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Club Mom named her one of their "At Work Experts," with four books published and - not to mention dvds, videos, a successful mentoring program and creating her own line of greeting cards - having made a living buying and selling on eBay for the last seven years, Lynne Dralle is without a doubt, "The Queen of Online Auctions!"
Money Making Madness is the second in the 100 Best Things I’ve Sold on eBay series and tells the stories of Lynn’s most recent eBay successes, and includes new eBay tips relevant to sellers at all levels as well as more wisdom about both business and life from Lynn’s grandmother, Cheryl Leaf.
Lynne is an experienced eBay seller - who has found a comfortable niche within a consistently successful eCommerce business - and it's hard to ignore the fact that more and more people are shopping at internet auctions for everything from art, cars, jewelery (and often times, some really weird stuff ) to organic living, as Barbara Feiner - a contributing editor for OrganicAuthority.com - makes a good case for why so many people seem to be finding online auction...so thrilling:
I must confess that I'm an online auction addict. I've been a dedicated eBay buyer since 1998, and I've scored great deals without having to leave my home or office. With auctions, it's often the thrill of the hunt: finding something online that's difficult to locate at a neighborhood retailer or grabbing an item you're crazy about at a bargain price.
Not everyone is comfortable shopping online auctions - which is perhaps the reason why taking note of experienced business women, like Lynne Dralle, is so popular - but, having had a member of my own family personally gone through three...count 'em...THREE claims of fraud, I can certainly understand why some of us prefer spending our hard-earned money, "live" and "in-person!"
Most consumers are aware of the risks in purchasing items from Internet auction sites - though, most websites already provide some sort of limited compensation to victims of auction fraud - but, it is unusual for a company to cover all of their customer's losses, especially from one specific online store.
Until now.
The Japan Times Online reports that, in an unprecedented act of good faith, Yahoo Japan Corp. is helping bidders get their money back:
As of the end of July, the Yahoo! auction site had received 207 complaints regarding failed jewelry deliveries, worth a total of 22.9 million yen [*approx. $196,400]
It said it will provide compensation after examining each complaint individually.
Yahoo Japan plans to pay up to 500,000 yen [*approx. $4,300] per failed deal with the jewelry store. It has placed no limit on the number of transactions per bidder.
In almost all the transactions, the winning bid was less than 200,000 yen [*approx. $1,700] Yahoo Japan said.
[*Current rate of exchange (rounded to the nearest $100) via: Yahoo Finance]
Though Yahoo's actions are surprising, this type of internet fraud is not uncommon:
According to the Federal Trade Commission, most people who complain to the FTC about Internet auction fraud report problems with sellers who:
- fail to send the merchandise.
- send something of lesser value than advertised.
- fail to deliver in a timely manner.
- fail to disclose all relevant information
about a product or terms of the sale.
With that said, I decided it was time for me to explore the world of internet auctions - yep, it's not all about eBay, anymore - and take a look at where are all the cool kids are bidding, and why:
Bidz.com - The company buys closeout merchandise (jewelry) and sells those items in reserve auctions - which allows them to set the minimum price (typically not listed) at which they will sell the item - offers a "live auction" experience, with three-minute auctions running 24/7 with bids starting at $1.
Ubid.com - Offers brand-name merchandise at a discount, where most auctions start at $1 and come with warranties. Savings are generally 20% to 80% off retail prices. uBid also offers items at low fixed prices called "uBuyitnowTM"
The Frugal Duchess blogs about a site where you can put your dibs in...and bid on a vacation:
I even found an Internet site that runs auctions for last-minute travel deals, with prices as low as $1, plus taxes and transaction fees. The website is called www.skyauction.com.
Shoutblog reports on a new