Someone wrote in with a question. Did eBay's relationship with Naspers Limited have anything to do with the closing of QXL in the UK? I'm guessing that the only people who would have an interest in the answer to this question are users of QXL UK, since the auction site's closing means less competition. Tradus gave no reason for closing the site, perhaps UK readers could fill us in on how QXL was doing and whether the closure was inevitable? 

May 27, 2007: eBay enters into agreement with a subsidiary of Naspers Limited in Thailand (Sanook)

December 2007: UK press report Tradus in acquisition talks, Naspers named as one possible suitor

December 5, 2007: CFO of eBay Germany jumps ship to become Tradus Director and Group CFO.

March 7, 2008: Naspers subsidiary acquires Tradus

May 6, 2008: Tradus announces closure of QXL site in UK effective May 30, 2008.

Some sellers may be sweating bullets after getting an email from SquareTrade today. You have only 6 days remaining until May 12, to file disputes with SquareTrade related to feedback withdrawal, according to the email. SquareTrade is an online dispute-resolution service that let eBay buyers and sellers work together to resolve problems related to their transactions.

With changes to eBay feedback rolling out on May 19, eBay told sellers today through a post on its Announcement Board that it was doing away with its Mutual Feedback Withdrawal (MFW) policy (look for story in tomorrow's AuctionBytes Newsflash newsletter, there's lots of news in this announcement).

eBay is giving sellers until May 19 to file MFWs, but SquareTrade is closing the door to new dispute filings on May 12. Parties involved in the process will have until the end of May to mutually agree to feedback withdrawal, after that, it will be too late.

SquareTrade has already moved its business to providing warranties to consumers. President and CEO Steve Abernethy said the eBay dispute business was a "very small" percentage of SquareTrade's revenue. It is still evaluating whether it will continue to support its online dispute resolution business, he said.

ChannelAdvisor commissioned JupiterResearch to survey online retailers on issues driving multi-channel online retailing. They surveyed a subset (115) of Internet Retailer's IRNewsLink email newsletter subscribers in March 2008.

Seventy-five percent of online retailers surveyed cited multi-channel expansion as a key component in their marketing strategies. Ninety-eight percent report they market on at least two online channels. More than three-quarters dedicate explicit efforts to email and search marketing (including both organic search and paid listings).

Among those retailers who reported using multiple online channels:

• 75% enjoy increased sales.
• 80% realize increased customer acquisitions.
• 71% report significant growth in qualified customers.
• 73% operating in six or more online channels require additional support staff.
• Over 60% cite the ability to target new demographics or enhance lifetime customer value.
• 55% of those surveyed outsource some marketing initiatives.

Among those retailers who reported outsourcing their multi-channel initiatives:

• 69% report increased sales while 65% report increased customer acquisition.
• Nearly 60% experience higher returns on marketing spend.
• 70% report quicker adjustment to market changes and new initiatives.

For online retailers that have chosen not to expand into additional online channels, 71 percent said they prefer to focus their energy and resources on optimizing their existing online channels. The second greatest impediment to channel expansion is a lack of sufficient internal staffing or expertise, according to the report. The report goes on to talk about outsourcing.

JupiterResearch Disclaimer: "This is a vendor-sponsored JupiterResearch report specifically commissioned by ChannelAdvisor. JupiterResearch stands by the integrity of its findings and the validity of the methodology employed in this research study. However, this vendor-sponsored report should not be confused with independent research produced by JupiterResearch's syndicated product line. This report is intended for use by the sponsoring vendor and may not be publicly disclosed, disseminated, used or relied on by others without JupiterResearch's consent."

AuctionBytes reported on a glitch last week in which some PayPal payment notification emails were missing the shipping address of the buyer. Today, eBay posted that the glitch has been resolved.

From the eBay Systems Announcement Board May 07, 2008, 06:31AM PST/PT: "The issues causing some PayPal payment notifications to not include buyers shipping address have been resolved."

New postal rates go into effect on May 12th in the US, and online sellers need to make sure they are prepared. Customers receive a 3 percent price reduction by purchasing Express Mail online or through corporate accounts, and Priority Mail will have an average 3.5 percent savings for customers who use electronic postage or meet other requirements.

Endicia said its software will seamlessly switch to the new price system, which includes discounts for online postage, on May 12th. (Likely true for Stamps.com, Pitney as well, check with your vendor.)

eBay said it would automatically update prices in its Shipping Calculator on May 9 around midnight Pacific Time. "As a result, listings with calculated shipping that are paid for via Checkout after Friday, May 9 will have the new price applied. This timing recognizes that items paid for after Friday are not likely to be shipped on or before Monday, given it can take a few days for payments to clear."

Amazon.com has not announced whether it would change its shipping reimbursement to marketplace sellers to adjust for the rate increase, and has not responded to an inquiry about its plans.

Window Book, a service that helps companies and merchants with mailing needs, is always on top of USPS changes. In its blog post from yesterday, they point out that the USPS no longer refers to postage "rates."

"The buzzword now is "prices," Lisa Bowes wrote, also pointing out that, "Since prices will now be changing on an annual basis, the USPS has given their website pricing page a permanent home."

Are you ready for the changes (and are online shoppers!)?

Signaling more change, eBay cancelled next year's user conference, scheduled for June 11 - 13 in Atlanta, Georgia. The event had been booked in 2004, but eBay cancelled the conference 2 years ago.

eBay Live has been held each June since 2002. The conference provides small and large sellers alike the opportunity to have face time with eBay and PayPal executives, network with colleagues and take classes, while buyers and die-hard eBay fans could enjoy eBay's hospitality.

In an announcement to users today, eBay executive Lorrie Norrington said eBay would be focusing its energy next year on smaller venues "to facilitate more face-to-face interactions with our customers and community."

After eBay Live 2008 is wrapped up in Chicago in June, the next conference will take place in Orlando in August 2010.

The cancellation of eBay Live 2009 came as eBay began shifting its focus on the needs of high-volume sellers. We learned through a source that eBay Live 2009 was booked 4 years ago at the Georgia World Congress Center to run June 11-13, and was cancelled in February 2006, a month after eBay held its first Ecommerce Forum invitation-only meeting of 200 of its top sellers.

The focus on large-volume sellers became even more evident last week when it was revealed that eBay has entered into a deal with online retailer Buy.com to place all of its new and in-season inventory on eBay in a first-of-its-kind partnership.