It’s been a busy month in ecommerce. In the last week alone, sellers praised eBay’s decision to lift restrictions on Markdown sales, while they remained skeptical over eBay’s claims about the impact of managed payments on sellers’ sales volume.
Etsy gets kudos for its efforts to educate sellers about search and search trends, even though it had to remove its brand-new Search Analytics tool to do some additional work. The company should get “stars” for trying to make its site more accessible to those with disabilities. However, sellers weren’t happy when they saw their 4 and 5 review stars change from gold to black with no explanation, concerned that buyers would view black stars negatively.
These are just some of the latest stories we’ve been covering.
In today’s issue, we delve into the USPS changes to shipping rates that will go into effect in January. If you use USPS, you will definitely want to read up on how the changes will impact your business.
We also talk to an Etsy seller who is finding success on her own website, and she shares some valuable advice on making the leap. We also take a look at the next generation “eBay drop-off store.”
In time for Halloween, Michele Alice looks at black-cat collectibles (including resources on avoiding fake Halloween collectibles). And as always, we wrap up with Letters to the Editor.
A celebrity was filmed last week entering his password into his smartphone, and Twitter went wild when they saw he used 0-0-0-0-0-0. We’re all guilty at times of using shortcuts that may not be in our best interests, so consider this a reminder to safeguard your passwords and never use the same password on multiple sites (or devices). Don’t be like that guy!
On the other hand, a recent story reminded me that sharing passwords with trusted people in your life can help them should you become incapacitated or pass away. It’s a bit like making a will – you know you should, but that feeling of “there’s plenty of time for that” often takes hold.
Do you aspire to be one of those super-organized people? Just take it one task at a time, and a feeling of satisfaction may start to take hold and propel you to finish those annoying chores. You and your family will thank you.
Thanks for reading.
