Joyful Alternative

Even Amazon Bears Are Bullish

Look at the latest page views and uniques charts on Amazon and eBay; then short eBay.

Tech / Online Trends: The Strong Get Stronger in e-Commerce

This year Amazon's bought some of the better known eretailers, including that shoe store and ABE.

Walmart Launches Walmart Marketplace

BigOlDave, you need to shop around. Just because WalMart is so cheesy looking doesn't mean it has the best prices. In my area, the utilitarian Aldi beats WalMart easily, and so does upscale Wegman's. And then there's the local Amelia's chain, an approved retailer of brand-name overstocks. If you're going to WalMart to save money, you're wasting a lot.

Barnes & Noble Finds New Revenue Streams

Barnes & Nobel reprinted out-of-print (and out of copyright) books 20 years ago. This is just a new name for its line, or maybe an additional imprint.

Could Movies, Books and Music Be Amazon's Achilles Heel?

I buy and read a lot of books, but I'm not interested in a Kindle book at $9.99. First you have to buy the platform, which is expensive and obsoleted annually, and then the "book" at half-price or more than the cost of the physical book.

Yet in many important ways, you don't actually own the book. You can't lend it to a friend without lending the whole Kindle apparatus, and you can't sell it (even on Amazon!) when you're done with the book. I can't see toting the whole Kindle to read on the subway or in the doctor's office waiting room.

From my perspective, I don't see how Amazon could raise the price, as you suggest.

Book Market Enters Era of Ubiquity

You pay what you would for a discounted trade paperback ($9.99), and when you're done reading it, you can't pass it on to a friend or sell it.

Frankly, I don't see it.

Welcome to the Google Economy

jonbob, I got a mortgage earlier this year, and 3 months later, the same bank solicited me for a HELOC! There's been way too much credit floating around.

Welcome to the Google Economy

For a Googy car company based on utility, try Philly CarShare. Parking lots all over the city and suburbs, with various sorts of cars for members to rent by the hour; no need to own or store your own car, and a nice well-maintained car always available nearby for grocery shopping or a trip to Grandmas.

And then there's the whole category of social/professional networking. I like LinkedIn, but there are many, depending on what you're looking for.

Abebooks: Another Good Acquisition for Amazon

Amazon has no shortage of hard-to-find and rare books, sellers have been leaving ABE in droves because of ever-increasing fees, and I figure Amazon is reducing competition by buying a flailing competitor at a fire sale price.

A Stockholder, and Merchant, Loses Confidence in eBay

eBay seems to be trying to become the KMart of the Internet, with lots of the same bland merchandise available at your local mall at the same price. The special deal with buy.com makes clear what was expected.

eBay, or somebody else, needs to be the garage sale, auction house, and estate sale of the Internet where interesting, even unique items star. If eBay wants to be the online WalMart, there's a big opportunity for somebody else.