Indiana-Joe's Epic Adventure Journal as I continue my successful journey through the Cash Lands of eBay & Craigslist Treasures!

Meet the Millionaires of eBay
By Greg Holden
Entrepreneur.com
June 10, 2008

Millionaire # 6

Mordy Eisenberg, 30
Airmont, New York
Projected 2006 Sales: $2.5 million to $3 million
Description: Computer equipment and accessories for cell phones, iPods and digital cameras

From Market to Market: With an estimated 430,000 people selling part or full time on eBay, competition is continually growing. But that hasn't stopped Mordy Eisenberg from thriving in one of the most competitive categories: Consumer Electronics. He landed there after doing extensive market research, something he learned in the stock market industry: "eBay is a giant market, and a lot of the rules for buying and selling in the stock market apply, [like] not flooding the market and not showing your hand."

Making It Month to Month: Eisenberg started out slowly, selling on eBay part time. "Once I did that, I [said], 'Let me see if I can make a go at this full time,'" he says. "I gave myself a month to see if I could succeed. I extended it for a month, [then] another month, and never looked back." Eisenberg began with a drop--ship supplier--a company that held the inventory and shipped it for him on demand-but today he handles all the inventory and shipping himself.

Freedom to Grow: eBay entrepreneurs have the freedom to experiment that traditional business owners don't always have. For instance, GSM Cellular is expanding beyond its core product line of cell phone accessories to architectural moldings and other home décor accessories. "Most of the people I know who have a business background in college look at eBay and say, 'They never taught us this in college,'" says Eisenberg. "The beauty of eBay is that you can be in a few different places and do well in each."

Meet the Millionaires of eBay
By Greg Holden
Entrepreneur.com
June 10, 2008

Millionaire # 7

Tiffany Tanaka, 24
Honolulu
Projected 2006 Sales: $2.7 million
Description: An eBay drop-off store that sells a wide variety of items on consignment

Family Connections: After studying fashion design and graphic design at the University of San Francisco, Tiffany Tanaka looked forward to a career in New York City. But after returning to Hawaii to help care for an aging family member, she realized "there was nothing here jobwise having to do with design, so I started selling things on eBay," she says. "Soon, people started asking me to sell for them. I had to make it into a business because it was taking up so much of my time."

Picture Perfect: Tanaka's design experience plays a role in how she presents merchandise for sale. "It's an art, creating all these auctions for different people," says Tanaka, who pays special attention to how objects are photographed. Many of her 12 employees have backgrounds in art and photography, helping them present items in an attractive way.

Aloha eBay: Her drop-off store has sold everything from a rare one-cent piece for $800 to a Chagall book about stained glass for $5,000. Niche items and unusual products always sell well on eBay, and Tanaka has found that Hawaiian cultural pieces-from antique feather leis to Hawaiian paintings-are in demand, though she's selective with what she accepts for consignment because shipping costs from the islands are high. Someday, she plans to expand to Asia and Europe.

Timesaver: Tanaka enjoys helping people of all ages. "Many of our customers are older people who want us to sell things for them," she says. "But a lot of people are younger than me, and we're just saving time for them. Human beings are so busy here on earth, I don't feel many people want to sell on eBay on their own."

Meet the Millionaires of eBay
By Greg Holden
Entrepreneur.com
June 10, 2008

Millionaire # 8

James Anderson, 28
Mesa, Arizona
Projected 2006 Sales: $2 million
Description: Accessories for iPods and other electronics equipment, as well as "metaphysical" items such as swords, chalices, runes and wands

Putting Off the Paper Chase: James Anderson planned to start law school in the fall of 2005. When he announced to his parents that he was postponing school because he was making more money selling on eBay than he would as a law school graduate, he got a predictable reaction. "I think they kind of thought-what's the word-that I'm crazy, maybe," he says. "They're happy I'm doing well, but it was a shock. eBay has the feeling of insecurity, whereas law school is a definite thing."

From Snowboarding to Snowballing Sales: Anderson started selling on eBay when he was a college student in Utah. "I sold concert tickets on eBay part time to help with college expenses and 'fun money' [for items] such as snowboarding season passes," he says. He still occasionally has time for snowboarding, but he keeps busy selling 50 to 70 items per day.

Cutting Fees and Sale Prices: Anderson lists merchandise in his eBay Store at fixed Buy It Now prices. "I try to beat other auction sellers by offering merchandise at a lower price-as much as 50 cents [less]," he says. After problems and setbacks with unreliable distributors, he says the key was finding a good supplier through word-of-mouth.

Bringing Up Baby: Anderson and his wife, Emily, now have three children--and his success on eBay came just when his family needed it most. The income enabled Anderson to pay off his credit card debt, buy a house and tackle his student loans.

Meet the Millionaires of eBay
By Greg Holden
Entrepreneur.com
June 10, 2008

Millionaire # 9

David Wirtenberg, 28
New York City
Projected 2006 Sales: $8 million to $10 million
Description: Engagement rings, wedding bands and other jewelry

Turning Talk Into Sales: David Wirtenberg loves to talk. "I could talk your ear off," he says. "I love what I do. I'm a very passionate person." His ability to make sales, and his prior experience in sales for Bear Stearns and Auto Data Processing, helped him build his business from scratch in 2003. His father-in-law became his inspiration and behind-the-scenes mentor. "He said, 'Let's see if we can sell jewelry on the internet,'" Wirtenberg recalls. "I went to 47th Street in Manhattan. I knocked on every door. I didn't know anything about diamonds at the time. I was looking for suppliers, for an education, anything." He ended up buying a couple of diamond rings, and he immediately sold them for a profit on eBay. "I thought, 'This could be something.'"

Many Facets to His Business: Today, Wirtenberg sells through his websites and through eBay. "I use eBay to get new customers and new traffic," he says. "Most of my diamond auctions start at 99 cents. Sometimes I lose money; sometimes I make money. Whatever makes the customer happy, I do. Our packaging is second to none. Sometimes we pack our diamonds in Faberge eggs [for free]. Once you have customers, you have those customers for good."

Personal Touch: Wirtenberg speaks fondly of the personal connections he has made and recalls the time he and his wife, Danielle, personally delivered a $14,000 ring to a customer in California. "The fringe benefits touch you deep inside," he says. "You play a huge role in people's lives. I have provided advice on people's engagements. I feel I am blessed every single day with the direction this business has taken."

Joe ~ you are awesome, and I'm pumped! I'm learning so much and knowledge is wealth, so many thanks I'm getting started today! CK

Thanks for stopping by my journal. The opportunities can be endless with Craigslist and eBay! Each day we can learn a little more to get us closer to our goals, whether its making some cash today to pay some bills or making even more cash to buy some real estate! Buy Local and Sell Global! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

...The week is just flying by as the weekend will be here before we know it. Weren't the stories aout the eBay Millionaires amazing? If you want to do this business and your goal is to make an extra $500 per month, then you will be successful! Just make the committment and just do it. Who knows where it may lead you. I bet these successful entrepreneurs would have never imaged where thier internet business took them. Buy Local and Sell Global! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"One of the things that I repeat probably every day here is that our success is built on our community's success.” ~ Pierre Omidyar (founder of eBay)

"With more than 90 million active users globally, eBay is the world's largest online marketplace, where practically anyone can buy and sell practically anything.

Founded in 1995, eBay connects a diverse and passionate community of individual buyers and sellers, as well as small businesses.

Their collective impact on e-commerce is staggering:
In 2009, the total worth of goods sold on eBay was $60 billion -- $2,000 every second." ~ eBay (Official Website)

Craigslist Fact Sheet
Source: Craigslist (Offical Website)

Some interesting Craigslist facts include.......

Q: How much traffic does craigslist get?
A: More than 20 billion page views per month

Q: How many people use craigslist?
A: More than 50 million in the US alone

Q: Is craigslist available in languages other than English?
A: Yes - in French, German, Italian, Portugese, and Spanish

Q: How many classified ads does craigslist receive?
A: craigslist users self-publish about 50 million new classified ads each month

Q: How many job listings does craigslist receive?
A: More than 1 million new job listings each month

Q: What about craigslist discussion forums?
A: More than 120 million user postings in 100 topical forums

Q: Is there a connection between craigslist and eBay?
A: eBay acquired 25% of the equity in craigslist from a former shareholder in august of 2004.

Craigslist Valuation: $80 Million in 2008
Revenue, Worth $5 Billion
By Henry Blodget, Business Insider
Sillicon Alley Insider
April 3, 2008

As we prepare to release our SAI 25: World's Most Valuable Startups list, we're running through some final valuation numbers. One company that is a shoo-in for the list is Craigslist (yes, it has been around a while, but we're defining "start-up" as private companies founded in recent memory that has yet to go public or sell out).

We've struggled to get formal business metrics for Craigslist, but ClickZ has summarized a recent report from Classified Intelligence that should help. CI estimates Craiglist's numbers, but it has at least gone through the laborious process of counting listings, pageviews, etc.

So here are some metrics:

2007 Est. Revenue: $55 million
2008 Est Revenue: $81 million
Monthly Pageviews: 9 billion
Monthly Job Listings: 2 million
Monthly Ad Listings: 30 million
Employees: 25

Estimated Costs

Let's assume that each of Craigslist's 25 employees costs about $125,000 a year, all in. That's probably high--Craigslist is run like a non-profit--but it should be in the ballpark. This adds up to about $3 million of salary and other HR costs. Let's assume that Craigslist will grow this year, and let's assume that it spends another few million on prosaic costs like rent, insurance, travel, etc. Total estimated 2008 operating expenses: $7.5 million.

On the "cost of sales" line, let's assume that Craiglist spends a boatload on servers and bandwidth to keep the site running smoothly. Craigslist's content is not at all bandwidth intensive--all light text, no computation or transactive processing like eBay or Google--so this should keep its costs well below those of other huge global sites. Let's call it $50 million a year. (This is probably high--grateful for any help in refining).

Add all that together and use the CI revenue estimate, and you have a business with about $80 million in revenue and, say, $25 million in operating profit. Apply a 10X revenue multiple and/or 25X operating income multiple, and you would have a company worth about $750 million. But obviously Craigslist is worth a heck of a lot more than that.

Craigslist's Real Value

Why is Craigslist worth more than meets the eye? Because it's run like a non-profit. Craig Newmark and co. don't give a damn about generating revenue or profit, and more power to them. But if Craig ever want to sell Craigslist, he'd probably want to get something closer to true value for it--which means we need to think about the company's real earning power.

Let's assume that, instead of charging for job ads in only 11 cities, Craigslist charged for all job ads (currently 2 million a month). Let's assume that it also charged for another 5 million of the 30 million ads on the site each month. Let's assume that Craigslist users were so horrified by the outrage of being charged even a de minimus listing fee that two thirds of these listers stormed off in a huff so that the 7 million of paid listings dropped to, say, 2.5 million a month. And let's assume that Craigslist charged its standard $25 job listing fee for all of them.

What would that generate in revenue? $62.5 million per month, or $750 million a year.

Let's further assume that this outrageous affront to a minority of users--$25 per listing!--would require huge customer service and processing costs, so that Craigslist's overall cost base jumped to $250 million a year. Then we'd have a business with $750 million in revenue and $500 million of operating profit.

Let's put very conservative revenue and operating profit multiples on that--say 7X revenue and 10X operating profit--and we're conservatively looking at a business worth $5 billion.

Thoughts? Speak now or forever hold your peace.

.....It sure has been interesting and fun reading about all these tremendous success stories of these entreprenuers on eBay. They all staretd with that first item. Once you sell and make cahs on the first item you can really see the potential. It starts to ad up from there. Will this be the weekend you start your Craigslist and eBay business? There is cash out there waiting for your items. Buy Local and Sell Global! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"I look at what the phone company does and do the opposite." ~ Craig Newmark (founder of Craigslist)

.....Be sure to go on Craigslist and see what types of deals are in your local area. Are there any yard sales in your local area this weekend? Check out Craigslist for the local garage sales too! Once you find those great deals get them on your global display window to the world with ....eBay! Buy Locl and Sell Global! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"You have to really believe in what you’re doing, be passionate enough about it so that you will put in the hours and hard work that it takes to actually succeed there, and then you’ll be successful." ~ Pierre Omidyar (founder of Craigslist)

..The success stories around eBayand craigslist are endless. Whether you are making a few dollars or generating buckets of cash. I found an interesting story to share...

eBay Canada Entrepreneur of the Year Award Winners
Source: eBay 05 October, 2009

"Today, the winners of our 5th annual eBay Canada Entrepreneur of the Year awards were announced. Shaun Shienfield of Toronto has been crowned eBay Canada’s 2009 Entrepreneur of the Year. He uses eBay to sell 20 million golf balls to more than 250,000 golfers every year and has become one of the largest Internet golf retailers in the world.

Mike Winkelmann is named eBay Canada’s 2009 Comeback of the Year. After being forced to close his retail butcher shop and deli and file for bankruptcy, Mike turned to eBay to liquidate his store’s equipment. He was so successful that he created an entirely new career selling used restaurant equipment on eBay.

Along with the bragging rights, these top two Canadian entrepreneurs get a boost for their business with a cash prize, money towards a business course and eBay AdCommerce credits. Congratulations to Shaun and Mike!

The awards program recognizes eBay sellers coast-to-coast who run successful online businesses. Will you be next year’s Entrepreneur of the Year?"

~ Andrea Stairs, eBay Canada

...As you deal on Craiglist and eBay you should always be aware of if the deal appears too good to be true, it might be. Always exercise common sense. On the Craigslist website they discuss the following:

"You can sidestep would-be scammers by following these common-sense rules:

DEAL LOCALLY WITH FOLKS YOU CAN MEET IN PERSON - follow this one simple rule and you will avoid 99% of the scam attempts on craigslist.

NEVER WIRE FUNDS VIA WESTERN UNION, MONEYGRAM or any other wire service - anyone who asks you to do so is a scammer.

FAKE CASHIER CHECKS & MONEY ORDERS ARE COMMON, and BANKS WILL CASH THEM AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE when the fake is discovered weeks later.

CRAIGSLIST IS NOT INVOLVED IN ANY TRANSACTION, and does not handle payments, guarantee transactions, provide escrow services, or offer "buyer protection" or "seller certification"

NEVER GIVE OUT FINANCIAL INFORMATION (bank account number, social security number, eBay/PayPal info, etc.)

AVOID DEALS INVOLVING SHIPPING OR ESCROW SERVICES and know that ONLY A SCAMMER WILL "GUARANTEE" YOUR TRANSACTION."

What eBay Could Learn From Craigslist
The NY Times
By Randall Stross
June 5, 2005

THESE days, triple-digit annual growth rates are rare among major Web sites. Meet that rarity: Craigslist.

Exceptional, too, is the ability to draw 10 million unique visitors each month without ever relying on venture capital and equity markets. Or the ability to attain fourth place among general-interest portals without ever spending a penny on marketing.

Signal accomplishments, to be sure, fit for boasting in an annual report. But Craigslist is a privately held company that has no such reports, and no burning interest in the competitive fray. It does far more shrugging than boasting. Its management regards profits, which it has earned consistently since 1999, as merely the means to remain in control of its own destiny. Free of debt, it can do as it wishes to maximize what it calls its service mission without having to maximize profits. This is good news for its customers - that is, community members - and bad news for competitors whose shareholders are unlikely to regard community service as their own companies' raison d'être.

Until recently, Craigslist was the overlooked underachiever from that fertile class of 1995 start-ups. Like eBay, it began as a free community service that year, a little experiment in applying technology to community-building, not profit-seeking. Craigslist initially provided online listings of local events in the San Francisco Bay Area, the kind that could be found in an alternative newspaper. Visitors were encouraged to contribute, and they added the online equivalent of the mainstream newspaper's classified section. Software handled e-mail forwarding.

Unlike eBay, which is dedicated to removing geographic obstacles to trading and defines "community" along national boundaries, Craigslist thinks and acts locally, organizing listings city by city for merchandise, jobs, real estate, personals, events, volunteer opportunities and discussion forums. It has moved at its own idiosyncratic pace, waiting five years after its start to add a second city, Boston. Today, it has sites for 120 cities in 25 countries and serves up 2.4 billion pages a month.

Craig Newmark, its founder, was, and remains, protective of the noncommercial character of the site. In the early years, he ran it in his spare time with the help of other volunteers. Eventually, the traffic overwhelmed them; he quit his day job and imposed fees to pay for full-time stewardship. But he minimized the impact on the community by restricting the new charges to employers in San Francisco who placed job ads. Modest fees for employers in two other cities were added only last year, and only after Mr. Newmark invited Craigslist visitors to comment on the wisdom of the change; there were 3,000 remarks, all posted publicly. Today, 99.2 percent of Craigslist advertisements remain free.

If you're the publisher of a local newspaper, you're spending a lot of time thinking about Craigslist. Traditionally, local newspapers have derived 30 to 50 percent of their advertising revenue from the classifieds.

Surprisingly, the momentum of this online alternative with virtually free offerings had not drawn much attention as recently as last fall, when Creative Intelligence, a consulting firm based in Altamonte Springs, Fla., surveyed the newspaper industry. It discovered that many executives were unaware of the arrival of Craigslist in their own cities. Nor were all aware that aside from a sliver, ads on Craigslist were available free.

Late last month, Knight Ridder Digital announced its plan to finesse the challenge of free classifieds: it dropped fees for ads for merchandise posted on the Web sites of 22 of its newspapers. When you visit one of these sites and prepare to submit an ad, however, you must navigate past pitches for various fee-based upgrades. The basic ad is free, but after 500 characters, you pay $1.99. Bold face, another $1.99. A photo package, $3.99. And so on. À la carte charges are the way business is done on eBay, but not on the commons of Craigslist. What part of "free" is difficult to understand?

Executives at eBay have their own reasons to lie awake thinking about Craigslist. EBay, the child prodigy that went the corporate route and became a publicly traded company at the age of 3, now faces sharply declining growth and that awful fate no prodigy is ever prepared for: middle age.

Data collected by Nielsen/NetRatings show that eBay's page views in April 2005 grew by less than half a percentage point, compared with the previous April. At Craigslist, page views grew 130 percent in the same period. According to the company's data, its traffic is now about a fifth of eBay's. And the operational efficiencies are astounding: Craigslist has 18 employees; eBay has 8,800.

Even though eBay's pockets are flush and it can afford to pay retail prices for acquisitions, like $620 million in cash for Shopping.com, announced last week, it must look ever further afield for growth.

One way is to use its technology infrastructure to improve classified advertising. Hani Durzy, a spokesman for eBay, says its core business is a "transaction marketplace," in which the sale is completed online with a binding contract.

In contrast to the "transaction marketplace," classifieds merely enable private parties to get in touch. Viewed in terms of technology and legalities, Craigslist provides nothing more than the newspaper classifieds. To consummate a deal, you're on your own.

But that seems to be all that its large and ever-growing base of fans desires. The offerings of Craigslist have never been more appealing, even though - or maybe because - it is retro in look and retro in its online technology. EBay uses an elaborate feedback apparatus to allow strangers who will never meet in person to feel safe doing business with one another. Craigslist does not need that apparatus. It is for locals only, and it is the one place that can fix you up with an entire life - job, shelter, furnishings, lover - at one stop, with minimal intermediation.

In August, eBay bought a 25 percent stake in Craigslist from a former Craigslist employee. Mr. Durzy said at the time that eBay was "interested in finding out how classified-style trading works."

THAT turned out to be an understatement. In February, eBay started Kijiji, a set of more than 50 international sites providing free classifieds, similar to Craigslist, in cities in Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. By last month, the number had grown to 90, and eBay announced two related acquisitions that expanded the network. It is too soon to know how far eBay may go in copying the nonjudgmental approach of Craigslist's community discussions and sexually explicit personal ads.

In some cities, Kijiji and Craigslist co-exist, with Kijiji offering the local language and Craigslist offering English-only listings. Both companies maintain an official stance of being unconcerned about the likelihood of mutual competition ahead.

Were eBay interested, it could learn something else from Craigslist about doing business: how to reach decisions while consulting with its community, eliminating surprises and ill-considered choices. Mr. Newmark, who works full time performing customer-service chores, remains certifiably 100 percent hubris-free.

"Folks, we're considering charging apartment brokers for apartment listings in N.Y.C.," Mr. Newmark told the community earlier this year, explaining in great detail the pros and cons. He added that he would "need your help figuring out what I've missed."

Five years after the technology bubble burst, the success of Craigslist shows an enduring public appetite for online offerings that closely complement life lived off line. Being 99.2 percent free doesn't hurt either.

Superman comic sells for $1.5M, setting record
The Associated Press
March 29, 2010

NEW YORK (AP) -- The record price for a comic book, already broken twice this year, has fallen again.

A copy of the 1938 edition of Action Comics No. 1 sold Monday for $1.5 million on the auction Web site ComicConnect.com. The issue features Superman's debut and is widely considered the Holy Grail of comic books.

The same issue sold in February for $1 million. That number was quickly bested when a 1939 comic book featuring Batman's debut sold for $1 million and change.

The issue that sold Monday was bought from a private collector and then sold by Stephen Fishler and Vincent Zurzolo, the co-owners of ComicConnect.com.

Fishler declined to name the buyer but said he was "a hardcore comic book fan."

----------------------------------------------------------
APNewsBreak: Superman's debut sells for $1M
By Jake Coyle, Ap Entertainment Writer
Febraury 22, 2010

NEW YORK – A rare copy of the first comic book featuring Superman has sold for $1 million, smashing a record set just last year.

The issue sold Monday morning is a 1938 edition of Action Comics No. 1, widely considered the Holy Grail of comic books. It features Superman lifting a car on its cover and originally cost 10 cents.

It was sold by a private seller to a private buyer, neither of whom released their names. The sale was conducted by the auction site ComicConnect.com.

The previous comic book record was set last year when $317,000 was paid for the same Action Comics No. 1 issue. This copy fetched a much higher price because it's in better condition

...A week or so ago I had orderd my free Priority boxes from the uS post office. They came in eysterday and I picked them up. These boxes can take the guess work out of shipping charges. With baseball season gettign ready to start there are many sports fans out there looking for items from their favorite teams. This could be a great time toi list any sports related items for baseball teams. Otherwise keep clearing the clutterto put more cash in your pockets. Buy Local and Sell Global! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"Don’t let people who you may respect and who you believe know what they’re talking about, don’t let them tell you it can’t be done because often they will tell you it can’t be done, and it’s just because they don’t have the courage to try." ~ Pierre Omidyar (founder of eBay)

I know it has probably been covered here somewhere but the thread is so large that I could not find it in the limited time I have to go through it all.

My question is, How do you go about shipping large items to Ebay buyers? Let's say for example you sell a bike to someone on Ebay that lives in another state. How do you ship that bike to them? Is there a local place that you take it to for shipping? If so do they box it up for you?

With 7 children you cannot imagine how much stuff I have collecting dust in the garage. I would love to be able to cash in on these items. From skateboards, bikes even scooters and motorized cars. I have enough fishing equipment to supply an entire fishing boat on men for the day. Would love to get rid of that...Shhhh don't tell my husband I said that...LOL!

Many larger items can be shipped by a carrier such as United Parcel Service (UPS). More information on their services can be found at:
http://www.ups.com/content/us/en/shipping/

UPS offers pick-ups and there is information on their website for locations and shipping. Some locations will offer boxes, but it is usually more cost effective to get "free" boxes from local merchants in your area. The one key is if an item does not sell for a high enough price, it may cost more to ship it. In this case Craigslist or eBay with an option for pick-up by the buyer may work better. People can search on eBay and then restrict their search criteria to a local zip code area or a mile radius around a specific zip code area.

Good luck clearing the garage and making some extra cash. This is a great option for Spring cleaning. Buy Local and Sell Global! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

...Found an interesting article to share:

Craigslist Founder Won't Sell Out
Tuesday, October 24th, 2006
by Rajan Sodhi

Craigslist.org owner Craig Newmark isn’t tempted to sell off his popular community classifieds site any time soon. Even if it means billions of dollars are sitting on the table. He seems keen to stay true to the not-for-profit-but-for-community “not-solely-for-profit-but-for-community” model he has used with the site. I love Craigslist. I haven’t paid for a classified ad in the past two years. You can read his comments below or go to the original article link.

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (Reuters) — The founder of Craigslist.org, the free social networking and classifieds Web site, said on Thursday he is not interested in selling out, a few hours after social networking site MySpace was valued at $15 billion.

“Who needs the money? We don’t really care,” Craig Newmark said in an interview at the Picnic ‘06 Cross Media Week conference here. “If you’re living comfortably, what’s the point of having more?” Newmark said.

Just a few hours earlier, RBC Capital analyst Jordan Rohan said MySpace could be worth around $15 billion within three years, measured in terms of the value created for shareholders of its parent company, News Corp. MySpace was acquired by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. for $580 million less than a year ago. It now boasts more than 90 million active users, against 10 million monthly users of craigslist.

Craigslist, despite its no-frills layout, gets more than four billion page views per month with just 22 employees. Measured as a proportion of the number of employees, it claims to rank seventh amongst English language sites, behind Yahoo, AOL Time Warner, Microsoft, Google, eBay and News Corp.

Newmark said raising the money to subsequently give it away to good causes also did not interest him. “Finding a good cause is incredibly hard and time-consuming,” he said, adding that he and Chief Executive Jim Buckmaster agree on not cashing in.

“We both know some people who own more than a billion (dollars) and they’re not any the happier. They also need bodyguards,” he said. Craigslist is 25 percent owned by eBay after one of the shareholders who helped to set up the site in the 1990s sold his stake in 2004. Newmark declines to specify exactly who owns the remaining shares.

Craigslist founder: Internet proves 'people are OK'
Thursday, November 3, 2005
CNN.com

(CNN) -- In 1995, Craig Newmark gave his first name to a small, local Web site that helped spread the word about happenings where he lived in San Francisco, California.

Since then, Craigslist.org has become a flourishing online community of city-centric bulletin boards on which users post notices about everything from job listings to personal ads.

Today, Craigslist serves nearly 200 cities around the world, where it's become a must-read for anyone looking for jobs, housing or even love. Newmark spoke recently by phone with CNN.com's Lila King about his site's legacy in the Internet revolution.

CNN: What do you think the Internet's biggest impact has been?

NEWMARK: The Internet connects people for whatever they want to connect -- for commerce, for socializing; it's all working. The deeper answer is that the Internet is allowing people of goodwill to realize that most everyone is OK, means well and wants to get along. And it's allowing people of goodwill to connect to deal with bigger problems. ...

People using the Web are starting to speak truth to power in the way that the press used to. And they're backing it up with fact-checking, investigative reporting and that kind of thing. And that's really important. Traditional journalism with citizen journalism -- get them together -- that's going to be the dominant mode in the future.

The big lesson for me on the Internet -- the big lesson running Craigslist and doing customer service -- is that people everywhere are overwhelmingly trustworthy and good and moral. They help me remember my moral compass, which basically says, you know, "Don't hurt people." And if you have any time left over, help people out a little.

Basically, [the Internet] reinforces the goodwill of people who already operate that way. And it also reminds people who are taking moral shortcuts that, hey, that ain't OK anymore.

Specifically [in New York], apartment brokers kind of run that market. ... Well, we're now such a big resource in New York for apartments that I can now tell sleazy brokers, "Hey, it's over, you gotta play fair." And that's slowly working. I mean, I figure I've got another year to go on this, but this is my biggest single project.

CNN: What do you use the Internet for?

NEWMARK: I do get a certain amount of news from there. Like, I'll read Wonkette. ... I read the gadget blogs. And I got a new house, and I'm renovating it. I'm using [the Internet] to pick out fixtures and so on. I just spent about an hour doing it, and I was ready to put out my eyes. [Laughs.] This is not something I should be doing, but it is kind of fun. It was built in '22. And it's right on a hill.

CNN: How do you think the Internet will change in the next decade?

NEWMARK: Well, I've given up predictions, given that there are no lunar colonies yet. But I think the big change will be the way it delivers news and entertainment. And as the news industry changes, I think it's going to restore good government. ... It's already happening. It's already helped in [South] Korea and Spain.

CNN: Do you predict any big surprises?

NEWMARK: It's already spreading the word that nerds make better lovers. There was an article about that in the New York Daily News several days ago. ... I'd appreciate it if you could spread the word. I'm not looking, but I think the word needs to get around.

CNN: What do you hope will be Craigslist's legacy?

NEWMARK: People will realize that people everywhere are OK. You've got to be a little careful, but people are OK

...I am always trying to keep up with any changes wiut Craigslist and eBay. I want to share the following information found on eBay website:

eBay's 2010 Spring Seller Update
Source: eBay Website

It's you—entrepreneurial sellers—who make eBay the world's #1 online marketplace. In 2010, we're taking steps to increase your profitability and bring you even more buyers.

Updates that impact your selling are now being consolidated with lead time to adapt. Most of these updates are scheduled to launch starting March 23 and over the following few weeks.

Fee update: Choose the option that's right for you
New standard fees: FREE Auction-style with a low start price—Pay only if it sells

New Stores fee packages: Fixed Price as low as 3¢—Subscribe or upgrade now and pay no additional fees until April 2010!

Now just one Fixed Price format on eBay—Get full search exposure for as low as 3¢

Get a complete overview of the new eBay fee structure
Bring on the buyers! "eBay's got you covered."

New eBay Buyer Protection program inspires confidence, boosts sales

eBay Seller Protection—We're here for you too!

Top-rated seller status available for U.S. sellers in more countries

Easier, more profitable selling
Add watermarks to identify and protect your pictures

List variations like color and size in one Fixed Price listing—extended to more categories!

Category and Item Specifics changes now consolidated with the rest of updates
eBay Motors Parts & Accessories
Parts compatibility—New way to list lowers fees, boosts search exposure

Return policy, handling time required in 2011
See the Seller Checklist for an overview and timeline of required listing updates.

....I found an interesting article written by Craig Newton the founder of Craigslist from his website.

Craig Newmark (Founder of Craigslist)
Source: cnewmark website
craig from craigslist indulges himself
April 3, 2010

Fixing Washington: asking the right questions to buy stuff

The General Services Administration buys a lot of stuff (products and services) for the country, and they're figuring out how to help us all get what we pay for.

Overall, the GSA's trying to figure out how to break from traditional bureaucracy, learning from private industry and the public, asking people what they think via a site BetterBuy.

One really good idea from BetterBuy is being tried now.

The GSA wants to break away from the traditional system where the companies that provide the stuff help specify what the stuff should be. Normally, they put out Requests for Information and Requests for Proposals, and companies help the GSA figure out what to specify.

That means the companies that want the business gets to define what the business is, and can tailor that to their strengths and weaknesses. Any change to this could threaten the less effective, less competitive businesses.

The deal is to open up this process to everyone, including the public and the companies who want business from the Feds, so that we can work together for the country. One way to do that is on the Net using a Wiki, and that's what they've created, the BetterBuy Pilot(s) Wiki.

GSA is seeking input on a requirement to provide a data repository for data.gov. The data.gov pilot was ready to launch on March 25, 2010. The second is called "Clearpath". For this one, GSA is looking for input on the technical infrastructure for our Clearpath hosting, and developing the approach for a future acquisition. GSA will launch Clearpath in a few weeks.

You are invited to contribute in multiple ways:

(1) Help us write the draft solicitation

(2) Ask questions below each section

(3) Engage in meaningful technical debate below each section

(4) Point out mistakes

(5) Ask general questions

(6) Contribute! This is the most transparent acquisition that GSA FEDSIM has ever attempted.

..... The weather is warming up and it is time to start clearing that clutter. Get the broom and computer in action as your clear clutter for cash and clear other clutter for Spring cleaning. Clean sweep your way to some extra cash! Let your computer be the avnue to take you there! Buy Local (Craigslist) and Sell Global (eBay) Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"We all face the temptation freeze-frame the past, and project it into the future." ~ Pierre Omidyar

...I want to wish all the DG Members a very happy and healthy Easter Sunday. I hope your Easter baskets were filled with an endless supply of golden eggs. Keep lookign and keep movign forward and some of those hidden eggs will appear. Now is the time to clear the clutter, Buy Local (Craigslist) and Sell Global (eBay). Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"So the only thing you can do is have a certain set of values that you encourage people to adopt and the only way your customers are going to adopt those values is if they see that you’re living those values as well." ~ Pierre Omidyar

...Now that Easter is over, check your local stores for those after holiday sales. Today's sales could be tomorrow's profits. One store I went into had stuffed animal Easter bunnies that were $9.99 for only $1.00. Can you believe it? Now is the time to clear the clutter, Buy Local (Craigslist) and Sell Global (eBay). Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"I think those challenges are really critical and really important. What you learn from them is, of course, kind of what they say, ‘If it doesn’t kill you, it makes you stronger,’ and it’s true. And what you learn from those challenges and those failures are what will get you past the next ones." ~ Pierre Omidyar

...Baseball season is in full swing so it is now time to get out those sports team appearal items, baseball cards, newspapers or Sports Magazines and get them on eBay. everyone usually has a favorite team and at the beginnign of the year, everyone feels that their team has a shot at the World Series! So when its tiem to clear the clutter or locate sports items on Craigslist or local yard sales, now is the time. The more clutter you clear, the more cash you can make! Buy Local! (Craigslist) and Sell Global! (eBay) Believe and Achieve! :)- Joe

"To truly prepare for the unexpected, you’ve got to position yourself to keep a couple of options open so when the door of opportunity opens, you’re close enough to squeeze through." ~ Pierre Omidyar

...The week is flying by as I am checking out on Craigslist some local garage sales for this weekend. What better way to fidn some additional items that could be "diamonds in the rough". I remember a friend of mine use to collect all those Star Wars action figures and collectible assessories. These types of items are the best to find and if they are still in the package and priced right, they can be gold! So keep your eyes open this weekend for any garage sales, you never know what treasures you might be able to find! Buy Local (Craigslist) and Sell Global (eBay). Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"The Internet is changing everything, and has changed the world in such a short period of time, and will continue to change things in very positive ways that we have yet to anticipate. I’m very excited by the prospect of what we haven’t seen yet." ~ Pierre Omidyar

....I have been gathering more things to list this weekend and sell globally on eBay. I wil lalso check those local garage sales posted locally on Craigslist and scope those out this weekend as well. The great thing about garage sales is you can sometimes find real estate deals as well, but that is for my other "Daily Adventure Journal"!

A tip to offer for the Craigslist/eBay business is if certain items don't sell, consider grouping like items together and create an auction. This may entice more people to bid on the items as a group rather than just individual items. Good luck with your internet business as you turn clutter into cash! Buy Local! (Craigslist) and Sell Global! (eBay) Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"By building a simple system, with just a few guiding principles, eBay was open to organic growth – it could achieve a certain degree of self-organization." ~ Pierre Omidyar

...If your looking to make some extra cash from clutter here is another great way to do it. Cretae some "bandit style" flyers to post in the local stores aroudn you. If you are lookign for specific items list it or just we chelp to clear clutter, any unwanted ityems contact us. You may be able to find some gems. It only takes one good lead off each flyer to more than pay for itself. I bet it will at least get yoru phone ringing. When not create a team to have others help you search for what you and others want. There can even be a bird-dog fee if they locate some great stuff. Good luck with yoru internet busienss. Buy Local through Craigslist and Sell Global through eBay! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"A lot of people don’t just go ahead and try things. They’ll have an idea and they’ll say – they’ll convince themselves or other people will convince them that it can’t be done… the first is even more dangerous and serious. It’s convincing yourself that it can’t be done." ~ Pierre Omidyar