Irked EBay Sellers: Going, Going, Gone

The online auction giant sees 'Amazonification' as a path to profit

(NEWSER) - Looking to compete more aggressively with Amazon for users who want to sell items at a fixed cost, eBay is changing its pricing model, lowering listing fees by up to 75% and increasing its final sales commission, BusinessWeek reports. The goal is to increase inventory of items listed at a "buy-it-now" price, increasingly popular with buyers weary of waiting for auctions to play out. More»

40% of online shoppers avoid shipping costs

(NEWSER) - Wal-Mart’s finally putting a dent in Amazon’s e-tailing dominance, thanks, ironically, to its ubiquitous brick-and-mortar outlets. Wal-Mart now allows online shoppers to pick up their goods at the physical store of their choice, avoiding paying shipping. It’s an old concept, but Wal-Mart’s got the stores to take it to another level. In some stores it’s installed special pick-up desks, and even drive-through windows. More»

Big-box giants drop price of 10 hottest DVD titles to $10

(NEWSER) - Wal-Mart has spurred an online DVD price war by dropping prices on 10 must-have movies to just $10, which analysts agree is below wholesale cost. “We remain committed to offering our customers the lowest prices online at Walmart.com, and will continue to adjust our pricing accordingly,” a company spokesman tells the Wall Street Journal . Says a Target rep: “We are planning to match.” Amazon had no comment, but its prices speak volumes. More»

Crooked affiliate was redirecting 'amazon.cm' visitors to auction site

(NEWSER) - EBay claims it’s not responsible for a “typosquatting” scam that redirects browsers who head to amazon.cm (a frequent misspelling of its proper .com URL) to eBay.com. “We saw this a while back,” a spokeswoman tells Silicon Alley Insider. “We noticed there was an affiliate in our network doing some shady stuff. We kicked him out of the program in November.” More»

(NEWSER) - Manufacturers have gone on the offensive to stop discounters from selling their products for less than the minimum advertised price they set, reports the Wall Street Journal. But companies like eBay and Costco are pushing for laws to ban the minimum prices. Some retailers, like Circuit City, use workarounds to undercut the "MAP," or minimum advertised price. The Supreme Court has ruled that MAPs do not constitute an antitrust violation. More»