In the US, 25% of internet audience (50 millions) passes through a shopping engine.
Close to 75 % of traffic goes to the TOP 7 websites.

If you’re looking to increase your ROI, this research identifies key insights that will sharpen your marketing decisions.

Throughout the presentation, Matthieu Dejardins explored the following questions/points:
- Why shopping engines?
- Who are the Comparison sites users?
- Shopping engines challenges
- Pre-launch checklist & what does it takes?
- Top 10 Data Feed Optimization Tips
- Vertical Segment for search engines
- Which CSE? Amazon & bing opportunities
- Which results to expect?

image source: http://bit.ly/6Un9HE

The ugly truth about getting a book published is the difficulty of finding an audience, no matter how good your book is. This is why it greatly helps for a self-published author to get media people to write about his/her book. Many ‘self-pubbed’ authors still find it a major challenge, though.

Here are some tips on how you can effectively pitch your self-published book to media people and get them to write about it:

Link in to the news. The simplest way to get media attention for your self-published book is to link your topic with current events. For instance, you can get your book on climate change into a journalist’s piece on global warming.

Nonfiction books naturally have news links built in. Yet, tying in to the news does not just apply to nonfiction books, as this can be even more advantageous for fiction books well. You might want to incorporate something into your book that relates to a hobby or any field of interest, putting media focus on that. Doing this allows you to link in to similar topics for media appearances.

Be brief. Considering a media person’s (or anyone else’s) time, media people just do not have the patience with a pitch that is just too long. Keep your pitch simple and concise as much as possible, otherwise your effort may just be dumped into the trash. It is safe to maintain your pitch to at most 5-6 sentences. Anything longer than that may no longer be pitch-worthy.

Another thing to keep in mind aside from avoiding a lengthy pitch is to observe proper conduct when sending your material to media persons. Follow proper email etiquette – make sure that your subject line is informative and avoid sending attachments.

Be suggestive. As stated earlier, media persons just do not have the luxury of time devoting an entire story to your book alone. In this case, you might want to do your part at determining how your book affects a movement. You can prove yourself to be helpful by pitching other important sources that media persons can use. This makes you even more worthy of getting coverage.

Go local. Never forget that a local angle may just be all you need to get national media attention. So if you are aiming to pitch on the national scope, try incorporating your sources with local information. Doing so may even get you more media attention.

KNOW WHICH MARKETING PLAN IS RIGHT FOR YOUR BOOK.
RECEIVE THIS FREE BOOK MARKETING GUIDE. 
 

Great Buyers or Companies work together with many of their freelancers to create long-term partnerships, whereas other Buyers tend to view their Freelancers as adversaries.

Great Buyers tend to have fewer freelancers than other buyers and deal along with two or three freelancers for a number of projects.

Greater Freelancer involvement: Reducing the number of freelancers enables buyers to devote much more time and effort to developing relationships with the remaining, ‘first-tier’ freelancers.
Increased freelancer involvement is based on increased commitment by each party. Buyers can involve freelancers in planning for the future, enabling them to invest and build their capabilities to meet future requirements.

Freelancers can be involved in new product design and development. Buyers can access their Freelancers’ in-house technologies and expertise, which can lead to more cost-effective and higher quality designs.

First, the various activities will cinclude purchasing, material management, logistic and customer service that could be outsource to a single team of freelancers.

Second, buyers create a virtual organisation that exists only to co-ordinate the activities of Freelancers.

Marketplace of export & import, offers company directory, catalog, trade leads to importer, exporter, manufacturer, wholesaler.

The Eutilia Marketplace is Europe’s leading B2B network stimulating deal making between sellers and buyers of small
to medium businesses within the European Union and beyond.

Trade leads Import Export Offers Demands WorldWide Global Directory Multiposting Daily Trade Business to business B2B International Trade Manufacturing Supplies merketplace trade offers sourcing.

B2B marketplace and Bulletin board of export and import, offers company directory, sales leads and trade leads to importer, exporter, manufacturer, wholesaler, supplier, buyer, seller.

B2B exporter importer directory of tradeleads to import and export company directory to offer buyers sellers suppliers.

Manufactures and Suppliers from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the world.

If you have ever looked at the cost of getting a website developed, you may well have been put off by the sky high prices charged by some web design agencies – upwards of $1,000 just for a simple static website.

However, you might only need a website for your customers to go to get more information about your company, you don’t need anything too flashy, and certainly don’t want something that will create such a big hole in your budget.

This is where website templates come in. These are pre-designed websites that have the same high quality as if you were to get it custom designed, the only difference is that others can also use this design for their site.

However, given the vastness of the Internet, the likely hood of finding someone with the exact same design as yours is slim to remote! So, if you are looking to save hundreds of dollars on your next website, why not consider using high quality, professional website templates?

Hiring A Freelancer For Your First Project Online

Hiring the best Freelancer could be a daunting task for most Buyers. How do I select?
Below you will find some clues to help you during your selection.

1) Check if the Freelancer has sat the platform’s exams. Most outsourcing sites have set up different exams for freelancers, in order to test their knowledge and understand how things work. Some exams are compulsory, other are not.
If the freelancer has sat an exam, the results will automatically be displayed under his/her Profile.

Shortfalls in quality are likely to arise when there is a gap between what Buyers expect and what they perceive they are getting. When such gaps exist it will lead to Buyers’ dissatisfaction. An outsourcing site’s goal is to keep that dissatisfaction to a strict minimum.

2) Check that the Freelancer’s Profile is at least 60% complete.
Upon registration, Providers are required to fill out some basic information regarding their professional experience, projects they have worked on in the past, skills, academic background, etc… . We always recommend selecting providers that have at least taken the time to complete their profiles. That shows commitment.

3) Check Feedbacks left by past Employers
Always check if the provider has received any feedbacks from past employers on the platform. Each feedback will show the level of commitment and professionalism you could expect from the Provider.

4) The Project Proposal/bid
Make sure that the freelancer draws up a specification detailed enough to show
clearly how he/she intends to complete the project. For example;

* does the Freelancer understand what you actually consider to be important?
* did the Freelancer worked on a similar project in the past?
* have you checked the Freelancer Portfolio in order to ascertain its competence?

5) The Buyer own demands
Some Buyers complain when the service/product is not delivered as specified. There are many reasons why this can happen. Perhaps the Buyer requirement has been greater than anticipated, or perhaps the Buyer resources are constrained. In this example, the Freelancer would submit an incomplete assignment because unable to meet the delivery date or because of lack of resources.
It is therefore imperative from the Buyer’s perspective to answer the following questions before submitting a project:

* Is the project cost too low for the quality of work I demand?
* Is the project deadline realistic?
* Is the project requirement simple and detailed enough for the Freelancer to submit a proposal?

In the second part of this blog, we will provide more tips on (1) things to specify when submitting your project online and (2) interviewing and selecting freelancers.

Freight Match is an online service linking transport operators and people needing goods shipped within Australia. Whether you are a transport operator looking to find a load of freight to move or a business/individual with goods needing to be shipped within Australia, you can register to this site and start discovering new freight solutions.

Why use Freight Match?

This easy to use site will provide you with quick and simple access to a wide network of operators and suppliers across Australia, ensuring increased efficiencies of your business while proving to be a valuable online resource for all of your haulage and transport needs.

Freight Match complies with COR Legislation, ensuring matches are only made between parties and transport operators with the correct accreditations and insurances.

Freight Match also offers exceptional customer service to ensure our customers get the results they need. We’ll help you place your ad, find suitable transport operators for your freight needs, and address any other Freight Match enquiries you have. Our lines are open 7 days a week so simply call (03) 57 238 777 to speak with one of our friendly customer service operators.

How does it work?

Registration to Freight Match is completely free.

After registration you will be able to start posting ads for available freight and transport solutions at no cost. If you need any help in posting an ad then please contact the team at Freight Match on (03) 57 238 777.

Freight Match allows members to view available freight and trucks for free. To obtain the contact details of the ad originator you will need to contact Freight Match.

Freight Match only charges transport operators when they successfully find freight to move. It is free for clients with freight to move to list ads on the Freight Match website. To learn more about the Freight Match cost structure please click here.

via About Freight Match | Freight Match.

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• Movers Packers- Hire Their Services for Easy Shifting (cradleoffilth.com)
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What Happened to the Technology Initiated Freight Revolution?

Lets take a walk down memory lane back to 1998-1999. i2 Technologies was the number one supply chain vendor and their management had seen fit to come out with a new concept based upon information sharing and the web called TradeMatrix. To explain all of what TradeMatrix was would take more than one article, however the basic concept was that i2 was going to create a number of marketplaces where supply chain information was to be exchanged, allowing a more integrated system of supply chain management to result. i2 introduced FreightMatrix, which was directed towards the transportation, warehousing and third party logistics areas of the supply chain. Of all the TradeMatrixes, FreightMatrix is one of the few to survive, and its website can be found at http://www.freightmatrix.com.

Brochureware

What you will notice about the site is although it talks a lot about advanced supply chain topics and software as a service, the site is nothing more than brochureware, and had no way to open an account or experience the service offering. Once you begin to look under the surface, it is simply a front end for i2’s legacy transportation management product called TM, along with probably a few other products that add minimal functionality. The problem with i2’s vision of TradeMatrix in general and FreightMatrix is they, as with all the major supply chain vendors, never really got the web. Their approach was to simply use the web to entice customers to sign on for the same old corporate software model. Anyone who doubts this, simply head over the Amazon.com and see how easy it is for anyone to open a fulfillment account and begin experiencing the Amazon servicing immediately. The entire implementation of these marketplaces was so ineptly done, with so many self styled ‘visionary” directors fighting with one another, that it seriously degraded i2’s position as a though leader — a position it had rightly earned for its previous work on factory and supply chain planning.

Tendering in SAP SCM

SAP’s TPVS – transportation planning and vehicle scheduling has functionality that supports freight tendering, however, it simply interacts individually with different carriers allowing them to respond, and is not a marketplace offering.

TPVS

To read more about TPVS see this post

http://sapplanning.wordpress.com/2008/01/05/tpvs-transportation-planning-and-vehicle-scheduling/

The transportation tendering functionality is not broadly used, at least one reason being that setting up these one to one integrations is expensive and time-consuming. It is also discriminates against smaller transportation providers who may not be able to invest in the systems that the larger carriers can afford to due to their scale economies. This effectively reduces the choice of providers available to the transportation customer. This is part of a broader problem with enterprise software in that it does not allow for incremental pricing, so smaller users are priced out of the market. This is one of the reasons we beat the drum on this blog for vendors to release truly web enabled solutions that have incremental pricing.

The Need for Tendering Marketplaces

The need for marketplaces is real. However, instead of being implemented as a closed system as proposed by i2, the marketplaces need to be open and allow a variety of buyers and sellers to participate. FreightTender is one such company / site. Below the screenshot shows how easy it is to sign up. We created a dummy account ourselves.

It is easy to see the freight advertisements.

A Low Volume Solution

What became apparent immediately is how few listings there were. FreightTender’s website is easy to use and well done, so why the lack of volume? We also did a search for freight tending software, and did not find very many companies offering this software. So the question we have is “why not?” This is an obvious excellent use of information technology, yet the industry is not caught on to the idea.

For medium to higher volume shippers, MercuryGate is the leader in providing independent integrated TMS and freight tendering.

A Higher Volume Solution

A website that is not integrated into the tendering system may be effective for small freight volumes, but it not going to the efficient for large volumes. For this we contacted the leader in integrated freight management systems with freight tendering. This company is called MercuryGate. They sit at the crossroads of shippers, brokers and 3PLs, and their transportation management solution is already connected to their freight tendering system which has large number of transportation companies already integrated to the system. This allows a new customer to be brought up and integrated with the carrier systems in a just a few weeks from the initial request to add the shipper to the system. Moving to a system like this allows for far less manual intervention in the process of putting freight out to bid. This allows a tender to be sent to a very large number of carriers, and this is a move to process orders electronically. Furthermore, this adds transparency to the transportation system. Carriers have fought this because they think it will reduce their profits. However, transportation has been lacking transparency for decades, and still has very low margins, thus it can not be transparency that is causing the low margins. Furthermore, transparency, combined with metrics regarding transportation quality allows for shippers to compare carriers on a wide variety of characteristics, price is only one.

The Carrier Dedicated Solution

Another  way that carriers fit into this solution, a number of them offer integrated TMS and freight tendering systems that are branded and essentially sold as part of the transportation services relationship with a shipper. One example of these is Yellow Meridian IQ. However, Yellow is not a software company, so they essentially offer this service by taking  the software from a software company called Meridian IQ and branding it Yellow, and then only connecting it to the Yellow system.

The problems with this approach should be fairly obvious. If a shipper has multiple carriers, then they must login to multiple systems. Secondly, having a dedicated system to just one carrier, promotes using more of that carrier’s services simply as matter of convenience. This is moving against transparency and is obviously an attempt to locking a shipper to a particular carrier. Over the past several decades, the Sherman Anti Trust legislations, which the vast majority of Americans do not understand, have come  to no longer be enforced. Thus arrangements like this, as well as anti-competitive agreements in cellular service have also been allowed to flourish. Suffice to say, our view is that the TMS solution should be carrier independent, and we would not be particularly interested in having a dedicated carrier TMS-freight tendering system in our transportation department.

In addition to MeridianIQ, Yellow, as other carriers, have a nice rate searching, tracking, and many other shipment functions on their website. Below we have performed a search.

One the next page we receive the rate response.

However, while this is good for evaluating individual moves, clearly, an integrated TMS-freight tendering solution is desirable for serious transportation volumes.

Conclusion

10 years after FreightMatrix was introduced by i2, we still don’t have freight marketplaces, and we don’t even have large freight tendering websites. However, we do appear to have an integrated TMS to freight tendering system with MercuryGate that is proven and implemented at a number of companies. We also have anti-competitive carrier dedicated solutions that work against carrier transparency and attempt to lock shippers into sending more freight their way, without competing for this freight. We can’t help but feel progress should be increasing more rapidly in this field. It is especially disappointing when juxtaposed against mountain of marketing literature and executive predictions and promises that were promoted in that decade period.

Below you will find a very comprehensive and ‘exhaustive” directory of tons of alternatives to eBay. Majority are general merchandise (new or used), except as noted, many are free, some are fixed-price while others are up for bid or negotiation. A combination of auction, live-auction, marketplace, classified, etc. Some are large incorporated companies, others could be smaller entrepreneurs just starting out while most are somewhere in the middle. Majority of the listings are United States based, however there are a few listed here that are based in Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and others – Many allow for international sales. I would make an educated guess that at least 90% of these are still up and in operation since this list was compiled a few months back . Due to the nature of auctions as well as the internet, I’m sure  you will come across a few that are no longer in existence for one reason or another -  mergers, buy-outs, server changes, failures, and so forth. The numbers of sellers, buyers and exposure will vary too, of course. This should give anyone with an interest of selling online an incredible opportunity to shop & compare – Do check ‘em out. No guarantees are made as to which one will out-perform others however one thing is certain. They are ALL here as an alternative to eBay who has the ‘universally” recognized name but has gotten TOO BIG for its own good and has also gotten waaaaaaaay out of hand with their fees and policies! As eBay continues to lose sellers, it gives very good growth potential to other sites who are keen and savvy to what sellers are looking for.

Good Luck and Happy Searching!

Be Sure To Bookmark This Post to Save It

For Future Reference or Print It Out

___________________________________________________________________________

THIS POST IS NO LONGER BEING UPDATED

FOR THE LATEST UPDATES CHECKOUT THE LINK BELOW

___________________________________________________________________________

* Updated on 9/09 – Includes many new listings – Includes omissions from my previous posts – Sites that have been found to have shut down have been crossed out – Most listings have direct links to their websites – Simply click on their name and you will be taken to them – Keep in mind also that there is constant change or turnover in this particular business. The most recent update can be found at my latest post – simply click the link below:

• Fed Up With eBay? Look Where Else You Can Sell Online!

___________________________________________________________________________

1. 123Bidding.com
2. 4Sale4Now.com
3. AdFlyer.co.uk (UK based)
4. AlienBids.com
5. AllBidders.com
6. AlsoShop.com
7. AltecTrader.com
8. Amazon.com
9. AnueAuction.com
10. ArtFire.com (handmade items designed by artisans from around the globe)
11. AtomicMall.com
12. Auction-Warehouse.com
13. AuctionAddict.com
14. AuctionFire.com
15. AuctionJunkie.net
16. AuctionQuests.com
17. Auctions8.com
18. AuctivaCommerce.com
19. Audiogon.com (High-End Audio Community)
20. Bid-ALot.com
21. BidBunny.com
22. BidCactus.com
23. BiddersNSellers.com
24. BidEuphoria.com
25. BidFinal.com
26. BidHopper.com
27. Bidjit.com
28. BidNTrade.com
29. BidOwl.com
30. Bidtopia.com
31. BidTunnel.com
32. Bidville.com
33. Bizium.com
34. BlitzAuctions.com
35. BluJay.com
36. Bonanzle.com
37. Buy.com
38. BuyersChoiceAuctions.com
39. BuyItSellIt.com [BISI]
40. BuyNSellIt.com (antiques-toys-collectibles)
41. BuyPeddlersMall.com
42. BuySellCommunity.com
43. CheaperByTheDay.com
44. CollectorOnline.com (collectors marketplace)
45. CozyBug.com
46. CQout.com
47. Craigslist.org
48. Dawdle.com (video games, systems, accessories)
49. DealTent.com
50. Delcampe.net (international marketplace for collectors)
51. Diversetrade.com (Germany based)
52. DormBay.com (college/student related merchandise)
53. E-Duds.com
54. e3Buy.com
55. eAuctions.com
56. eBanza.com
57. ebayWanted.com
58. eBid.net
59. eBidNBuy.com
60. eCrater.com
61. eFleaa.com
62. Elfingo.com
63. EnergyBook.co.uk (UK based – The Green Alternative)
64. ePayAuction.com
65. ePier.com
66. Etsy.com (handmade & vintage items)
67. Ewaey.com
68. EzeAd.com
69. FeverBid.com
70. FindsIt.com
71. FleaMarketGiant.com
72. Flippid.com
73. For24Hours.com
74. FreeCycle.org (email based – non-profit – recycled)
75. GBBay.co.uk (UK based)
76. GEMM.com (global all-media related marketplace)
77. GoBiddin.com
78. Google.com/base
79. GooleAuctions.com
80. Gorage.com
81. GoZBay.com
82. HiBidder.com
83. HighEndCrazy.com
84. Hoobly.com
85. HopeIWin.com
86. iBidFree.com
87. iBuyCo.com
88. InetFlea.com
89. InterShopZone.com
90. iOffer.com
91. ItsGottaGo.com
92. iWannaTrade.com
93. JaxBids.com
94. Job-Lot.com
95. JoffeeAuctions.com
96. Kidswap.ca (stuff geared towards children)
97. Klonkers.com
98. LDBidz.com
99. ListItYourselfAuctions.com (An Online Collectibles Auction Alternative)
100. Lixtor.co.nz (New Zealand based)
101. MightyBids.com
102. MilBid.com
103. Multi-Sale.com
104. MyAuctionPlanet.com
105. MyBizArea.com (social networking marketplace)
106. MyEAuctions.com
107. MySale2.com
108. MySellingSpace.com
109. MyStore.com
110. Neoloch.com
111. Oltiby.com (reverse online auction site)
112. OnlineAuction.com (OLA)
113. Oodle.com
114. OtherAuction.com
115. OverNightAuctions.com
116. Overstock.com
117. OZtion.com.au (Australian based)
118. PCBidz.com
119. PhiMart.com (specializes in consumer electronics)
120. PlunderHere.com
121. PrestoMart.com
122. PriceGrabber.com
123. QBon.com
124. QuickBids.net
125. QXBid.com
126. RandomPlaza.com
127. RazorBid.com.au (Australian based)
128. ReallySmartDeals.com
129. RoboBomb.com/auctions
130. RubyLane.com (Quality Antiques, Vintage Collectibles, Fine Art, Jewelry)
131. SavyAuctions.com
132. Sell.com
133. Sell2Help.com
134. Seller-City.com (Canadian based)
135. SellStuff.cc
136. Silkfair.com
137. SoAuctionIt.com
138. SpecialistAuctions.com
139. SpeedyBid.com
140. SportsCollective.com (the sportscard marketplace)
141. Squeagle.com
142. Stootsi.com
143. StormPay.com (Storm Pay Auctions)
144. StuffEnuff.com
145. SwapAce.com
146. SwapItShop.com (UK based – targeting the younger consumers)
147. SwapThing.com (trade for items & services)
148. TagSaler.com
149. TazBar.com
150. TGoSell.com
151. TheAuctionBoard.com
152. TheCollectorsBay.com (collectors alternative to auctioning)
153. TheDeadSkunk.com
154. TheFreeAuction.com
155. TheRummage.com
156. TheShopNSwap.com
157. TheSOCexchange.com
158. ThriftyBidderAuctions.com
159. ToysAuction.com (toys & baby products)
160. TradeMe.co.nz (New Zealand based)
161. TripleClicks.com
162. TruBidders.com
163. U-CanBidOnIt.com
164. uBid.com
165. uBidRight.com
166. UflipIt.com
167. Underbid.com
168. Up4Bidz.com
169. UpperBid.com
170. USAuctionsLive.com
171. USFreeAds.com
172. uSiff.com
173. uSold.net
174. VideoGameSwapper.com (video game related)
175. VintageValue.net (OSCstores.com) (free online store)
176. VirNetBid.com (international online marketplace)
177. WagglePop.com
178. wBast.com
179. WeBidz.com
180. WebStore.com
181. Wensy.com
182. Wigix.com
183. WinkElf.com (handmade arts & craft items)
184. WolfPawProducts.info /auctions
185. Xoobie.com
186. Your-Bid.com
187. YourHighBid.com
188. zBestOffer.com
189. Ziing.com
190. ZillaBid.com
191. Ziot.com
192. Zobids.com

___________________________________________________________________________

Additional Listing Sites/Directories/Info/Organizations To Check Out:

• AlternativesToEbay.com
• PowerSellersUnite.com
• AuctionBytes.com (Independent Trade Publication for Online Merchants)
• AuctionWeiser.com
• EveryPlaceISell.com
• EverydayBusinessOnline.com/AdSites.htm - Free Classified Ad Sites Directory – (The Net’s Most Accurate FREE Ad Site List – Since 1997) – Updated Several Times Each Week)

___________________________________________________________________

FREE eBOOK

How To Make Money on The Net

It Really works!

Not a get rich quick scheme!

No personal info required!

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http://www.supertips.com/ultimate/x/?id=3241

In the second part of our series which looks at alternative revenue streams for publishers, this post focuses on the potential of ecommerce and market places.

Last week, I caught up with Steve Watson who recently launched Stack Magazines.

Stack it up

Stack Magazines is a new venture which according to its website, brings together the world’s best independent magazines.

And it’s an interesting concept.

I recently signed up to try the service. I paid £18 upfront which entitles me to six magazines posted to my door.

A route to market

The concept is similar to LOVEFiLM, just the magazine equivalent.

Although Stack is still in its infancy (it was launched in December 2008), this model of delivery has potential.

For publishers, it is providing them with a route to market and for consumers, a new channel to find and subscribe to premium independent titles.

Profiling the customer and reader

I received my first title last week, Electric Sheep. Although I enjoy film, it had some appeal though in the future I’d like to receive an independent title which is even more relevant to my interests.

And this is the opportunity for a business like Stack; profiling your customers according to the magazines they want to receive.

In the future, I’d like to be able to tick certain interest areas and receive magazines relevant to this. For example sport and music.

For the paying advertiser, we can go one step further in the data capture process.

What niche is the reader interested in? Is it music and if so what area? Is it sound systems or is it independent music artists?

This kind of intelligence builds real value for the advertiser and it can be charged at a premium.

Stacks of potential

The priority for Stack this year is to build its subscriber base and prove the concept which we feel is spot on.

I’m looking forward to receiving my next magazine and it’s worth checking out.

Let us know your thoughts when you try it out.

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Various Locations, Paris and Versailles

I decided to do an entry on general food in France. I was passing by this patisserie and it looks really colorful and delicious, so I decided to take a picture of it. I was tempted to buy some, but I didn’t really find the need to. And since I was never comfortable buying anything at bakeries/patisseries (Taipan, Fay Da, etc), I figured I would just take pictures. Maybe it’s the fact that I never see where the line form or how to pick out goods or where to pay. I’m just intimidated.

These look delicious, but I can’t eat them all myself. Ah, if only there was someone with me in Paris…

These I could have eaten myself. The strawberry one with green jelly one top looks kind of nice. But €3? Kinda expensive. I don’t know why, but I find these pastries very similar to Chinese bakeries. Maybe that where Chinese pastries derived from, the French.

I found it interesting when I saw a Cantonese restaurant next to a ramen shop near the city center of Paris.

I was able to find a lychee drink from Supermarché G20 (I guess the local Parisian supermarket chain). A Hong Kong product manufactured in France.

Vending machines in the local RER line. Most of them work, and I guess that Parisian get their drink here as their last minute rush hour resort.

Haribo, Evian, and Orangina. These are the European products that Americans became familiar with.

A difference in restaurants between France and the U.S. is that U.S. restaurants tend to stay open continuously between lunch and dinner. France (except near touristy areas) opens at lunch from 12pm-2pm, closes down, and reopens from 7pm-10pm.

I stumbled into this area in Versailles, la Rue des Deux-Portes, and I was very happy so see such a marketplace. I miss the marketplace in Toronto though, that place was awesome.

When I was lost in Paris, I found Japantown. The first thing that gave it away was that I saw I Japanese supermarket. Afterwards, there was a Japanese hair salon, a ramen shop, an udon shop, a book store, and more. I wonder what’s more popular to the Japanese, New York or Paris.

I saw another French supermarket chain and decided to take a picture of it, Le Marché Franprix. If you notice on the right side is another Chinese restaurant. Traiteur means takeout. I guess Chinese takeout is universal.

I continue with the good tips for those who want to sell on the net and want to be noticed

When we list products, in addition to a good description of what we are selling it’s very recommendable to write all about we are perceiving and a photo can’t express: textures , quality and sensations. All you write is going to be used bby people who want to buy this items and write specific words to find them in such an enormous offer.
Example:

1. the obvious, what is it? scarf
2. For whom? unisex, man
3. What color? Ochre, beige (put anything that comes close too, sometimes people look for things and find something that is not exactly what they wanted)
4.Technique? weaving, handwoven
5. Material? silk and wool
6. Occasion? birthday gift, holiday etc..
7. Style? rustic, casual, informal, etc.

Here are some parameters, you have to think for all your products one by one … it is a lot of work, but worth it …
In the next post I tell you how does it work in the marketplaces I belong…

eBay’s auction business – part of  the “Marketplaces” unit – is in serious need of an overhaul and must be more seller-friendly to fight steep decline.

Marketplaces sales – which also combines Shopping.com, StubHub, Kijiji and other e-commerce sites – declined 19% in 2008, at $1.046 billion amid loosing 10 million users!

The volume of merchandise sold (excluding vehicles) on eBay’s core business sites was $11.47 billion for the quarter, a decrease of 12%, compared to the fourth quarter of 2007. eBay receives a cut on each item sold, plus listing fees.

Meanwhile, online classifieds as well as text and graphical advertising revenue grew during the quarter.

Honolulu Gas Guide
Crude oil prices went down below $100 per barrel, marking its third roll back after the all-time peak last July.
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/1041442/honolulu_gas_guide.html