![]() | |
![]() | |
![]() |
Net Auctions and Auction Information |
|
![]() |
Hurricane Katrina Donations Could be Many Millions More - EBay Sellers Try in Vain to Help
Yesterday I saw a mention in someone's email ezine about a kind person who had an eBay auction with the proceeds going 100% to help victims of the horrible Hurricane Katrina. It struck a chord with me because I had wanted to set up something similar, but found that the "eBay Giving Works" charity program seems to be terribly flawed for us small sellers. I had researched it the day before, eBay goes through Mission Fish to handle the administrative tasks and distribution. Here in a nutshell is how I understand it works. You set up an eBay auction and pledge a percentage of the proceeds to go to a charity. You pick the one you like. If the auction sells, the buyer pays you, and Mission Fish charges your credit card, taking out $3.00 per transaction for their fees, plus 3% to cover credit card fees. That's reasonable, they need to cover their overhead and payroll expenses. Then Mission Fish sends the balance to the charity. The minimum donation per item has to be $10.00. Again, so far so good, I can understand that. Now, I noticed in the auction that I visited that the seller had set up a dutch auction, with 1000 "lots" available, each for $1.00 each, with the proceeds going 100% to her favorite charity that would get food to the Katrina victims. I was about to place a bid for several $1.00 lots (a dutch auction lets you "win" as many of the item as you like, all at the same price). Then it hit me, why couldn't I do the same kind of dutch auction, maybe she had found the way to get around the $10.00 per item restriction, and found that it was a minimum $10.00 per auction. It would only make sense that it would work that way, since Mission Fish charges the seller's credit card, if all 1000 lots sold, that would be $1000 for the charity, Mission Fish would take $3.00 plus 3%, the seller would collect (hopefully) the $1000 from the buyers, and all she would be on the hook for would be the eBay fees. Those fees, plus her hard work, would be her personal contribution. So I went back to eBay and Mission Fish and researched the deal again. I found out that sure enough, in a multiple item auction, Mission Fish requires a $10.00 donation from the seller for EVERY ITEM that sells in a multiple-item auction (dutch auction). So, if the seller had 1000 lots at $1.00 each, and they all sold, Mission Fish would have charged her credit card on file for $10.00 for each lot, a total of $10,000.00! And they would have taken their $3.00 + 3% fee for each of those 1000 lots, more than $3,000.00 for their trouble! At that point, I realized the seller either had deep pockets and was matching contributions 10 to 1, or she misunderstood what would happen to her. I sent her an email, and to end a long story, she indeed misunderstood, was obviously fairly upset at the prospect of paying $10,000, and ended the auction early. Now, I'd like my readers to do one of two things. If you think that eBay and Mission Fish are mishandling the charity program, as I do, please contact one or both and point them to this blog entry, or just write your own letter with your thoughts. You can contact Mission Fish here: eBay is always more difficult to contact, but you can try starting here: The other thing you could do is support the eBay seller's cause, she had to end the auction but she took the trouble to set up a web page for donations, you can access and support it here: Perhaps with enough pressure on Mission Fish, they'll get together with eBay and allow dutch auctions to be counted as a single donation, instead of multiple individual items, and encourage more charity in the future. For those with homes, families, relatives or friends in the devasted area, my hearts and prayers go out to you. I hope this information will in some small way help someone somewhere. Dennis Becker is author of a regular blog about different ways of earning money on the Internet, titled appropriately enough "Success On The Internet".
MORE RESOURCES: Marine Auctions: April 2025 Online Auctions Sail-World.com Honda's Racing Arm to Auction V-10 Parts from Senna's F1 Car Car and Driver Gold nugget donated to Salvation Army red kettle outside southern Indiana Kroger up for auction WHAS11 Michael Schumacher’s Monaco Grand Prix and double title-winning Ferrari F2001 to be sold at auction Formula 1 Bank to Auction Historic Little Rock Home on Thursday Arkansas Business A Robert Frank photo he saw as ‘threatening’ and a ghostly Dalí painting: our pick of the April auctions The Art Newspaper IRS to auction $1 million Mequon home Thurs. Owner was a lawyer convicted of tax evasion. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Historic Negro Leagues Memorabilia Among Headliners in Hunt Auctions Spring Sale Sports Collectors Daily Rare Haggadahs up for auction in Bnei Brak www.israelhayom.com Going once ... going twice: Florida Action Network's live auction set for April 5 Panama City News Herald 'I want to be remembered.' Death row inmate puts San Quentin journals, art up for sale at $80,000 Los Angeles Times Christie’s and Sotheby’s Hong Kong auctions underwhelm as sales hit 6-year low South China Morning Post 1997 Tiger Woods Signed Masters Badge Heads To Auction Sports Illustrated LiveAg Livestock Auction RFD-TV U.S. government auctions 91 acres of land near Atterbury Job Corps dailyjournal.net Greece auctions €600 million in 13-week treasury bills eKathimerini.com Bonhams to auction race-worn Schumacher, Alonso and Leclerc helmets at 2025 Miami Grand Prix magnetomagazine.com Online auction live for LSCP Annual Dinner Upper Michigan's Source Board rejects $2M bid for former YWCA facility from auction winner facing indictments Dayton Daily News Poaching remains a major problem in Utah. An auction of seized trophy bucks offers a ‘silver lining.’ The Salt Lake Tribune The Traveller Collection Set for Record-Breaking Auction Numismatic News 77 Acre Whites Creek FARM To Hit The Auction Block Smokey Barn News Dessert auction Thermopolis Independent Record U.S. government auctions 91 acres of land near Atterbury Job Corps The Republic News Spaghetti supper, auction assist students metropolisplanet.com EDPR auctions 90 Vestas wind turbines and auxiliary materials in Colombia Windtech International Hong Kong Art Week Wraps up with Ho-Hum Auction Results and a Few More Big Sales at Art Basel ARTnews.com The Body Model Used During a Famous Scene in ‘E.T.’ Is Heading to Auction Smithsonian Magazine Important Collections, Rarities Cross the Block in Stack’s Bowers Spring 2025 Showcase Auctions CoinWeek Hope Haven’s Annual Benefit Auction Storm Lake Radio Texas Rangers TEX Gala 2025 to Feature Thomas Rhett and More Fort Worth Magazine Britney Spears’ Iconic Outfit Auctioned in New Julien’s Auction Glitter Magazine Foundation Academy auction begins Thursday West Orange Times Observer Timex Group auctions off private art collection at Middlebury HQ Hartford Business Journal NFL star Mark Barron to auction off California mansion SiliconValley.com Buckfield Mall goes up for live auction May 2 Lewiston Sun Journal Gold nugget worth thousands donated to Salvation Army to be listed for auction - The Courier-Journal Gold nugget worth thousands donated to Salvation Army to be listed for auction The Courier-Journal News Flash • Shop County Auctions on PublicSurplus.com Nevada County (.gov) Auctions April 2 to 8: contemporary art, antiques and wines Finestre sull'Arte Nearly 3,000 Acres of Iowa Farmland to Sell at Auction in April Successful Farming Big Island property, location of reality TV show Temptation Island, headed for auction Big Island Now Ford CEO Jim Farley Uses Auctions To Call Out Greedy Dealers Ford Authority A Diverse Array In World Auction Gallery’s Exceptional Auction Antiques And The Arts Weekly MLC auction kicks off Friday evening windomnews.com Rison FFA Auction, Burgers April 24 Cleveland County Herald Viper-Powered 1970 Plymouth Barracuda Heads to Mecum MoparInsiders AUCTION: 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 Jailbreak MoparInsiders Comedy show, art auction to benefit We Care Wilcox Newspapers Honda to auction Senna V10 F1 engine parts PistonHeads Rinaldi Advisory Services Adds Castagna of InPlace Auction as a Strategic Alliance Partner Monitordaily “Welcome to Wyoming” signs are up for auction Wyoming Public Media Chewbacca’s Bowcaster From ‘Star Wars’ Sells for $768,000, ‘Ghostbusters’ Ghost Trap Fetches $327K Variety Lamar Point VFD Hosting BBQ, Auctions EastTexasRadio.com Uptown office tower garners $36M bid at public auction The Business Journals Rodeo Houston's livestock auctions raise money for Texas youth marketplace.org Medieval Great Helm Leads Highlights at Apollo Auctions This Weekend Medievalists.net Six-Pack of Porsche 911s Is up for Auction Car and Driver |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
RELATED ARTICLES
Snipe Your Way to Auction Success Bidding for a bargain is all part of the exciting eBay experience. But what can really disappoint is when you're all set to win that fantastic, gold plated gizmo and someone else just beats your bid in the very last minute. 8 Collectible Dolls That Sell Well on eBay From the beginning, eBay's primary growth came from thecollectibles market. There are two basic models for eBaysales:1. Buying & Selling Gently Used Baby Clothing, Strollers, Toys, and Other Baby Items & Products on eBay Need Extra Money? Buy and Sell Your Gently Used Baby Clothing, Car Seats, Strollers, Toys, Books and Products on eBay!Hi Moms,So, you had your precious baby, and you couldn't resist -- all of those cute and beautiful baby dresses, rompers, suits, jean sets, christening gowns, onesies and unique designer baby clothes (like Tommy Hilfiger) that called to you when you were in the Gap, Old Navy, Osh Kosh or Little Me. Not to mention the countless baby clothes that relatives gave you that weren't quite your style, or too big or too small for your baby and still have the price tags on them, never worn. How To Sell On Ebay: Using Store Policies To Cement Your Credibility In your quest to build credibility as an Ebay seller, few things are more important than creating and following consistent store policies. Doing so will provide your customers with an attractive buyingatmosphere, where they will feel safe making any transaction. How Drop Shipping Works One of the most frequently asked questions on the Net is: "What should I sell online?"Many people know what products they want to sell. However, they don't know how to do this. 5 Sure-Fire Ways to Make More Money on EBay Have you ever dealt with a salesperson or a waiter who gave you unbelievably good service? How about someone who didn't seem to care about you one bit?Which of those people would you go back to the next time you needed to make another purchase or eat another meal?I'm willing to bet you would go back to the business or person who gave you great service. Have you ever considered that this same principle applies to your eBay sales?One of the easiest ways to get more sales on eBay is to make every buyer think "Wow, I've never had such a good experience buying on eBay!"Once someone has bought from you and had a good experience, they're much more likely to buy from you again. How To Write a Traffic Pulling eBay Auction Title Selling an item on eBay should be simple but it is surprising how many people make some very silly mistakes.As a buyer this is fantastic, you can pick up some absolute bargains by finding poorly listed items. Sell Your Items at Cost and Make a Fortune on eBay! Like all ebay sellers I wanted to sell all of my items at a profit and what I found was that when I was getting to the end of line items that I was ending up selling them at cost, even though the items were finally selling at a profit price, because I was having to factor in the ebay relisting fees etc.So I took a moment and sat down and thought how I could deal with these items and still make money. How To Sell Santa's Slip-Ups Shoppers spent more than $15.5 billion this Christmas on gifts on the Internet alone. 7 Great Reasons Why You Should Start an EBay Business Today EBay is a great part or full time business. An Ebay Business can be used as a way to promote your Online Home Based Business. Target Potential Bidders With Laser Beam Precision! When a potential bidder (customer) is looking at a specific auction you have listed, you can safely gamble that they are interested in that particular item. Now, if you have several things that are similar to that one item the person is looking at, it would be a good idea to let them know that you have other similiar items listed. Why Its a BAD Idea To Promote Hot Selling Products on eBay Do a quick search on Google, Yahoo, or your favorite auction resource site, and you'll quickly discover there are several software programs targeted to vendors who want to promote hot selling products on eBay.The infatuation with hot selling products exists because sellers believe if you target items that have a robust sales pattern, you'll have a better chance at profiting on eBay. Your eBay Username - What Does It Say About You? Have you tried to register a decent eBay username and been frustrated at the poor names left available? With over 125 million people using eBay in 2004 it is understandable that a lot of the good ones have gone.How important is registering a good eBay username (User ID) anyway? Well that depends - you may be wanting to register a username for business use so getting the right one would be important. An eBay Computer Purchase An eBay purchase that turned sour.A story of fraud, deceit, and broken promises. Importing Products to Sell on eBay The interesting thing about online buyers is they are extremely price sensitive. A survey done by Forrester Research shows that 73 percent of surveyed online buyers expect prices on the Internet to be cheaper than in stores. How To Convert eBay Surfers into Bidders! Do you know the phrase "A Call To Action"? Well, using "A Call To Action" on your eBay Auction could help increase your sales almost immediately. As outlined in my book "eBay Marketing Wholesale SourcePak" having the right product, at the right price is crucial. Low Cost, High Profit Dream Products To Sell on eBay and Amazon Finding quality products to sell is the key to continuing success. Keeping a pipeline of low cost, fast moving items to sell is also a must. eBay Gold Internet auctions are relatively new having been around since the mid 1990's. There are several Internet auctions including Yahoo Auctions and UBid. Fed Up With eBay? For many people, their first experience of working online involves selling products on eBay. This was how I got started back in 1998 and I know countless other people that have done the same. Start Your Own Business: Sell Things on eBay The popularity of online auction site eBay has beenlegendary. With millions of transactions completed daily,it is no surprise why many individuals who do not usuallyshop online regularly purchase items through eBay. ![]() |
home | site map |
© 2006 |