LESSONS FROM EBAY

Handwritten Notes

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VEE - lay-er-new

There are quite a few similarities between what we are trying to do in VEE and what eBay as started.

• Although we expect existing jobsites to join VEE, others can also join to "easily" start a jobsite - without having to "develop" on its own.
• Although we don't expect to earn extra revenue from VEE directly, we expect it to support WTJ - where we will make money.
• Even eBay is now into "classified"!
• Helping others create websites (competing too!) is a "big change" in strategy for eBay.

• It is same with us! - an extension of our mission VEE: "All Jobs Must Reach Everywhere!"

• We are not asking any commission from VEE partner jobsites.
• VEE partners will have their own "branding, co-name, colors etc"

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V 28/06/05

Printed Article (eBay has a new way to help sellers)

eBay has a new way to help sellers

VERNE KOPYTOFF

Meg Whitman, eBay's chief executive, said that soon, sellers can set up stores outside the company's online marketplace.

The company last week intended to introduce a service called Prostores.

Prostores allow sellers an easy way to create a dedicated online store with a unique Web address and a choice of designs.

"We want to see our members grow, even off the eBay marketplace," Whitman said, speaking at her company's annual sellers conference last week in San Jose. The conference was closed to reporters to the South Bay during the first two days.

The new offering is intended to fill the desire by many eBay users to sell their products on multiple places online, an option that eBay hopes to generate revenue at a time when growth is slowing.

The company's U.S. business, in particular, is slowing, because of the inability to penetrate adequately to accelerate growth, compared to robust international markets, experiments with new kinds of commerce, such as selling classified ads and adding new payment methods.

Providing users a way to create an online store outside the marketplace is a big change in strategy for eBay. For the past company has spent the past 10 years trying to lure sellers to its site for their business, away from tools go elsewhere.

Prostores plugs out the new product as an extension of its Instant, Helping sellers go elsewhere.

However, Whitman said, "The growth of our sellers is the focus of our company."

Prostores offers several tiers, costing a minimum of 6.95 per month. eBay's signup page will cost 14.95, 24.95, and 106.95 for online products.

The service allows users to create online stores with their own branding, including their own logo, a change from current eBay rules. eBay's name need not appear.

Only fixed-price items can be sold in Prostores.

Previously, eBay product allowed users to create stores within the eBay marketplace.

However, in addition to being on an eBay address, those stores allow only minimal branding or customizing.

Prostores is expected to have such a store can integrate with existing eBay tools, where users can more easily manage the listings, order processing, eBay's online payment service, PayPal, is integrated as well.

Earlier, some members were skeptical of the new product.

The new offering is intended to fill the desire by many eBay users to sell products in multiple places online, not just on eBay. In helping them, eBay hopes to generate some revenue at a time when growth is slowing.

Most members complained that the plants are volatile and refund merchants coming too deep as a whole on eBay.

The users feared that the company would raise fees in the Prostores in the same way that by time, it would be too late for users to switch to another company's service.

Many users also use for casual users who work from their houses, said Ruth Lozowy, who uses a web site of their houses on eBay from her home in Cary, N.C. "It sets you can be dependent on the eBay but have been raised in the past."

Most of the apprehension comes against the backdrop of what eBay did four months ago. Users complained vociferously when the company began prominently promoting some experiment with search as eBay search tool, including Overstock.com and Amazon.com's Marketplace.

In other news, eBay also unveiled a service called Powersellers - a term for eBay's largest customers - to buy liquidated, refurbished and close-out goods from smaller sellers. Smaller sellers will not have access.

The so-called Reseller Marketplace will allow Powersellers to buy discounted merchandise in bulk.

N.Y.T