10 posts and columns on auctions

One Start-Up’s Adventure in Figuring Out the Price of a Used Chair

in Commerce on December 28, 2011 at 6:00 am PT

Priceonomics, a small company that aspires to be the Kelley Blue Book for everything, tells the tale of how it sold four used Aeron chairs to another tech start-up, for a profit of $300.
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O.co Shutters at Least Three Businesses, As It Questions New Commerce Models

in Commerce on November 6, 2011 at 6:30 pm PT

O.co has shut down three of its product categories, and a fourth is on hold, after some of its experiments over the past couple of years have not penciled out.
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eBay’s New National TV Campaign Calls Attention to Mobile Shopping

in Commerce on September 16, 2011 at 4:07 am PT

EBay’s new ad campaign kicked off this week to promote something a little unexpected: Shopping from a mobile phone.
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Founder of Priceline Spoiling for a Fight Over Tech Patents

in News on August 21, 2011 at 11:59 pm PT

Jay Walker turned his idea for “name your own price” Internet auctions into a fortune by starting Priceline.com Inc. Now the entrepreneur is trying to cash in on his ideas by suing other companies.

Impatient iPad 2 Buyers Bid Up Tablets on eBay

in Mobile on April 1, 2011 at 8:20 am PT

With supplies of the iPad 2 still limited at official outlets, more than a few people are turning to eBay and paying a premium to get their hands on Apple’s latest tablet. Although Apple has yet to say just how well the new iPad 2 is selling, eBay has some interesting data on what it has seen so far.

Stock Trades Near 52-week High on Message That It's an All "New eBay"

in Commerce on February 10, 2011 at 1:28 pm PT

Two years ago, eBay’s CEO John Donahoe promised Wall Street analysts massive changes to improve the company’s e-commerce experience. Today, he says it’s all “new eBay.”

Obama Wants a Wireless Broadband Network for Everyone

in Enterprise on January 26, 2011 at 8:00 am PT

Technology references were numerous in the president’s speech to Congress last night. His call for for a national wireless broadband network will reignite a long-simmering debate over spectrum allocation, pitting TV broadcasters against the FCC.

Feedback for eBay: Lousy Seller. Would Not Buy From Again.

in News on July 22, 2009 at 2:37 pm PT

If eBay shares were to be listed among the company’s other auctions, buyer feedback would more likely be negative than not. Hurt by the souring economy and increased competition, eBay reported its third consecutive earnings decline Wednesday.

Ex-Yahoo Ad Exec Karnstedt to Efficient Frontier

in News on April 2, 2009 at 11:16 am PT

Former top Yahoo advertising exec David Karnstedt, who has been parked at a Silicon Valley venture firm since he left the company, has been named president and CEO of Efficient Frontier. Interestingly, another former Yahoo exec, Ellen Siminoff, has also been CEO at the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based search engine marketing firm. She is now chairman.
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Online Xmas Spending: So Far, Not So Good

in News on November 25, 2008 at 6:00 pm PT

You will not be shocked to learn that online holiday spending is not off to a good start. ComScore today reports that for the first 23 days of November, e-commerce spending–excluding travel, auctions and large corporate purchases–was down four percent from the same period last year. 2007 saw a 19 percent rise in spending–all predictions point to this year being flat. It’s going to be a long winter.