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  • EBay pushes PayPal on customers

    Posted Aug 20 2008, 11:05 AM by Kim Peterson
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    EBay is getting lots of attention today for lowering "Buy it Now" insertion fees, but a different announcement caught my eye. Starting in October, customers can no longer pay with cash or a check. Instead, they have to use a credit card or eBay's own PayPal online service.

    EBay says the move is designed to reduce fraud. But if a buyer wants to send a check (or cash or a money order), and a seller is OK with that, how can eBay stand in the way? EBay is pushing PayPal on its customers so it can charge PayPal transaction fees and boost its revenues.   Read More...

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  • Drilling into eBay's numbers

    Posted Jul 16 2008, 01:53 PM by Kim Peterson
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    EBay shares are dropping in after-hours, down more than 7% after the company's Q2 report. At first glance, the quarter looks pretty good: earnings came in at 43 cents a share (2 cents higher than the Street consensus) and revenue was also slightly better than expected at $2.2 billion.

    What's troubling investors, however, is the company's Q3 forecast. Projected revenue and profit are slightly less than what analysts are looking for, and its full-year revenue estimate is on the lower end of the analyst spectrum.

    Drilling into the quarterly numbers unearths a few items that could also concern investors.   Read More...

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  • Americans losing interest in eBay

    Posted Jul 09 2008, 03:47 AM by Kim Peterson
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    EBay is making big changes to its business these days -- but apparently it's not going over well with customers. According to a recent MSN-Zogby poll, only 31% of Americans plan to buy or sell anything on the auction site in the next year. That's down from 40% who said they bought or sold something on eBay in the last year.

    There are two ways to look at this data. On one hand, one out of three Americans who go online still plan to use eBay next year. That's an incredible penetration rate, one that other retailers would love to have.   Read More...

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  • EBay's changing auction strategy

    Posted Jun 03 2008, 09:56 AM by Kim Peterson
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    Auctions are disappearing on eBay and being replaced by fixed-price item sales. BusinessWeek says that's due to the changing needs of the consumer, who thinks bidding is too much hassle. Nope. Don't blame the bidder. EBay is doing everything it can to choke the life out of its own auction business -- and that's a big gamble.

    Yes, time is precious. And yes, there are people who would rather "buy it now" on eBay at a higher price than spend days in a prolonged bidding war. About 42% of eBay auctions have a "buy it now" option, a figure that has grown 22% in the last year, according to BusinessWeek. EBay shares are up nearly 1% today to $29.59.   Read More...

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  • Why eBay offers cheap long-distance calling

    Posted Apr 21 2008, 12:10 PM by Kim Peterson
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    Looks like eBay is dusting off the "for sale" sign for Skype, and it's about time. The Internet calling division said today it's offering almost-unlimited calls in the U.S. and Canada for $3 a month. (Calls to other countries will be $10 a month; click here for more info). I say almost because there's a 10,000 minute-per-month limit, which is more than five hours of calling a day. 

    Ebay has Skype under the microscope because it still hasn't figured out what to do with the company after buying it for $2.6 billion in 2005. Skype is a superstar on its own, with 309 million users and sales likely to hit $500 million this year. But meshing it with auctions? Hasn't worked. CEO John Donahoe said eBay will be testing Skype's "synergies" this year. But if the company hasn't found synergies in three years, why would it magically happen now?   Read More...

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