eBay Auctions: Going, Going ... Gone?

Company faces slowing growth, competition

(NEWSER) - As John Donahoe takes over from Meg Whitman as CEO of eBay today, he inherits a grande dame where Whitman oversaw the rise of an e-commerce belle. Still dominant in online auctions, the company has nonetheless faced slowing growth and stiffening competition. But analysts think Donahoe, the former eBay Marketplace president, can hold the site's high bid on the market, USA Today reports. More»

Company hopes to drive growth with new policies

(NEWSER) - eBay is chopping its listing fee in half and will take a bigger chunk out of the price of sold items, a change that should lower risk for sellers and encourage more listing, the AP reports. The online auction giant is also changing the way its search results work, the company announced at a gathering today of its top 200 sellers: Negative feedback will hurt sellers’ placement. More»

Online trading fuels demand for protected species

(NEWSER) - The Internet has become one of the biggest threats to at-risk species, allowing hunters to offload everything from polar bear pelts to extremely rare Iranian salamanders with ease, conservationists told the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in Qatar. Thousands of endangered species are regularly traded online through message boards, auction sites, and chatrooms, the BBC reports, with buyers enjoying both the anonymity it offers and the global network of potential buyers. More»

(NEWSER) - GM is hoping to boost its sales in California with a trial program selling new cars and trucks on eBay, AP reports. Most of the company's dealers in the state have signed up for the program, which will let buyers haggle over the price of new vehicles and determine online whether they qualify for "cash-for-clunkers" using a microsite designed in partnership with eBay Motors. More»

Used handkerchiefs, sisters... the possibilities are endless!

(NEWSER) - Hard up for cash? Perhaps the Daily Mirror’s list of the 10 most bizarre eBay auctions will inspire you to sell off some of your own belongings:

• Scorned by your ex-wife? Consider selling her wedding dress. If you model it yourself, as one man did in 2004, you could get $6,300.
• Pregnant? One mom got $15,500 from a casino in exchange for the right to name her kid. Fair warning: Said child is now saddled with the moniker Golden Palace Benedetto.