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Auctiva, a leader in tools for online sellers, is launching AMP – the Auctiva Marketplace Platform. AMP takes item information from thousands of individual e-commerce stores and groups them together into one platform that developers can use to build custom marketplaces and applications. This simple idea offers an opportunity never before seen in the e-commerce space: open development of e-commerce marketplaces. Developers can sign up and start using AMP today at www.poweredbyamp.com.

Only a handful of online marketplaces exist today. Prior to AMP, creating online marketplaces has been unattainable for most, requiring millions of dollars of investment and a sizable infrastructure. Auctiva Founder and CEO, Jeff Schlicht, says, "AMP allows developers to create whatever it is that excites them for the e-commerce world. By releasing AMP we hope to open a new range of possibilities and kick-start innovation in the e-commerce space."

As an example of what AMP can do, Auctiva is also announcing the beta release of Elefy (www.elefy.com), a marketplace with a search-driven interface. Other AMP projects currently in development by Auctiva and its partners include a marketplace for vintage items and another focusing on "green" and eco-friendly products.

A key feature of AMP is that the items for sale on the platform come from multiple "inventory providers." It is this feature that allows AMP to launch with over half a million items from Auctiva Commerce stores and from launch partner BuyitSellit. "AMP will allow our sellers to reach buyers in multiple locations, without a seller having to do any additional work," says Greg Sisung, President of BuyitSellit, LLC, "It took minimal effort to integrate with AMP, and now our sellers will see their items in new marketplaces as they are developed."

With developers able to build apps and marketplaces of all kinds, AMP seeks to put sellers’ items all over the Web instead of locking sellers into one site. Open development on AMP not only allows for multiple marketplaces, but also apps to reach mobile users, and apps to target specific audiences on social networking sites and blogs. "Developers are creative people," says Alan Lewis, AMP Product Manager, "We have only seen the beginning of what AMP can do."

 

What is a marketplace?

An online store offers items from a single seller; marketplaces offer items from multiple sellers in one place. In the same way that a farmers’ market has much more foot traffic than a roadside fruit stand, online marketplaces bring more buyers by having inventory from multiple sellers.

The Auctiva Marketplace Platform, or AMP, as we call it, is a technology framework that allows software developers to build custom marketplaces. There are lots of products that allow people to create online stores, but AMP is the first to make it easy to build online marketplaces.

Why in the world do people care what I think? I am not trying to be funny, I am being serious here. I am "just a squirrel trying to get a nut", either that or I am just a NUT, you can take your pick, LMAO

So I write a story that gives an example (albeit, a very simple one) that explains what round-tripping means as it relates to eBay Partner Network (ePN). That was a follow-up comment from the Auctiva shift to paid platform story.

From that, I got to speak with both InkFrog and Vendio on how they plan to respond. And now Auctiva has contacted your boy to "school me" on the situation at hand. So Spencer Smith, Auctiva’s Director of Marketing reaches out to me in this regard. First I want to give you the quotes…

Thumbnails (pictures) that are in the scroll galleries sellers embed in eBay auctions have NEVER had cookies attached to them.

The search box and the "click to browse items" DID have cookies attached to them ONLY after the buyer leaves the eBay site and goes to a DIFFERENT item from the same or different seller.

Auctiva NEVER took share if the buyer went back to the same item from the same seller.

eBay audited ALL activity by Auctiva and Auctiva was NEVER in violation of any ePN rules. When the terms changed, Auctiva complied to all changes and was never in violation.

Just to let you guys know, I don’t use ANY of Auctiva’s tools so I have ZERO skin in this game. There is no dog in the fight for me, but as a seller I realize how changes in fees can impact an eBay sellers business dramatically. My phone was ringing all weekend about this issue. So my goal is to educate and inform, BUT not report!!!!

I AM NOT A REPORTER, I am a commentator. Ina? Now she is a reporter. She does that better than anyone in this auction space. If you live in the UK, then the guys at Tamebay are reporting the news for you. Lil’ ol me? I am just here for levity

Get it? Got it? Good…lets get down to business baby.

Auctiva is in about 20% of all eBay auctions. You do NOT get that much real estate in the eBay systems (IMHO) without eBay being in the loop. I can really understand that Auctiva could not ever be in violation of rules because eBay always held their "on-off money switch". So I can see how they would have to always play inside the rules and be in constant contact with the ePN compliance team. Personally, I feel the notion that Auctiva was doing wrong is complete and utter NONSENSE. To put it plainly I think it is bull’ish and is FALSE.

Having said that, I do believe that a buyer on eBay that clicks a link in ANY ad that takes them off of eBay and then back to eBay (to the same or different item) is STILL round tripping. If I leave Chicago from O’Hare and then return at Midway….Or if I leave New York from La Guardia and return to Kennedy, I am still back in New York and that my friends is a ROUND TRIP TICKET not two one way tickets!!! So get off my arse dudes, LMAO. Phew, glad I got that out of the way.

eBay has said that going forward even links that take you to a different item will no longer be paid by the ePN program (announced in September 2008). They were OK in the past but in the future they will no longer be calculated as a paid commission and THAT my friends is what is going on.

Some points of clarity on the pricing structure that Spencer did let me know about. 

• Although the billing period begins on July 1, users will NOT be actually billed until the first weeks of August. So you actually have 60 days before you have a bill due to them.
• They looked at Vendio’s old billing structure to craft this new billing plan for their sight, so it is NOT unprecedented.
• The TOP level will be capped at $199.00 which included everything EVEN image hosting.
• They offer a 30-day FREE trial with NO CREDIT CARD required. So that is a risk free offer for new users.
• The will be providing more support INCLUDING live chat for all paid plan subscribers.

So, I hope this informative post lets you guys make an educated decision when selecting a paid provider for your eBay auction tool.

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In my video on the new Auctiva price increase I was rather critical of the timeframe given for sellers to adjust. When you move from free to $9.95 or as much as  $34.95 a month PLUS transaction fees, that is like and INFINATE price increase. That is like going from 0-60 mph on the Superman ride at the amusement park, it takes your breath away.

Price is not at issue with me, hell everyone has GOT to make money and that is real. What I was most concerned with was users were only given 30 days notice. Now that was some BULL’ish IMHO. It is so bad, you have to laugh at the absurdity of the timing (oops, I think I did in the video).

So to aid in helping those who are looking for more options or need to evaluate alternative platforms, I spoke to InkFrog and now Vendio is going to offer old Auctiva users FREE access!!!

On the floor at the Ecommerce Summit, I met up with Michael Levit who is the Senior VP of Marketing for Vendio.com

Why oh why is the eBayosphere all up in arms? Well it is quite simple. Back in September 2008 eBay changed its policy for what is known as “round tripping” links. Ebay pays affiliates for driving traffic to eBay through ads, websites and keywords etc. Many of these affiliate will set up shops that contain eBay product ads and those ads drive buyers to the eBay site. When a buyer makes a purchase a portion of that is paid to the original sender of that traffic.

One of the techniques used by some of the “black hat” crowd was to take a buyer on eBay, off the eBay site via methods of showing more pictures, or extra descriptions or even via email in response to customer questions. When the buyer would visit this off eBay link, they would drop an affiliate cookie into the browser and then get paid from eBay as if this was a true referral, hence the name “round tripping”.

To combat this behavior eBay announce the “ART (Anti-Round Tripping) rule” to much HOOPLA in the ePN community.  eBay has responded that …

“Our goal in making this change to our Terms and Conditions is to ensure that affiliates are getting compensated for bringing us traffic to eBay, not for taking traffic that is already on eBay through a link to another page deliberately and sending it back to us with a cookie to get credit for a subsequent transaction.” … “you can’t send buyers from an eBay page to another page that can set ePN (eBay Partner Network) cookie and bring them back.”

At issue for sites like Auctiva was many of their free tools and seller stores would post inside of auctions on eBay and drive buyers from one item to others offered by sellers using affiliate codes. Auctiva would be paid a fee for this “traffic” PRIOR to the changes in the terms of the ePN agreement. Once eBay made the change, Auctiva was a dolphin caught in a tuna net. Their major revenue model just got 3 flats and nail in the 4th tire. This puppy was on life support overnight!

So now after attempts to breath life into the model the CEO, Jeff Schlicht has revised his platform and announced a fee based platform beginning on July 1, 2009.  Buy doing this move in such a stunning fashion BLOOD is in the waters now and the sharks are schooling. With the Monster Virus fiasco earlier this year, and now this MAJOR change, other service providers see an opportunity to take share and they are gearing up for a hoped Auctiva exodus by users.

Reports are saying that Vendio is making an offer of FREE service tools for 2009 for all former Auctiva users. However, I have not spoken with anyone from there to corroborate that report so right now it is just a rumor.

But I did speak with the new Marketing Director for InkFrog over the weekend. Deb Levitt (of AsWas) is now working at the marketing helm for InkFrog. She was very candid about what they have in place to assist users wanting to switch.

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I did the initial story that had just the facts on the Auctiva fee change. But not lets get down to the REAL nitty gritty. What should you DO?

Well I say you should at least watch this video. This is about you business and your ability to remain profitable. This saga is just beginning and you want to make sure that you make a proper decision! Pass this one around to your eBay buddies cause we all NEED to think about the next move.

OK, so some were reading a story in the AuctionBytes web site and then my email and phone started to "blow up". So I am like…WTF is going on? Why is there so much commotion?

So then I get around to the email to see a press release from Auctiva.com and here is the ENTIRE communication for you guys. There is a call today that I will be on, and AFTER that call, I will make my "educated" comments… Dude, I am SURE you do not want to miss what I got to say about this one, LMAO

by Auctiva.com staff writer – May 28, 2009

Auctiva, the world’s largest independent eBay developer, began sending out e-mails to its users this week, letting them know the company will soon begin charging for some of its popular eBay-listing services.

"We did not come to this decision lightly," founder and CEO Jeff Schlicht writes in his address to customers. Referencing external business factors that led to this decision, Schlicht continues: "The e-Commerce landscape is constantly evolving. It has always been our promise to you to provide a complete e-Commerce solution that will meet your needs today, tomorrow and beyond."

"Beginning to charge for some of our services will help us continue to support our site and add improvements in our quest to become the Web-based solution for those wanting to do e-commerce," adds Spencer Smith, Auctiva’s director of marketing.

Schlicht and Smith say they are very pleased to have been able to design a flexible pricing structure that will fit all sellers’ budgets.

"When it comes to pricing, one size does not fit all," explains Smith. "While some of our competitors have chosen to specialize in a particular niche of eBay sellers, our user base has always been very eclectic, ranging from the full-time corporate PowerSeller to the occasional or new eBay seller. Our various plans allow you to choose the most economical option to fit your unique eBay business."

Once the new policy change is reflected on the site during the first week in June, customers will have to choose from one of Auctiva’s five new plans. Plans range from one with no monthly fees and three free listings per month for occasional eBay sellers to another for high-volume sellers that will cost $24.95 a month and includes a free Auctiva Commerce off-eBay store.

"It’s important to us to make the transition as seamless as possible for users," Smith explains. "We’re doing our best to give our customers all the information they need and enough time to evaluate it."

To provide customers both that information and time, the company began notifying its users before the changes were reflected on the site, or reported by the media. Auctiva has also set up a dedicated community forum discussion to aid communication with its users during the transition. Anticipated questions and answers are included in that forum thread as well.

Additionally, the company has planned a series of webinars to allow users to ask questions directly to management, including one on Monday, June 1, and another onTuesday, June 2. Auctiva plans to record these webinars and post highlights to its site soon after they are held.

Auctiva will also help guide users to the most affordable option for them. Once released early next week, the site’s Pricing Comparison page will recommend a plan, based on the user’s eBay listings and sales during the previous 90 days. Additionally, individual Pricing Plan pages will allow users to enter their own listing and sales data to estimate fees under the various plans.

Current customers will have until June 30 (about a month) to choose their pricing plan and place a credit card on file for auto-payment. (The company expects to also support PayPal autopay by the end of June). Similarly, new users will have an unrestricted 30-day trial period from the day they sign up to evaluate Auctiva’s tools and select the best plan for them.

Those who don’t specify a plan by the end of their 30-day trial period will be restricted from posting new listings to eBay, but will maintain access to Auctiva’s suite of free tools, including Auctiva’s Scrolling Gallery, a free Auctiva Store, up to 1 MB of free image hosting, auto marketing e-mails, data storage and access to Auctiva Education. These features come standard with all of Auctiva’s five listing plans.

All of the company’s plans are month-to-month, and users can elect to switch plans whenever they like, as many times as they wish.

"By adopting this business model, we’re closely aligning our revenue with the success of our sellers," Smith states confidently. "We’re committed to providing the tools to make it easier for our customers to sell online more efficiently and for greater profits, whether on or off eBay, or both."

While this announcement may come as a major surprise to many, Auctiva stresses its focus is on providing true value to its customers, a principle the company’s management says will only be strengthened by this new shift.

Other features of the June release include the company’s decision to offer free "live chat" customer support to all paying customers, more detailed invoicing, an ever-expanding library of video tutorials and help content and a newly designed account dashboard that allows users easy viewing and modification of important account settings.

So now after 5 DAYS…Auctiva “TURNS OFF THE CHINESE “MONSTER” VIRUS”. MAN, did I almost call this scenario on the Emergency Call with Dwight Miller from Sunday? HELLO!!!

I think some may have thought my constant reporting of this starting on Saturday was not a “big deal”?!? Seemed like I was screaming in the wind, LMAO.  However it looks like the guys at Auctiva were NOT sleeping at all. They knew it was big, but kinda didn’t tell us till TODAY?!?

They are telling users to search the PC’s for the MYSTERY Virus. HEY AUCTIVA what is the “name” of the mystery virus our PC might have?!? Hook me up dude, that would be nice to know bro. Thanks…Here is the notice that was emailed  and posted tonight.

SUBJECT: Information regarding Auctiva’s Site Warning
February 23, 2009
7:30 PM PST

On Thursday, February 19 we discovered the presence of malware on the Auctiva servers. This caused Google to flag Auctiva as a dangerous site. Our Systems Engineers identified the malware through our monitoring system and they immediately began working to isolate the infected servers and take them offline. During this process the site was running on fewer servers and you may have experienced some delays.

The infected servers were wiped clean and by Saturday morning, most servers were put back online. As of Sunday night, Google rescanned Auctiva.com and determined we were safe to navigate. However, upon continued monitoring today, additional malware was detected and we decided to temporarily take Auctiva.com offline to eliminate the possibility of further infection. We take the security of our site very seriously. We have identified the source of the problem and we are working 24/7 to resolve the issue. We will bring Auctiva.com back online once we are confident we can provide the level of safety and security for our customers that we have for the past 10 years.

What can you do now?

If you visited www.auctiva.com between Thursday evening and Saturday afternoon at about 2 PM PST, as a precautionary measure we recommend taking the following actions to ensure that your computers are not infected:

1. Clear your browser cache, delete ALL temporary internet files, and restart your browser. For instructions specific about your browser: http://community.auctiva.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1081020411/m/11910151?r=31410571#31410571
2. If using a Windows machine, make sure you are updated with all the current Microsoft updates and patches.
3. Make sure you are running reputable antivirus software.
4. Use the Firefox browser if possible, as it has been shown to be less susceptible to this sort of malware than Internet Explorer.

During this time your Auctiva Checkout, scheduled listings, and images, templates and scrolling gallery in listings on eBay will remain available.

As we work through this issue we will post regular updates on our Community Forums

http://community.auctiva.com/eve/forums/a/frm/f/1081020411.

Sincerely,
Kevin Kinell
VP, Engineering

OK guys, so what facts have been reveled now?

1. Auctiva had a REAL virus that “could” have spread to users PC’s
2. It started (to their knowledge) Thursday evening
3. Its ability to infect PC’s ended (to their knowledge) on Saturday about 2 or so, they really were not 100% clear.
4. Google FOUND the virus on the servers on a routine scan (kudos to Google, they run a tight ship I guess)
5. Auctiva NOW is saying that it had to “take Auctiva.com offline to eliminate the possibility of further infection.”
6. They FINALLY decide to make a statement about this issue to the user community via email 5 days later.

So I am puzzled and left with just a couple of questions?

1. Does eBay KNOW that people “can” be infected?
2. Could users on eBay get it in ANY WAY? Just an FYI question for clarity?
3. Can a BUYER of items making payments on Auctiva checkout get the “disease” by contact?
4. Why did you wait till now to tell me to SCAN MY PC? It could have been on it since THURSDAY?
5. What the HELL does this virus do? It like asking my to search my body for a lump man? What the hell is it? I am a little nervous now.
6. Can I give it to others? How does it spread…

I got 1 more question and this is hypothetical…Lets say I was using Auctiva and my buyer got a virus…Would the DSR rating count? LMAO…Gots to add levity now, this is NOT FUNNY on its own anymore

This morning I am HAPPY to report that the issues with Auctiva and their “malicious software” has been resolved. I was able to get to the Auctiva pages will NO ALERTS from Google. The tag of malicious site has been REMOVED!

The pending status is good news for ALL the sellers that use the tool. But the lingering damage to trust and reputation could play out for weeks to come. I am going back to reflect on what transpired and will be presenting it THIS WEDNESDAY on the the B.S. Walks program at 1:14 pm.

This Auctiva situation was a WAKE UP CALL and a good case study, worthy of the time to review it. So please join me on Wednesday 1:14 pm for B.S. Walks as we analyze this entire 3 day event.