Buyers Workshop: Essential Windows Vista issue 3

Learn Smart, Learn Windows Vista - One Step at a Time!

Issue 3 of Essential Windows Vista will be hitting the shops soon. Features include:

• Get more from your e-mail
  
• The importance of Vista Security
  
• Illustrated maps take you through Vista
  
• Going Wireless
  
• Essential Vista Service Pack 1
  

Priced at £5.99, we'll have Essential Windows Vista available in your local WH Smiths or Easons store shortly.

Buyers Workshop: Photoshop Elements 6 for Mac released

Photoshop Elements gets a significant upgrade for Mac OS X users

Adobe Systems Incorporated today announced the immediate availability of Adobe® Photoshop® Elements 6 software for Macintosh®. Since its January launch at the 2008 Macworld Expo, Photoshop Elements 6 for Mac was named “Best of Show,” and given the 2008 Editors’ Choice Award by The Mac Observer and the 2008 Macworld Award by Macsimum News. The highly anticipated Photoshop Elements 6 software for Mac® combines power and simplicity so consumers at all experience levels can easily achieve outstanding results with their digital photos.

Make Photos Look Their Best
Photoshop Elements 6 software helps photography enthusiasts achieve desired results quickly and easily. New Photomerge® technology lets users create the perfect group shot by simply choosing and combining the best facial expressions and body language from a series of shots. By simply clicking and dragging over a specific area, the new Quick Selection tool snaps to the edges in seconds for the perfect selection. Three edit modes, Guided, Quick and Full, meet the needs of beginner to expert photographers. The new Guided Edit mode offers step-by-step assistance to help users improve their photos. Photoshop Elements 6 software streamlines editing with clean, uncluttered spaces that draw focus to the photos, with new tabs providing easy access to the many capabilities of the program. Additional enhancements include an improved conversion tool that dramatically converts colour images into elegant, nuanced black-and-whites.

Create and Share Photos in Fun, Engaging Ways
Photoshop Elements 6 software features new sharing options that tell stories in unique and creative ways. Users can bring their memories and moments to life by customizing layouts for photo books, scrapbook pages, greeting cards and CD/DVDs for sharing with friends and family. Additional expressive options include designing a personal online album, ordering professional-quality prints of hardbound photo books, and printing photos into real U.S. postage stamps.

Pricing and Availability
Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 for Macintosh runs on Leopard, (Mac OS X v 10.5.2), as well as previous versions of Mac OS X starting with 10.4.8. The software is a Universal Binary application that will run natively on PowerPC and Intel-based Macintosh systems. Photoshop Elements 6 is immediately available at an estimated street price of £57.58. Owners of previous versions of Photoshop Elements can upgrade to Photoshop Elements 6 for £45.82.

Sellers Workshop: Today on My eBay

Over time i've collected a lot of items i thought i'd sell on eBay. Today I finally got the time to start listing them. Today I've added to my eBay page:

• Copies of Model Engineers Workshop
• Copies of RCM&E
• Copies of Essential OpenOffice.org magazine

The last one was something of a cheat, as I edited it.. but it's a valid eBay sale item so all good.

I'll explain all, shortly...

eCommerce: 1&1 Internet change their phone number

Our contact number has changed to 0871 641 21 21. The fax number is still 08450 76 22 05.

We shall continue to offer you excellent support service on this new number, 24 hours a day seven days a week. For all billing queries, call 0871 641 21 21 between 9am and 5am from Monday to Friday.

PC Security: McAfee Uncovers Google Spammers

Early this year we observed spammers using Google page ads in HTML-formatted emails to redirect users who click the spammed URL to the spammers’ sites.

http://www.google.com/pagead/iclk?sa=l&ai=MfeNYS
&num=123456&adurl=http://www.spammersite.com

At first we thought Google page ads were being used to conceal the actual URL and subvert traditional anti-spam detection techniques. However, it seems one can change the linked URL to point to any site of your choice–as no validation appears to be done on Google’s end.

One can even point the Google page ad to executable files (malware authors have started doing this), and the link will redirect and download the malware just fine. It’s kind of ironic given than Google is very strict about the kind of file attachments one can upload/download via their Gmail service.

http://www.google.com/pagead/iclk?…adurl=http://download.nai.com/…/win_xdatbeta.exe

The preceding example downloads a McAfee signature file in executable format.

Google must be aware of this redirect abuse, and it’s hard to understand why they don’t prevent these redirects working for known bad file types or for spam and malware sites.

Vinoo Thomas, from the McAfee Avert Labs, wrote the above.

Sellers Workshop: Upcoming Disney releases of interest to the movie seller

National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets

Treasure hunter Benjamin Franklin Gates is back - and this time it's personal. When his great grandfather is implicated in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, Ben (Nicolas Cage) is determined to clear his name, even if it means bringing together his acrimoniously divorced parents (Jon Voight and Helen Mirren). In a rollicking adventure that ranges from Buckingham Palace to Mount Rushmore, Gates pursues the infamous Book of Secrets, said to contain the truth about everything from Ben's grandfather to the JFK murder. Only one man has access to the storied volume - the president of the United States (Bruce Greenwood), and he won't part with it willingly. As hidden clues and long buried mysteries emerge, National Treasure: Book of Secrets builds to an unforgettable, heart pounding climax.

Out June 2nd 2008, on DVD and Blu Ray

DIRT: The Complete First Series

Enter the scandalous world of celebrity through the back door with ruthless hack Lucy Spiller (Courteney Cox, Friends) when this darkly comic TV drama launches on DVD. 

As the hard-driving Editor-In-Chief of tabloid rag Dirt Magazine, Lucy is the woman Hollywood loves to hate. A firm believer in the old adage that there's 'no smoke without fire', she'll do anything to get that all-important exclusive.

Accompanied by her best friend and schizophrenic paparazzo Don Konkey (Ian Hart, A Cock And Bull Story) Lucy makes it her mission to uncover the truth behind seemingly idle celebrity gossip. Blackmail, one-night stands and doing the dirty on loved ones are all part of a day's work as the callous duo chase after career-wrecking cover-stories.

But as Lucy's obsession with the dark side of celebrity gives her unlimited power over the stars it also leaves her completely helpless against her own murky past...

Dirt: The Complete First Series features a great ensemble cast including another former Friends star Jennifer Aniston who makes a notorious, lip-locking appearance in the episode entitled Ita Missa Est. An acquaintance from Lucy's past, and head of a rival magazine, the disarmingly sweet domestic goddess Tina (Aniston) poses a serious threat when Dirt's circulation figures begin to plummet. Other guest-stars include Rick Fox (One Tree Hill), and Wayne Brady (Whose Line Is It Anyway?).

The 4-disc box-set contains all 12 scandalous episodes as well as a collection of juicy bonus features including a sneak peek of the second series, an in-depth profile of Konkey and "Tabloid Wars"; a selection of true stories from the celebrity trenches.

Out 5th May 2008 on DVD

Criminal Minds: The Complete Second Series

Join the crew of the FBI's notorious Behavioural Analysis Unit as they once again delve into the minds of the most disturbing criminals ever to appear on the small screen. Released on DVD in May, ABC Studios' Criminal Minds: The Complete Second Series plunges even further into the dark and fascinating world of criminal profiling.

Emmy award winning actor Mandy Patinkin (Chicago Hope) returns to the role of Special Agent Jason Gideon as he leads his crack team of psychological profilers in the attempt to stop some of the U.S.'s most devastating crime sprees.

Focusing on the criminal rather than the crime, the unique team of mix-matched geniuses race against the clock, painstakingly compiling clues to the behavioural patterns of ruthless murderers, rapists and arsonists. The longer they take to pinpoint predators' motivations and identify their emotional triggers, the higher the body count.

The second series sees the team tackle a host of new and even more dangerous minds, from a tag-team duo of murderers who assist each other on a killing spree in Florida, to a sickening group of hunters who shoot humans for sport. As they unlock the secrets of the depraved, the characters must face their own shortcomings and by the end of the series the pressure proves too much for some.

With a stellar cast, including newcomer Paget Brewster (Friends) The Complete Second Series of Criminal Minds is a slick, fast-paced rollercoaster of crime, as compelling as it is disturbing. The DVD box set features all 23 action packed episodes and a spree?? of extras, including an in-depth look at the inner-workings of the characters' minds in 'Profilers, Profiled'. Fans can also learn more about the science behind the series with 'Behavioural Science: Real Life Criminal Minds'.

Out 5th May 2008 on DVD

Sellers Workshop: Actinic Announces Version 9 of its Ecommerce Software for online traders

Major update for popular eCommerce software solution

Actinic, the supplier of award-winning ecommerce solutions for small and medium businesses, announces the release of version 9 of its desktop ecommerce range. Actinic v9 provides a range of enhancements to its ease of use, plus new features that improve the customers’ experience and make it easier and more efficient to manage a business selling through multiple channels.

Chris Barling, CEO of Actinic says: “Over the last year the challenge has been to satisfy the demands of established, successful merchants managing increasingly sophisticated, multi-channel retail operations, while also enhancing the ease of use for start-up owners. In Actinic v9 we have made the changes to meet both sets of needs. In so doing, we can now offer the most advanced feature set in any ecommerce package and the best range of ecommerce solutions from a single supplier.”

Changes in Actinic v9 include:

• New multi-channel order processing Actinic research and user feedback shows that the majority of online merchants also sell through other channels. So v9 provides a new order entry form for mail order and telephone orders. This is fully integrated with the ecommerce side and will speed up order processing, providing postcode validation and direct credit card payment options.
• Enhanced usability Actinic v9 has a number of improvements designed to enhance ease of use for both new and existing users. The addition of new Start-up and Design Wizards will enable new users to get up and running quickly. These are complemented by a revamped context-sensitive help function with access from every screen. For existing users, a Product Option Wizard speeds up new product creation while a completely new Tax Module provides extra flexibility for setting tax options.
• Improved site management Google Analytics integration improves site management. It enables merchants to track visitor behaviour and marketing campaigns in order to make informed decisions about their business development.
• Revised product range Version 9 sees the consolidation of Actinic Business Multi-Site and Actinic Business Multi-User into one product: Actinic Business Plus. Designed to simplify the product range and make the upgrade path easier, Actinic Business Plus is a multi-site, single user licence with built-in networking capability, providing the option of adding further users.
• New payments option Version 9 also includes support for Actinic Payments, a new payment system scheduled to launch in mid-April. This has been developed to provide Actinic users with a competitively priced and reliable payment processing service. It will offer the tightest integration ever between Actinic’s software and a payment gateway, with most common functions being accessible directly from the desktop.

Available now, Actinic Catalog and Actinic Business pricing remains unchanged at £399 and £799 respectively, for single-site, single user licences. Actinic Business Plus is £1249 plus £300 per additional networked user. All prices exclude VAT.

You can visit the Actinic website at http://www.actinic.co.uk.

Buyers Workshop: Speculate to accumulate

If you're into your movies, the Edinburgh Film Festival is a good place to go to meet the stars of tomorrow. Recognising the importance of the event, the UK Film Council have committed a substantial amount of funding to the event.

The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) and the UK Film Council (UKFC) today announced a substantial funding investment in the Festival over the next three years.

The press conference at Filmhouse in Edinburgh was hosted by: UKFC CEO John Woodward, EIFF Chair John McCormick, Artistic Director Hannah McGill and Managing Director Ginnie Atkinson.

(L-R) John McCormick (Chair of EIFF), Ginnie Atkinson (EIFF Managing Director), John Woodward (UKFC CEO), Hannah McGill (EIFF Artistic Director)

The Lottery funding is part of the UK Film Council’s Film Festival Strategy to support UK film festivals. £1.88million will be made available to EIFF over a 3 year period until 2010.

The funding will support the EIFF growth plan for public audiences and industry professionals alike, on a national and international level. It will permit the Festival to continue and extend its commitment to identifying, nurturing, showcasing and promoting new films and talent.

EIFF Artistic Director Hannah McGill said, “The UKFC’s Film Festival Strategy has recognised EIFF’s national and international significance and our potential to grow. This support will enable our development, and our ability to make a bigger impact in the UK, Europe and beyond.”

The funding will support the strategic move of the EIFF dates from August to 18th - 29th June in 2008.

The funding will form an integral part of the Festival’s future, aiding growth in the areas of education, training and industry networking, whilst also allowing public audiences to see an ever wider range of films.

Since its inception in 1947 EIFF has been associated with excellence of programming and support of both the Scottish and British film industries.

EIFF Managing Director Ginnie Atkinson commented, “The Edinburgh International Film Festival is delighted to receive the grant as the first UK film festival to benefit from the Fund. It is a significant strategic investment and one that will benefit both our major constituencies - the public audience and the film industry. The funding is attached to specific activities planned to make EIFF even more effective as a meeting place in the broadest sense of the word; a place where culture, ideas and business can be progressed – and in the unique setting of one of the world’s most amazing cities.”

Chair of EIFF John McCormick said: "The Board of the Edinburgh International Film Festival is delighted at this news. The funding is not only a valuable investment in the Festival's development - enabling us to grow, to have a bigger impact and to make our mark in June - but also signifies recognition of the EIFF's importance for the UK."

Events such as the Edinburgh Film Festival are full of merchandise - if you choose your merchandise well, and keep it in as new condition, your speculation could earn you a lot of money through eBay or other auction sites. The secret is in your choice - so be careful, pay realistic prices and watch the value of your holding increase considerably.

PC General: Windows Mobile devices to get Flash and Acrobat features

Microsoft license two key technologies from Adobe

In a press announcement released today, Adobe announced that Microsoft are licensing, for use with Windows Mobile-based phones, Adobe Flash Lite and Reader LE. The implications for eBay users are clear - as the site moves towards a multimedia environment with animation and video becoming the order of the day; Flash is a key technology. When buying eBooks on eBay, PDFs are also rather important. As such, both announcements are very good news.

The press releases follow:

Adobe Flash Lite Shipments Pass Half Billion Mark

Adobe Systems Incorporated today announced that more than 500 million mobile devices shipped with Adobe® Flash® Lite™ software to date. Flash Lite, Adobe’s award-winning Flash Player runtime specifically designed for mobile devices, has seen over 150 percent growth over the last year and is now delivered on mobile phones and devices from all major handset manufacturers worldwide. Adobe also announced that Microsoft today became the latest company to license Flash Lite, for use in Microsoft Windows Mobile phones (see separate press release).

“With over half a billion devices now running Flash Lite we’re extending the reach of high impact web experiences to our connected mobile world,” said Al Ramadan, senior vice president, Mobile and Devices at Adobe. “With Microsoft, the latest addition to our list of mobile partners, Flash technology’s footprint continues to expand, promising more opportunities for Flash developers and more great content for mobile consumers around the world.”

All major handset manufacturers worldwide license and ship mobile devices with Flash Lite today including LG, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and many others. New devices like the Nokia N95, the Nokia N96, the Sony Ericsson C-Series, the NTT DoCoMo’s 905i series, and the Sony Mylo support Flash Lite 3, the latest version of the software. Flash Lite runs on multiple platforms, including Windows Mobile, Symbian™ S60, and Qualcomm® BREW®, in addition to embedded operating systems on a variety of OEM platforms. For more information please visit www.adobe.com/mobile.

Adobe Flash Lite and Reader LE Licensed by Microsoft

Adobe Systems Incorporated today announced that Microsoft has licensed Adobe® Flash® Lite™ software, Adobe’s award-winning Flash Player runtime specifically designed for mobile devices, to enable web browsing of Flash Player compatible content within the Internet Explorer Mobile browser in future versions of Microsoft Windows Mobile phones. Microsoft has also licensed Adobe Reader® LE software for viewing Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) documents including email attachments and web content. Both Adobe products will be made available to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) worldwide, who license Windows Mobile software.

The Flash Lite 3.x browser plug-in for Internet Explorer Mobile on Windows Mobile will provide users with access to rich and interactive web content created using Adobe Flash® technology. As the most popular and ubiquitous format on the Internet today, Adobe Flash powers many rich and engaging web sites, applications and animations. Adobe Reader LE will allow Windows Mobile users to easily and reliably view and navigate rich PDF content using innovative features developed to improve document readability on smaller screens.

“People want vibrant web experiences and access to entertainment and information anywhere, anytime,” said John O’Rourke, general manager, Mobile Communications Business at Microsoft Corp. “Bringing Flash Lite and Reader LE to the Windows Mobile experience will give consumers more of their favorite websites on the go.”

With more than 150 percent year-over-year growth and half a billion mobile devices shipped with Flash Lite to date, Flash Lite is delivered on mobile phones and devices of all major handset manufacturers worldwide. Flash Lite runs on multiple platforms, including Windows Mobile, Symbian™ S60, and Qualcomm® BREW®, in addition to embedded operating systems on a variety of OEM platforms. For more information please visit www.adobe.com/mobile.

“We are thrilled to work with Microsoft to add playback of rich, web-based Flash Player compatible content and PDF document viewing to Windows Mobile,” said Al Ramadan, senior vice president, Mobile and Devices at Adobe. “Flash has revolutionized the way we experience content on the web and we are excited that Microsoft has decided to extend the experience of Flash technology to Windows Mobile users.”

Windows Mobile is the platform specifically designed for mobile phones. Internet Explorer Mobile provides a compact Internet browser that is optimized for Windows Mobile phones. In fiscal year 2007, Microsoft sold 11 million Windows Mobile licenses and expects to sell more than 20 million licenses in fiscal year 2008, making Windows Mobile a leading smartphone platform globally. For more information please visit www.windowsmobile.com.

Adobe Flash Lite and Reader LE availability for Windows Mobile phones will be confirmed later.

PC Security: over 10,000 web pages have been rigged by cyber-crooks

McAfee has discovered that over 10,000 web pages had been rigged by cybercriminals to hijack users’ PCs – one of the largest attacks to date of this kind.

The infected websites look no different than before, but the attackers have added a small bit of JavaScript code that redirects visitors' browsers to an invisible attack launched from China-based servers. If successful this attacks then installs a password-stealing program on the user’s computer that looks for passwords.

These web pages have been found on everyday websites such as travel sites, government websites and hobbyist sites. This same technique was used a year ago, when attackers infected the Web sites of the Miami Dolphins and Dolphins Stadium just prior to the 2007 Super Bowl XLI football game.

"Often you hear warnings about not going to un-trusted sites," said Craig Schmugar, threat researcher at McAfee Avert Labs. "That is good advice, but it is not enough. Even sites you know can become compromised. You went to a place before that you trust, but that trust was violated through a vulnerability that was exploited."

McAfee's Avert Labs have a very relevant blog at http://www.avertlabs.com/research/blog/index.php/2008/03/12/another-mass-attack-underway/.

Buyers Workshop: eBay in easy steps

From the award-winning in easy steps series, eBay.co.uk in easy steps is one of the few beginners guides to eBay - in book form - that is focused on eBay's UK site. At present, InEasySteps (the publisher) appear to have delisted the book, but it is available throughout the eBay UK site for around £1 plus postage - a bargain; despite any slight aging of the screenshots.

For the price, it's difficult for us not to recommend it.

You can visit eBay at the usual location, or the publishers - In Easy Steps - if you wish to petition for an updated edition at http://www.ineasysteps.com/.

Community: eBay Stars

eBay reward longer-serving members of the eBay community

Many longer-serving members of the eBay community recently received a letter thanking them for their involvement in the eBay community. The new eBay Stars scheme includes rewards for members who perform well as buyers and sellers within the site, and includes the following:

• a dedicated customer support team, available seven days a week over the telephone
• a direct email address
• and rewards - in my case a £10 voucher to spend on anything

Personally, and on behalf of eBay Advisor, we like this initiative. It gives sellers more passion about what they do, and gives buyers more faith. Just the way we like it :)

PC General: Watch your recordings on the go

With TubeStick and The Tube 2.5 your PVR at home is ready for retirement. The Tube 2.5 makes your TV recordings mobile: Play your videos on your iPhone, iPod touch or Safari via a WiFi connection, publish your recorded TV shows in a web gallery and remotely schedule your recordings.

Watch your TV recordings on the Go
The Tube 2.5 turns your iPhone in a mobile TV set and a remote control. The Tube 2.5 with the integrated TubeToGo web service lets you automatically publish your TV recordings in a web gallery on .Mac or any other FTP server, manage them via iPhone and remotely schedule recordings with your EPG.

Schedule Recordings on the Go
TubeToGo provides your electronic program guide (EPG) online. You can scroll through your EPG listings and search for keywords just like you're used to doing with The Tube. Then simply schedule recordings on the go.

Manage your TV recordings on the Go
You can access your The Tube library, no matter where you are. With TubeToGo, you can delte old recordings remotely to free up space on your computer at home for new recordings as well as manually synchronize recordings with your .Mac account or any other FTP server so you can access them on the go.

Discover the new strength of The Tube 2.5
See how many percent are currently watching a particular TV program in your channel list in realtime! And you can tell The Tube to 'Watch Top Channel' so that it'll automatically follow the channel with the most viewers. If you like to watch TV whilst doing something else on your Mac, then you'll definitely love Smart Zoom 2 that lets you simply zoom into a minimized TV window by just moving your mouse pointer over it. 

It's available from equinux now at €39.95 including German VAT. The equinux website is at http://www.equinux.de.

eBay USA news: Britney Spears, Barry Bonds, and Box Office Blockbusters: eBay Exposes America's Pop Culture Obsessions in 2007

By snapping up everything from a toothbrush taken from Paris Hilton's trash to an O.J. Simpson rubber Halloween mask, Americans turned pop culture obsessions into commerce last year* on eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY), where you can find and win practically anything.

By examining the volume of items sold relating to pop culture phenomena in categories ranging from celebrity scandals to blockbuster films to tech gadgets, eBay has identified exactly what Americans were most fascinated by in 2007.

"What Americans buy and sell every day is one of the best indications of what they're obsessed with," says Karen Bard, eBay's pop culture expert. "When someone or something is being written about in tabloids or reported about on CNN, if it revs up the American public, you're bound to discover a bidding frenzy for related listings on eBay."

America's Obsessions

• Spotlight Starlets: 34,345 Britney Spears-related items sold this year, making her the most sought-after tabloid queen on eBay. She beat out both Paris Hilton, who had 27,377 items sold, and Lindsay Lohan, who had 8,099 items sold. Fragrances were the most popular items sold for both Spears and Hilton.
• Infamous Athletes: 145,497 Barry Bonds-related items sold-five times more items than those of fellow disgraced athlete Michael Vick. There were 28,732 Vick-related items sold. Interest in O.J. Simpson-related items paled in comparison to those of Bonds and Vick, with just 5,196 O.J. items sold. The most popular O.J.-related items: nonfiction books (20 percent of items sold).
• Hot, Hard-to-Get Tech: Despite the iPhone frenzy that swept the nation this year, Apple's iPod remained the number-one gadget on eBay, with 2,781,243 iPod-related items sold. There were 532,390 Nintendo Wii-related items sold, followed by 272,852 Sony PlayStation 3-related items and 158,132 Apple iPhone-related items. Additionally, 96,508 Guitar Hero-related items were sold, 63,851 Microsoft Xbox 360-related items were sold and 50,182 Halo 3-related items were sold.
• Cinematic Sensations: "Transformers" bested the Harry Potter franchise, with 442,342 items sold to Harry Potter's 344,825. Action figures comprised 71 percent of "Transformers"-related sales.
• Breakout TV Series: In the battle of the TV breakout series, ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" beat out NBC's "Heroes" with 5,107 items sold to "Heroes'" 4,411. "Ugly Betty" (ABC) trailed behind with 2,697 items sold. The most popular "Grey's Anatomy" items sold were related to the character of Dr. Derek Shepherd, played by Patrick Dempsey.
• Fall-Debut TV Series: 4,249 "Bionic Woman"-related items (NBC) were sold, trumping sales of fellow fall-debut series "Pushing Daises" (ABC), which had 337 items sold. The most popular "Bionic Woman"-related items were action figures, which comprised 28 percent of all items sold.
• Presidential Candidates: Americans had grown weary of the old presidential-candidate archetype, as evidenced by their fascination with candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton this year. The two led sales of all items relating to front-running presidential candidates with 40 percent (10,207 items) and 35 percent (8,949) respectively of the 25,597 total items sold.
• Best-selling Books: Rhonda Byrne's "The Secret" bested J .K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." There were 18,420 "The Secret"-related items sold compared to 14,481 "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"-related items. Additionally, 7,912 items related to Khaled Hosseini's "The Kite Runner" and 3,631 items related to Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" were sold.

* The data is based on listings that included the key terms in the listing title across all categories from Jan. 1, 2007, to Nov. 19, 2007.

Buyers Workshop: Sold on eBay: New-in-box Apple II, never opened...

eBay brings many things to many people. For the editor of eBay Advisor, it brings a selection of cheap DVDs and PC magazines long since lost; while for New-York based Web Designer Dan Budiac it brought a 20-year old mint-condition Apple II. What was unique about this purchase however was that it was still sealed in the box, never used.. and went for $2600.

The full story appears over on the Macworld website - here (Sold on eBay: New-in-box Apple II, never opened). If you have a similar story of your own, please do share it with us. eBay Advisor issue five is in planning at the moment, and we'd love to feature you within.

Sellers Workshop: Importing for profit

David Howell explains how you can make serious money by importing items for your eBay store

At Christmas everyone is looking for that extra special gift. We all shop at the same stores and so see the same goods on sale to tempt us. Savvy shoppers this Christmas will be buying an increasing amount of their gifts online as they look for something a little different to give their nearest and dearest. This is great news for your auctions as if you can offer bidders items that they simply can’t buy anywhere else, you’re sure to have a very profitable season. Customers know that the online auctions offer them a way of locating that special present and are prepared to pay handsomely to secure them.

International trade
But where do you get hold of those items that will tempt your bidders? You can of course use your contacts in the wholesale and liquidated stock suppliers that you use the rest of the year. It’s likely that they will have items that you can easily sell on your auction pages. These organisations are also expert at importing goods so make as much use of them as you can before you look at importing goods yourself. The goods that you’ll buy from them will likely have any import duty and taxes already paid on them. But check this carefully, as if you have to pay any taxes at a later date, these could wipe out your profit margin as you set the selling price on your auctions too low. So check the small print before you sign on the dotted line.

The Internet is clearly a great way of finding items you can import into the UK for sale on your Christmas auction pages. Consumers are increasingly buying internationally as they use the Internet to locate items themselves. This is certainly true of the online auctions. EBay in the US for instance is a great draw for UK consumers. Buying overseas is not the costly and risky business it once was. But having said that, the vast majority of UK based buyers will still look more favourably on UK based businesses that can offer them the gifts they are looking for, but that don’t involve having to pay in different currencies and risk the item being damaged in transit, or worst still, stopped by customs. How many bidders have been handed an import duty bill by the postman when he knocks on their door? It’s your job to do all the import work for your bidders. You are not only offering them a selection of choice items, but providing a service that takes away the stress of buying abroad.

When you’re looking at your Christmas auction pages you have to think carefully about the costs that this will involve. This is not just the costs of physically moving the items to the UK, but the taxes and duty that the goods may attract. If you’re importing from within the EU the goods may be liable for VAT. The customs tariffs that you may need to factor into the selling price of your goods can be found on the DTI’s website at: www.dti.gov.uk/ewt/import.htm. If after your initial research you decide that handling the actual importing is too risky, then you ought to find yourself a broker who will handle this for you. Again, speak to your usual suppliers as the chances are, they have great experience of importing goods into the UK. After all, where do you think they get some of the bulk and liquidated stock they sell to you?

Lastly, don’t forget you’ll have to contend with different currencies. As the UK has yet to adopt the Euro, you will have to pay very close attention to the fluctuation in the exchange rate. The final selling price you have decided on for the items you’re importing for auction, could be adversely affecting with even a small change in the exchange rate. You can see a handy guide to foreign currencies issues when you’re importing on the Business Link website. If you intend to import from the US, or other none EU countries, then you may for instance have to open a foreign currency account to handle the transactions.

Stock your store

So, what kind of items could you import to sell via your auction pages? It’s a question that you’ll have to answer based on your existing trading knowledge. You know what you have sold throughout the rest of the year, so use this information and look for those special items that are in the same categories. You’ll know a bargain when you see one, but more importantly, your bidders will appreciate the work you’ve done locating unusual items that will appeal to them.

If you intend to offer an eclectic mix of items on your auction pages, then the world is your oyster. Some items though, are clearly in vogue and will be sought after by your potential bidders. Electronics is always a favourite. With the frenzy that will ensue around the Playstation Portable, the appetite for other electronics will be just as strong. Look for items that are unusual and that aren’t generally available in the UK. If you’re offering electrical items, double-check that they conform to UK safety regulations and don’t have any unusual power requirements.

Clothing, novelty items, health related goods and luxury goods are the top sellers at Christmas. If you can locate a good source of any of these types of items you’ll be able to appeal to the widest audience, which should translate into a lager number of bidders. If you also have limited stocks of the items you offer on your listings pages all the better as this will develop the bidding which could see some final prices you had only dreamt about.

Brand names are also a good way of attracting potential bidders to your store. Suppliers like the US based Fossil Watches (www.fossil.com) have a whole range of time pieces that simply don’t appear in UK stores. If you happen to specialise in this area the rest of the year, you can offer very special items as Christmas gifts. Clothing is a key area that you could exploit. Look for suppliers of limited edition labels. Bringing these into the UK will give bidders something very special to bid on. Gadgets and toys are also in great demand at Christmas time for presents. Japan is awash with wacky items you could import. Take a look at J-List (www.jlist.com) for some inspiration.

Importing goods into the UK may seem a very complex operation to initially set-up, but it is a superb way of bringing into the UK a selection of unique items that your bidder will simply not be able to buy anywhere else. Many of the suppliers will certainly sell directly to their customers, but at Christmas especially, UK bidders want to deal with a reputable seller in their own country. Whether you want to specialise in a certain category of goods, or sell a wide range to maximise your potential bid rate, the world is your stock room. If you keep a close eye on the costs you’re incurring you’ll be able to import your items and turn a very healthy profit.

There is a detailed step-by-step guide which accompanies this article. It appears in issue 4 of eBay Advisor.