eBay | Internet Marketing Blog

StubHub sold to eBay for $310 million

Online auction giant eBay has acquired StubHub, an internet tickets marketplace, which deals in tickets for sports and entertainment events. The deal is worth $310 million.

Launched in 2000 and based in San Francisco, StubHub's site managed $400m (£206m) in ticket sales site last year, earning a profit of around $10m (£5m). The secondary ticket market in the US is estimated to have a turnover of $10bn per year.

by Graham Charlton 11 January 2007 13:10pm 1 comment

Sainsbury's in new online voucher mishap

Sainsbury’s has blocked the majority of voucher codes on its website, after mischievous customers found they could get massive discounts through a loophole in its coupon campaign.

The supermarket clearly hasn’t learned the lessons provided recently by toy retailer Hamleys, whose warehouses were almost stripped bare by discount-hungry consumers in the week before Christmas.

by Graham Charlton 10 January 2007 09:59am 0 comments

Le Web 3: Web 2.0 stronger but vulnerable, Skype founder says

Skype founder Niklas Zennstrom has said the 'Web 2.0' phenomenon is built on more solid foundations than the first dotcom explosion - but a crash could be on the way.

Speaking to delegates at the Le Web 3 conference here in Paris today, Zennstrom said: "The big difference this time from six years ago is that we have the infrastructure built out now - in 2000, very few people had computers."

by Robert Andrews 11 December 2006 09:58am 1 comment

69% of retailers shun e-commerce

Over two thirds of UK retailers are missing out on potential revenues by not offering their goods for sale online, according to a survey by Barclaycard.

The company said many retailers are reluctant to embrace e-commerce because of the perception that set up costs are too high and that a high level of technical know-how is needed.

by Graham Charlton 29 November 2006 11:07am 0 comments

Rise in profits announced by eBay

Internet auction site eBay has announced a 10% rise in its third-quarter profits, posting a 31% increase in sales, to $1.4 billion (£748.9m) in the three months up to September. The company's net income was $281 billion.

The profits rise was driven by a growth in its auctions; its payment service PayPal increased revenue by 41% over last year’s third quarter results.

by Graham Charlton 19 October 2006 15:01pm 0 comments

Carphone Warehouse to auction mobile phones

Carphone Warehouse has launched a new auction website dedicated to the sale of mobile phones and accessories in an attempt to compete with eBay in this space.

The site, mymobileauction.com, offers buyers the chance to search and bid for mobiles as they would on eBay, and allows those looking for a mobile to narrow down their search.

by Graham Charlton 17 October 2006 14:53pm 9 comments

Ebay launches new UK shopping service

Auction website eBay has today launched the UK version of its new online shopping service, eBay Express. The site will sell both new and used goods at fixed prices.

All of the sellers on the site have been signed up to a professional code of conduct by eBay, to ensure that they all offer returns policies and guaranteed delivery dates.

The company hopes that the site will attract those shoppers who prefer a more more conventional e-commerce shopping experience.

by Graham Charlton 09 October 2006 17:57pm 0 comments

Bebo closes gap on eBay in UK

Social networking site Bebo could be set to take over from eBay as the UK’s most searched for site, according to a study by Hitwise .

The analyst group says the number of UK web searches for 'Bebo' has tripled in the past six months and risen by 17.6% in the past quarter alone.

by Richard Maven 06 October 2006 10:07am 4 comments

British Museum to monitor eBay antiquity sales

eBay has teamed up with The British Museum and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council in an attempt to cut down on the illegal sale of antiquities on eBay.co.uk.

by Richard Maven 03 October 2006 15:46pm 0 comments