eBay is no longer primarily an auction site but predominantly a retail outlet. This was the message delivered by the boss of the product division of eBay in Australia.

Domain name broker SnapNames.com has always had its measure of detractors complaining the company permitted dubious practices. One grievance is now proven true with SnapNames admitting a staff member was bidding on domain name auctions, winning some for personal gain and inflating the price of others.

After launching a new auction site earlier this year, Sensis and Telstra are ratcheting up the pressure against eBay with the launch of a new “mobile” shopping and auction site that also works from mobile phones, even delivering free SMS alerts on bids, outbids and auction wins. Can Sensis bounce the eBay behemoth?

Sick of eBay and their PayPal pushing processes?  Now there is another new kid on the block setting up a virtual Lemonade Stand.  The SOC Exchange is distinguishing itself from eBay by offering a flat fee structure, rather than taking a slice of the seller’s profit. 

Finally, some positive news about the world’s largest online auction house, eBay: a way to generate the “best offer” on products for sale, which has resulted in an “average 10% increase” in conversion rates at eBay’s US website. Will it do the same down under?

When it comes to there being an elephant in the room as far as eBay is concerned, then it would have to be the subject of trading in illegal items. According to one eBay insider, the company is about to chop up that elephant and throw some of it off the auction floor.

“You’re fired”, says eBay to 1600 workers globally, likely unaware that the world’s biggest and most profitable online auction house was going to put workers on the chopping block, with 18 of those poor souls in eBay’s Australian operations.

Online auction site OZtion claims it has taken 32 percent of the Australian auction market, thanks in part to charging lower fees than eBay.

eBay is cutting the costs of fixed-price sales and giving buyers additional financial protection. Does this signal the end of the online auction site and a drive to become the shop window of the web instead?

One of the major sellers on eBay has gone belly up, leaving many customers in the lurch. eBay says it will refund people who purchased with PayPal, even though it is not obliged to do so, but will leave everyone else in the cold. An eBay rebel says it could be a “cover up” and has explained why.