SHOP.blink.ph – Philippines Online Guide: Internet Trading Auctions Shopping Buying Selling Classifieds

The Greensboro-based company, which markets and sells everything from cosmetics to furniture from its Web site and network of independent distributors, hopes to open a call center and distribution center in the island nation as early as next March, said Joe Bolyard, executive vice president at Market America. The initiative, Market Philippines, will have its own Web site, marketphilippines.com.ph. Bolyard said he expects the Philippines to represent about $30 million in sales in the first full year of operations. Full story.

Amid the crowds that massed around Aquino’s funeral cortege on August 3, vendors sold Cory pins for P30 to P40 or plain yellow ribbons for P10 each. Some of these ribbons were home-made.

Cory memorabilia and items cropped up even on online market platforms like eBay Philippines.

Various sellers on eBay are advertising mementoes like a commemorative silver coin that was minted when Aquino visited Washington in 1986. Only 1,000 coin pieces were made, so the bidding price for one commemorative silver coin on eBay starts at P4,000.

Other items being sold on the website are People Power T-shirts (P500), a “Cory Aquino for President” badge (P10 starting bid), and 1986 Cory Aquino campaign photos currently priced at $13.13 (about P626).

Full story.

EBay Inc. is developing software it might use to continue running the online telecommunications service Skype if it cannot resolve a legal dispute with a separate company run by the service’s founders.

In a filing this week with the Securities and Exchange Commission, eBay said it has started developing an alternative to the technology it currently licenses from Joltid.

The company noted its efforts might not be successful, however, and could lead to a “loss of functionality or customers even if successful.” Regardless, building such software will be costly, eBay said.

Full story.

The strange case of South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster vs. online bulletin board service Craigslist continues, as McMaster has formally requested the court to dismiss the case brought against him by a vengeful Craigslist.McMaster had previously singled out Craigslist for the erotic services advertisements it has long carried on the site, and Craigslist made efforts to curtail them. Those efforts weren’t good enough for McMaster, who quickly threatened to sue them under SC prostitution and obscenity laws if any adult-oriented ads remained visible.

Full story.

Whether they sell beaded earrings, painted flowerpots or homemade soaps, Web sites that offer an alternative to chain stores are popping up and growing in popularity.

One of them, Madeitmyself.com, is similar in concept to eBay: Shoppers buy items from sellers who post them on the site and ship directly to the buyer. Many of the new sites – including Etsy, Silkfair and Hyena Cart – focus on handmade goods, art or specialty items.

Creators of the sites and retail experts say the companies are growing in number, popularity and sales because customers are increasingly looking for unique items they can’t find in chain stores. The rise of the Internet has made it easier for shoppers to find and buy those items.

Madeitmyself.com launched in November. It has 5,500 sellers signed up with 2,200 listing products on the site.

Full story.

eBay’s traffic appears to be on the way down. This doesn’t come as a huge surprise if you pay attention to the commentary on message boards and comment sections on eBay articles.

The griping usually comes from disgruntled sellers, and there is a lot of it. We’ve covered that before. Users have been frustrated for a variety of reasons. Full article.

88DB.com, the Philippines’ first multimedia service portal, recently underwent a makeover to give way to a more orderly and easy-to-navigate layout for users.

Under the redesign, the site’s search functions is now at the homepage with the site’s top categories. By typing in a specific keyword, visiting customers can easily find what they’re looking for within the portal.

The portal also launched the site’s Filipino version that shows all categories and sub-categories in the vernacular. For 88DB advertisers, the site localization translates to being able to reach more prospective clients.

“Localization is always a big plus when it comes to the web space. Besides giving the user the look and feel of home, advertising products to fellow Filipinos in our own native language makes business transactions more personal. 88DB Philippines is proud to be a Filipino, too,” 88DB Philippines Business Development Manager Lyndon Jocson said.

“The Internet opens up opportunities to select and determine target market,” added Racquel Cagurangan, 88DB Philippines General Manager. “The Tagalog verson of 88DB signifies a message that we strongly support products and services that are truly Filipino for the Filipino, reaching other kababayans or fellow countrymen in other parts of the world. At the same time, the English version will continue to help our customers go global.” Full read here.

Leading classified ads site Sulit.com.ph has reportedly been sold to a foreign company for an undisclosed sum with negotiations going on as early as first quarter of this year. READ HERE.

OLX, the Craigslist for the rest of the world, has raised $5 million in funding from from Nexus Capital India. The company raised $13.5 million in Series B funding in April 2008 from General Catalyst Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners, Founders Fund and DN Capital, bringing the total funding raised to $28.5 million. OLX raised $13.5 million in Series B funding in April 2008 from the same investors as above, and raised an undisclosed Series A round of $10 million in September 2006 with the same VCs and various angels participating.

While the free classifieds site has trouble competing with Craigslist in the U.S., OLX has a strong user base internationally. With a presence in more than 87 countries in 39 languages, OLX’s popularity lies mainly in Spain, India, Portugal, Mexico, South America, China, and the Philippines.

Full artlicle at TC.

EBay Inc. said Thursday it plans to pay as much as $1.2 billion to purchase a majority stake in South Korea’s top online marketplace in a bid to expand its presence in Asia.

San Jose, Calif.-based eBay and Gmarket Inc. said that eBay will make a cash tender offer of $24 a share to purchase all outstanding common shares and American Depository shares in the South Korean company. If successful, eBay said it would take a stake of at least 67 percent in Gmarket.

“Asia is a very fast moving market, fast growing market,” John Pluhowski, an eBay vice president said in Seoul. The acquisition “also allows us to build a platform for growth in Korea but also in regions throughout Asia and beyond.”

Pluhowski said the acquisition is “one of the largest since the company has been acquiring companies throughout the decade.”

News of the deal comes two days after eBay said it plans to spin off its Internet communications service Skype through an initial public offering, undoing a $2.6 billion acquisition that puzzled analysts and which eBay struggled to justify.

FULL STORY