site

HONG KONG, August 24, 2010 – Alibaba.com (HKSE: 1688.HK) (HK.1688), the world’s leading e-commerce company for small business, has entered into an agreement to acquire Auctiva, the leading third-party developer of tools for eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY) sellers. With more than 170,000 active users, Auctiva provides a variety of listing, marketing and management tools as well as image hosting and online storefronts that make it easy for small businesses to sell successfully via e-commerce on sites like eBay.

The acquisition of Auctiva, as well as Alibaba.com’s purchase of Vendio in June, combined with Alibaba.com’s strength in sourcing, will create a significant source of tools and resources for U.S. small businesses looking to leverage e-commerce. The combination of both the Auctiva and Vendio acquisitions brings more than 250,000 new customers to the Alibaba.com family of products, and significantly expands the size of Alibaba.com’s U.S. operations.

Through its recent acquisitions, Alibaba.com is building the world’s first global e-commerce supply chain. This end-to-end network connecting manufacturers and wholesalers with e-tailers and consumers will allow small businesses to easily source from suppliers all over the world, then conveniently manage and sell those products through popular online channels like eBay, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), their own online storefronts and more. 

“Time and money are the two most important things to me as a small business owner,” said Don Pinard, owner of www.peggsbargains.net, an Auctiva and AliExpress customer. “I spend a lot of time online looking for products I can sell. I used to use liquidation sites, but AliExpress is much better, and more reliable. If I can trim the cost of purchasing items by just 7% that will cover all store fees and shipping costs, which will really increase my profit.”

The online merchants who use both Auctiva and Vendio will have direct access to almost 1.5 million supplier storefronts on Alibaba.com’s sourcing platform andAliExpress (www.aliexpress.com), a wholesale transaction platform operated by Alibaba.com. This new connection from supplier to online merchant represents significant potential cost savings to customers. By sourcing their products directly from the manufacturer, reducing travel and taking advantage of global markets, Alibaba.com hopes to help small merchants increase their profit margin in the long term. For example, a jewelry retailer can sell a silver bracelet with black agate stones for US$12 on eBay and make a profit of US$7.09 if he/she originally purchased their inventory on AliExpress for US$4.91 per piece. These savings combined with the additional efficiencies of sourcing online will represent significant savings for the average online merchant.

With the acquisition, Auctiva’s platform will be integrated with AliExpress, allowing Auctiva users to connect to AliExpress via a tab on the Auctiva Web-based platform. This will enable customers to easily search for suppliers, acquire merchandise and list those products on eBay through their Auctiva accounts. Exclusive promotions and special deals on AliExpress products will be available to Auctiva users.

“Small online retailers are just starting to see how they can use international sourcing to their advantage, and we have seen the significant opportunity through customer reaction to our initial integration with Vendio,” said David Wei, chief executive officer of Alibaba.com. “Many small business owners never even thought that they would be able to source their products from overseas, as they didn’t have the staff or technological resources to do so. We are bringing both sides of the equation together to make international sourcing as easy as possible for any business.”

“Our mission has always been to help users sell more successfully online, particularly through the eBay channel,” said Jeff Schlicht, founder and CEO of Auctiva. “With more than 10,000 new users joining Auctiva each month, we are constantly looking for new ways to serve our customers and drive value for them. Joining Alibaba.com and connecting our buyers to the vast supplier base on Alibaba.com and AliExpress.com is the perfect way to help them grow and thrive in an increasingly competitive environment.”

The acquisition closed on Aug. 18, 2010, and is part of the US$100 million investment plan for AliExpress that Alibaba.com announced in April 2010. Auctiva will operate as a new business unit within Alibaba.com and will retain its own brand name and operations.

Rothschild was the financial adviser to Alibaba.com for this transaction and Morgan Joseph was the adviser to Auctiva for this transaction. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Yesterday eBay laid out their date for the ending of 3rd party checkout on its systems. No more will you have to use services to facilitate checkout, eBay will do that….

As you know, checkout is a crucial part of every eBay transaction. A consistent checkout experience helps buyers complete their purchases in confidence. For sellers, checkout touches critical business processes including payment collection, shipping, and tax reporting.

That’s why I’m writing today-well in advance-to let you know that as of June 30, 2011, eBay Checkout will be the only checkout process on eBay.

We’re now working closely with ChannelAdvisor to make your transition smooth and seamless. We’re also making significant enhancements to eBay Checkout to provide the key features and services you expect:

• More credit/debit card processing services
• Enhanced shipping support including support for more carriers, standardized services, and more control over shipping to Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorates, and APO/FPO addresses
• An advanced sales tax calculator
• and more

— Todd Lutwak, eBay
Vice President, Seller Experience

eBay Moves on 3rd Party Checkout and Alibaba buys Auctiva (ColderICE.com)

Online Commerce Overview

According to comScore’s eCommerce Brief, total online spend grew 9% Y/Y to $18.5B, which reflects a moderate acceleration vs. up 7% Y/Y in June and up 8% Y/Y in May.

Reportedly, comScome reveals that July Y/Y growth also shows a modest acceleration vs. 8% Y/Y growth reported in Q2: 10 & Q1: 10. Some key segments that contributed to this are primarily the 20% Y/Y increase in Books and Magazines, 16% Y/Y growth in online sales of Computers and Peripherals with a 16% Y/Y growth in online sales and finally a 12% Y/Y increase in Computer Software and Jewelry purchases.

The U.S. Department of Commerce reported that Total U.S. Online Retail Spend increased 14% Y/Y to $39.7B in Q2, 0.3% below the 14.3% Y/Y in Q1. A 12% Y/Y Growth in 2010 U.S. eCommerce is estimated at this point, which means that approximately $160B in Online Retail spend in 2010 and is driven by 5% overall growth for U.S. Retail Sales and approximately 25 bps of overall Offline-to-Online Retail share shift in 2010.
 

eBay shares are down 10% YTD in a roughly flat market, including down as much as 30% from late March highs. Y/Y Online Retail Traffic was up 14.6% Y/Y, modestly positive, vs. Q2 and Q1 traffic trends at about 13.0% Y/Y growth. comScore tracked 16% Y/Y Amazon’s growth for the U.S. website, a deceleration vs. 21% in Q2 and 24% in Q1, and they’ve tracked a 2% Y/Y decline to eBay’s U.S. Website, a better trend vs. its 5% Y/Y decline in Q2 and 4% Y/Y decline in Q1, despite tougher competition.

Specifically for eBay, PayPal continues to produce impressive Growth/Profits with H1:10 Payment Volume growth off-eBay an impressive 46% Y/Y ex-FX, and Payment Segment Profits up 55% Y/Y. The upshot is a long-term bottom-line PayPal growth outlook of 20%-30%. Also, eBay’s Marketplace may finally be showing improvement.

Some key points that on eBay’s Marketplace are, ChannelAdvisor, which reported stabilization (0% Y/Y change) in eBay Same Store Sale for July, after Y/Y declines in May and June of 4% and 5%. While comScore July eBay traffic data showed 1.5% Y/Y decline vs. an average of 4%-6% Y/Y over the prior four quarters and finally, the 8/10 launch on eBay UK of a Shopping Basket test may finally address arguably the single biggest User Interface gap on eBay.

SAN JOSE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY), the world’s largest online marketplace and global m-commerce leader, today announced that retail apparel veteran and accomplished e-commerce entrepreneur Miriam Lahage is joining the company in the newly created role of General Manager, eBay Fashion, responsible for growing and driving innovation across the company’s multibillion-dollar fashion category.
“Miriam’s deep retail experience and entrepreneurial vision for fashion e-commerce will be a great asset to eBay as we drive shopping innovation and extend our leadership in this category”

A well-respected merchant, Lahage brings extensive offline and e-commerce, value-oriented and luxury brand retail experience to the role. Lahage spent more than 20 years with TJX Companies, the off-price global retailer of apparel and home fashions, rising from store manager to senior executive roles in merchandising and general management. Most recently, Lahage worked as a consultant to Natalie Massenet at NET-A-PORTER to help grow theOutnet business. In 2007, she successfully launched Koodos.com, the first online discount boutique for designer brands in the U.K., and managed the successful sale of Koodos in late 2009 to E-Trader Group.

“Miriam’s deep retail experience and entrepreneurial vision for fashion e-commerce will be a great asset to eBay as we drive shopping innovation and extend our leadership in this category,” said eBay Inc. President and CEO John Donahoe. “We are committed to delivering fashion consumers the broadest selection of clothing, shoes and accessories online at incredible value. We’re equally committed to providing brands, designers and small-business fashion entrepreneurs a cost-effective, highly competitive distribution channel and compelling shopping environment to drive growth.”

eBay is a leading fashion destination with more than $5 billion of merchandise volume annually. eBay features 20 million average daily fashion listings, offering buyers a broad selection at great value. A pair of shoes is sold every 8 seconds; a dress every 10 seconds. eBay has 10 million active fashion shoppers in the U.S.
“eBay is incredibly well-positioned to drive shopping innovation and create growth opportunities for fashion brands,” Lahage said. “I’m thrilled to have the chance to lead such a dynamic business. No other destination can offer fashion savvy shoppers such choice and value.”

Earlier this year, eBay began introducing significant enhancements to the shopping experience with the launch of fashion.ebay.com. New image similarity technology and browsing capabilities, boutique experiences and editorial merchandising make shopping eBay’s vast selection easier than ever. The company also has expanded its Fashion Vault flash sales, working with a broad range of designer and contemporary brands to offer consumers access to limited inventory at deep discounts.

This summer eBay took fashion mobile with the launch of its free eBay Fashion iPhone app. The eBay Fashion app delivers a personalized shopping experience where shoppers can browse, buy and “try on” items virtually anytime, anywhere. The app features a personalized closet, an outfit builder, social media sharing, direct entry to the eBay Fashion Vault and a virtual style gallery.

eBay also has featured an exclusive with designer Narciso Rodriguez, who turned to eBay to launch his first online capsule collection in the Spring of 2010. The company is exploring exclusives with other designers and is supporting emerging designers as a member of the 2010 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Business Advisory Committee. eBay is underwriting the seventh annual CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund awards dinner, to be held November 15 in New York.

eBay is in its 15 year anniversary and Facebook just announced it has over 1/2 billion members. It’s amazing to me when I think back on all the things that eBay did over its 15 year course. Pretty amazing how this site changed the face of ecommerce on the web. However, one of the things that it did in the last few years, I find really interesting. Since John Donahoe become the CEO, what’s most interesting about eBay is to compaire its growth to others. If you look to the last few years of eBay and the last few years of Facebook, you can see how one man’s trash became another man’s treasure.

Facebook is right now the number one site on the internet with over five hundred million users in social media. It’s getting more traffic now than Google, as a landing page, and just a few years ago it was not even on the radar. What made Facebook grow so fast? It was the community. What made eBay grow so fast in the 90’s? It was the community. The last eBay Live I attended was themed “the Power of Us All” which was recognizing the power of the community.

Yet recently, eBay and John Donahoe have decided that the community is no longer important for their platform and they even rolled out the founder of eBay to help them trashed it. eBay told their community to basically f*ck off, we are NOT going to keep things fair and balanced. I think John Donahoe refers to the eBay community principle, as a “sacred cow” in this video with Pierre. At one time Peirre valued and treasured that cow, but guess they missed the meaning of the word “sacred” and messed with the magic formula. The new eBay says nope, we got other things more important to us than our community. They trashed all of the tools that the community would use to communicate with each other. Bought Skype and then figured out that they did not want the community to talk to each other. They changed all the open chat forums and boards and locked them down tight. So tight, that the community could no freely interact with one another the way they did in the past.

Donahoe and crew even removed the ability to blog on their platform, discouraged the sharing of photos in ads. Now just a few years later and all

of these kind of things that eBay threw away basically became Facebook, now you see how community is so important to a business model. They are building a business model around the community the same way that eBay built its business model via a community. The community is the most important nucleon of any business.

I remember back in the late 80’s, early 90’s, one of my most favorite shows was a show called “Cheers” and they had a song, and in the theme

song it said “A place where everybody knows your name” and no matter how good or bad the economy was or how good or bad people’s lives were. They always communed at this little bar called Cheers. So, cheers never had an episode about it going out of business or having money problem, because they could always sell liquor to their community.

Community is probably one of the most important factors in business so get it, understand it and use it for your benefit in your business. Don’t trash your community; learn from the mistakes of companies like eBay and from the successes of companies like Facebook. Embrace your community!