eBay Launches New ‘Green’ Campaign
This week the eBay Green Team is launching a new six-week program designed to inspire people to make shopping choices that are better for the environment. The campaign, called the “re+purpose campaign,” is meant to teach people that the best products are often those that already exist, such as vintage, used, and repurposed products.
eBay’s Green Team is made up of more than 100,000 eBay users and employees from more than 25 countries who are dedicated to helping the environment. The re+purpose campaign kicked off on October 7 in collaboration with the Uniform Project.
The Uniform Project was created by designer Sheena Matheiken to raise awareness and money for the education of underprivileged children in India. Matheiken began the Uniform Project in May, when she vowed to wear the same dress every day for a year as a lesson in sustainable fashion. She reinvents the dress every day by accessorizing with different sustainable goods, such as vintage, borrowed, and used items she gets from eBay.
From October 7-21, eBay will donate $1 to the Akanksha Fund for every person who joins the eBay Green Team.
I think this is great not only from an environmental standpoint, but from a business perspective as well. This push towards going green and reusing products opens up a new way to market your items in that you can now target the eco-conscious by mentioning in your listings that your product is environmentally-friendly or that it promotes sustainable shopping choices.
To learn more about the re+purpose campaign, click here.
Protect Yourself from Fraud
Today I want to talk to you about something very important to anyone who does business online: fraud. Whenever you operate online you are at risk of becoming a victim of fraud, but this post will focus specifically on email fraud common to eBay and PayPal.
One method scam artists will typically use on eBay and PayPal is called “phishing.” This is a way to steal users’ personal and financial information by posing as another organization – i.e. by sending out fake emails that look like they come straight from eBay or PayPal.
These fake emails look authentic and usually ask the recipient to click on a link to go to a website where they are asked to fill in personal information like their username, account number, or password. With this information, the scam artist who sent the email now has full access to that user’s account and can set up fake auctions or withdraw funds from that user’s PayPal account.
Another method scam artists use is to send out a fraudulent email to eBay or PayPal users that contains a link that when clicked on releases a virus that collects personal information from that users computer – information such as bank account numbers, passwords, and credit card information.
Both of these kinds of fraudulent emails can be difficult to detect, so here are some tips for protecting yourself from fraud. For starters, every email that eBay sends you will also appear in the “My Messages” section of your “My eBay” area when you are logged in to eBay. If you get an email from “eBay” in your inbox, be sure to check your “My Messages” section as well. If the message is not there as well, delete the one in your inbox because it is not really from eBay.
In addition, every email sent to you by eBay or PayPal will address you by the first name that you supplied when you created your account. If you receive an email in your inbox that is supposed to be from “eBay” or “PayPal” that does not address you by this name, do not trust it or click on any links it contains.
If you do click on a link from an email that is supposedly from eBay or PayPal and it takes you to a site with a strange URL, it may not be a legitimate email. For example, if the URL contains a long string of nonsense numbers or letters, or doesn’t look like a standard eBay or PayPal address, then don’t enter any of your personal information.
In the end, you need to use your common sense. If an email seems suspicious to you, don’t click on any links it contains. If you receive an email that asks you to update your account information, go directly to PayPal or eBay to do so, rather than doing so by clicking on a link in the email. Also, keep in mind that a credible website like eBay or PayPal will NEVER ask you for your password in an email.
Hope this helps!
eBay to Add “Bill Me Later” Option
According to an article I found on PCMag.com, online billing company Bill Me Later will be integrated into eBay and PayPal within the next few weeks. For its initial launch, the bill me later option will only be available to a limited number of buyers and sellers, according to Sam Shrauger, vice president of global product strategy for PayPal. eBay sellers who have been chosen to participate in the Bill Me Later launch will be contacted by PayPal via email. If all goes well, the program will be expanded over the next few months.
I think this could be an interesting time for eBay. The option to defer payment could lead to a big increase in sales, as many more people may be encouraged to buy if they know they don’t have to pay right away. On the other hand, it could also lead to a lot more returns or negative feedback as customers find themselves buying things that they are unable to pay for later on. I think only time will tell with this one.
I would love to see what comments you have on this matter.
eBay Is Still Thriving, Despite the Retail Sales Slump
For anyone that has invested in eBay stock, you and your portfolio are in for some good news!
eBay recently received some very favorable results from an eCommerce survey geared towards online shoppers. In these results, surveyors found that there was a significant increase in the number of satisfied shoppers on eBay this year.
Because of this, shopping on eBay has increased 12%, according to Market News Video. Shares are also up—which is great news for all things eBay.
This is just further proof of the success that is waiting for you on eBay, as it has established itself as a recession-proof industry. If you aren’t already selling or listing products on eBay, you should be—and you can check out the seller resources on eBay or my Work at Home Recruiters program to find out more.