Comments on: What is hot on eBay? Here Pops the answer! http://probargainhunter.com/2007/02/28/what-is-hot-on-ebay-here-pops-the-answer/ News, Tips and Resources for Online Bargain Hunters Fri, 04 Jul 2008 03:30:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 by: Yan http://probargainhunter.com/2007/02/28/what-is-hot-on-ebay-here-pops-the-answer/#comment-14923 Mon, 09 Apr 2007 15:57:39 +0000 http://probargainhunter.com/2007/02/28/what-is-hot-on-ebay-here-pops-the-answer/#comment-14923 Gary, thanks for your comments. Please read my bidThumbs review at this link: http://probargainhunter.com/2007/03/19/browse-popular-ebay-auctions-with-bidthumbs/ Gary, thanks for your comments. Please read my bidThumbs review at this link:
http://probargainhunter.com/20.....bidthumbs/

]]> by: What’s new on Ebay - Amidst a tangled web http://probargainhunter.com/2007/02/28/what-is-hot-on-ebay-here-pops-the-answer/#comment-10050 Tue, 20 Mar 2007 15:00:15 +0000 http://probargainhunter.com/2007/02/28/what-is-hot-on-ebay-here-pops-the-answer/#comment-10050 [...] Ebay Pop (via probargainhunter) lets you browse various categories to see the movers and shakers, including the most popular items in that category as well as those items whose popularity has changed dramatically. The site explains it “is intended to capture some of the excitement of shopping on eBay in a fun, informative and creative way – with a twist of pop culture and current events.” [...] […] Ebay Pop (via probargainhunter) lets you browse various categories to see the movers and shakers, including the most popular items in that category as well as those items whose popularity has changed dramatically. The site explains it “is intended to capture some of the excitement of shopping on eBay in a fun, informative and creative way – with a twist of pop culture and current events.” […]

]]> by: Gary http://probargainhunter.com/2007/02/28/what-is-hot-on-ebay-here-pops-the-answer/#comment-9939 Mon, 19 Mar 2007 20:45:11 +0000 http://probargainhunter.com/2007/02/28/what-is-hot-on-ebay-here-pops-the-answer/#comment-9939 Thanks Yan, I'd be glad to give you an advanced FAQ. The first thing most people want to know is, "What's the point?" We have been part of the eBay Developers' program since early 2004 and as we considered various eBay applications to write we found that there are many people out there who enjoy just browsing eBay. For example my dad enjoys looking through the industrial categories even though he's not currently in the market for another backhoe or interested in searching for one. Anyway, bidThumbs is an attempt to give people a place where they can *quickly* eyeball "bidding war" auctions across a broad range of eBay categories. Clicking on the little magnifying glass lets the user see a large pic of the item without waiting for an entire listing to display. If they want to see the auction, clicking on the thumbnail opens the auction in a separate window. The reason behind only showing items ending within 24 hours is that this allows users to go to the site once per day (even though it's constantly updated) and see an entirely new group of several hundred items with no duplicates from the same time the day before. So, if I'm interested in cars I might go to bidThumbs while I drink my coffee in the morning and quickly view the car category without seeing a single car I saw the day before. Hopefully this keeps things practical and interesting. As far as which auctions get listed, we have a combination of manual and automated process which are used in the attempt to show the items that are getting the most bids across all major eBay categories. We go into the sub-categories to do this, otherwise a hot item (like the iPod) would completely dominate and entire major group (like electronics). We don't list our own auctions or knowingly display auctions of friends or family because we want to keep the process objective and trustworthy. The sifting process is complex and is constantly being refined in order to reach our goal of displaying the high activity auctions that are about to end across all of eBay . If you have further questions or suggestions on making the site more useful, please don't hesitate to post them. Thanks Yan, I’d be glad to give you an advanced FAQ.

The first thing most people want to know is, “What’s the point?”

We have been part of the eBay Developers’ program since early 2004 and as we considered various eBay applications to write we found that there are many people out there who enjoy just browsing eBay. For example my dad enjoys looking through the industrial categories even though he’s not currently in the market for another backhoe or interested in searching for one.

Anyway, bidThumbs is an attempt to give people a place where they can *quickly* eyeball “bidding war” auctions across a broad range of eBay categories. Clicking on the little magnifying glass lets the user see a large pic of the item without waiting for an entire listing to display. If they want to see the auction, clicking on the thumbnail opens the auction in a separate window.

The reason behind only showing items ending within 24 hours is that this allows users to go to the site once per day (even though it’s constantly updated) and see an entirely new group of several hundred items with no duplicates from the same time the day before. So, if I’m interested in cars I might go to bidThumbs while I drink my coffee in the morning and quickly view the car category without seeing a single car I saw the day before. Hopefully this keeps things practical and interesting.

As far as which auctions get listed, we have a combination of manual and automated process which are used in the attempt to show the items that are getting the most bids across all major eBay categories. We go into the sub-categories to do this, otherwise a hot item (like the iPod) would completely dominate and entire major group (like electronics). We don’t list our own auctions or knowingly display auctions of friends or family because we want to keep the process objective and trustworthy. The sifting process is complex and is constantly being refined in order to reach our goal of displaying the high activity auctions that are about to end across all of eBay .

If you have further questions or suggestions on making the site more useful, please don’t hesitate to post them.

]]> by: Yan http://probargainhunter.com/2007/02/28/what-is-hot-on-ebay-here-pops-the-answer/#comment-9936 Mon, 19 Mar 2007 19:58:13 +0000 http://probargainhunter.com/2007/02/28/what-is-hot-on-ebay-here-pops-the-answer/#comment-9936 Thanks Gary, that is a very good tip. I would like to know more about what auctions get listed (maybe you could write a sort of advanced FAQ for inquisitive types like myself. ;-) ) Are they selected across all eBay listings that end within 24 hours and have certain number of bids? Thanks Gary, that is a very good tip.

I would like to know more about what auctions get listed (maybe you could write a sort of advanced FAQ for inquisitive types like myself. ;-) )

Are they selected across all eBay listings that end within 24 hours and have certain number of bids?

]]> by: Gary http://probargainhunter.com/2007/02/28/what-is-hot-on-ebay-here-pops-the-answer/#comment-9934 Mon, 19 Mar 2007 19:34:21 +0000 http://probargainhunter.com/2007/02/28/what-is-hot-on-ebay-here-pops-the-answer/#comment-9934 Related to "what's hot on eBay"... bidThumbs can be used to see a sampling of items on eBay which are currently getting lots of bids. Items are only displayed if they are no-reserve items or have their reserve met, so bid prices are a good indication of market value. All displayed auctions end in 24 hours or less so there is a constant turnover. Related to “what’s hot on eBay”… bidThumbs can be used to see a sampling of items on eBay which are currently getting lots of bids. Items are only displayed if they are no-reserve items or have their reserve met, so bid prices are a good indication of market value. All displayed auctions end in 24 hours or less so there is a constant turnover.

]]> by: Steve http://probargainhunter.com/2007/02/28/what-is-hot-on-ebay-here-pops-the-answer/#comment-9926 Mon, 19 Mar 2007 16:49:36 +0000 http://probargainhunter.com/2007/02/28/what-is-hot-on-ebay-here-pops-the-answer/#comment-9926 Great discussion... seems like a powerful tool with a lot more application from the analytics side. Marketing analysis, yes.. and I was thinking they should develop the EPI, or eBay Price Index! They could trend inflation (or deflation) data on a myriad of stuff and look for correlation to national/global data. Okay... maybe a little far out, but with eBay nothing seems impossible. Anybody know where I can find a couple extra hours each day? {Sigh...} Great discussion… seems like a powerful tool with a lot more application from the analytics side. Marketing analysis, yes.. and I was thinking they should develop the EPI, or eBay Price Index! They could trend inflation (or deflation) data on a myriad of stuff and look for correlation to national/global data. Okay… maybe a little far out, but with eBay nothing seems impossible. Anybody know where I can find a couple extra hours each day? {Sigh…}

]]> by: 92nd Personal Finance Carnival… Great Stuff! http://probargainhunter.com/2007/02/28/what-is-hot-on-ebay-here-pops-the-answer/#comment-9924 Mon, 19 Mar 2007 16:33:31 +0000 http://probargainhunter.com/2007/02/28/what-is-hot-on-ebay-here-pops-the-answer/#comment-9924 [...] The 92nd Carnival of Personal Finance is hosted by Lazy Man and Money this week with a wonderful line-up of articles.   Some really interesting stuff includes ProBargainHunter’s look at what’s hot on eBay through the new eBay Pop! tool for trending the most popular items.  Great idea… and wouldn’t it be interesting to trend the price averages from month-to-month and year over year?  I know… lets call it the EPI for “eBay Price Index”…  then we can analyze and trend eBay inflation data…. well, they probably do that already somewhere.  Hey, maybe I can coin that term for posterity… has it been done yet?   I’m also a believer in long-term investing to which Fire Finance’s article on Investing- The Mistake of Timing the Market really drove the point home.  I enjoyed BluntMoney’s look at budgeting, or rather a Confession on not budgeting!  I wonder how many people really, truly use a budget?  For many it’s just a reference point… something to aim for.  Like Blunt Money, I use software and tracking tools primarily.  It’s a budget per se, but realistically I operate from a thorough knowledge of where I am at all times.  I may start a more accoutable budget this year to see if it makes a difference on the savings end.  It was interesting to read that Online Savings Blog is concerned about moving their IRA’s to Vanguard.  Moving money and retirement accounts around can be intimidating, but I have to say Vanguard is the one place I’ve been most satisfied with over the years.  I think you’ll really be happy after you’ve completed the transfer.  I’ve moved and modified many accounts on Vanguard without a hitch, and it has always been flexible, reliable and staffed with helpful people.  Believe it or not though- I did catch an omission on Vanguard’s part one month a couple years ago.  They somehow forgot a monthly dividend reinvestment on one fund… I looked and looked, and finally called them.  They researched it within a day and said, “You’re right!” and corrected it asap.  So I check my accounts at least every quarter to make sure any dividends and reinvestments are credited properly.  Shows that you can’t, or shouldn’t, simply leave your finances on auto-pilot even with the best of companies… it’s your money, make sure it’s doing what it’s supposed to!  But with Vanguard’s low cost structure and helpful staff, I wouldn’t be anywhere else.  Finally, a shameless plug for Sushi Money’s article Get Ready to Sell That Home.  If you’re a prospective home-seller, do everything you can to stand out from the rest! [...] […] The 92nd Carnival of Personal Finance is hosted by Lazy Man and Money this week with a wonderful line-up of articles.   Some really interesting stuff includes ProBargainHunter’s look at what’s hot on eBay through the new eBay Pop! tool for trending the most popular items.  Great idea… and wouldn’t it be interesting to trend the price averages from month-to-month and year over year?  I know… lets call it the EPI for “eBay Price Index”…  then we can analyze and trend eBay inflation data…. well, they probably do that already somewhere.  Hey, maybe I can coin that term for posterity… has it been done yet?   I’m also a believer in long-term investing to which Fire Finance’s article on Investing- The Mistake of Timing the Market really drove the point home.  I enjoyed BluntMoney’s look at budgeting, or rather a Confession on not budgeting!  I wonder how many people really, truly use a budget?  For many it’s just a reference point… something to aim for.  Like Blunt Money, I use software and tracking tools primarily.  It’s a budget per se, but realistically I operate from a thorough knowledge of where I am at all times.  I may start a more accoutable budget this year to see if it makes a difference on the savings end.  It was interesting to read that Online Savings Blog is concerned about moving their IRA’s to Vanguard.  Moving money and retirement accounts around can be intimidating, but I have to say Vanguard is the one place I’ve been most satisfied with over the years.  I think you’ll really be happy after you’ve completed the transfer.  I’ve moved and modified many accounts on Vanguard without a hitch, and it has always been flexible, reliable and staffed with helpful people.  Believe it or not though- I did catch an omission on Vanguard’s part one month a couple years ago.  They somehow forgot a monthly dividend reinvestment on one fund… I looked and looked, and finally called them.  They researched it within a day and said, “You’re right!” and corrected it asap.  So I check my accounts at least every quarter to make sure any dividends and reinvestments are credited properly.  Shows that you can’t, or shouldn’t, simply leave your finances on auto-pilot even with the best of companies… it’s your money, make sure it’s doing what it’s supposed to!  But with Vanguard’s low cost structure and helpful staff, I wouldn’t be anywhere else.  Finally, a shameless plug for Sushi Money’s article Get Ready to Sell That Home.  If you’re a prospective home-seller, do everything you can to stand out from the rest! […]

]]> by: Carnival of Personal Finance #92 http://probargainhunter.com/2007/02/28/what-is-hot-on-ebay-here-pops-the-answer/#comment-9914 Mon, 19 Mar 2007 13:33:06 +0000 http://probargainhunter.com/2007/02/28/what-is-hot-on-ebay-here-pops-the-answer/#comment-9914 [...] Pro Bargain Hunter details an application that shows Ebay’s most popular items called (wait for it…) Ebay Pop. I hadn’t heard about this, but it seems like this might be a good complement to Google Trends. [...] […] Pro Bargain Hunter details an application that shows Ebay’s most popular items called (wait for it…) Ebay Pop. I hadn’t heard about this, but it seems like this might be a good complement to Google Trends. […]

]]> by: Yan http://probargainhunter.com/2007/02/28/what-is-hot-on-ebay-here-pops-the-answer/#comment-7509 Thu, 01 Mar 2007 21:24:27 +0000 http://probargainhunter.com/2007/02/28/what-is-hot-on-ebay-here-pops-the-answer/#comment-7509 I like the idea a lot however the way it is implemented, eBay Pop is good to watch trends, not much more. I am sure there is more data out there that can be useful for bargain hunters. I like the idea a lot however the way it is implemented, eBay Pop is good to watch trends, not much more. I am sure there is more data out there that can be useful for bargain hunters.

]]> by: Mike G. http://probargainhunter.com/2007/02/28/what-is-hot-on-ebay-here-pops-the-answer/#comment-7502 Thu, 01 Mar 2007 20:38:45 +0000 http://probargainhunter.com/2007/02/28/what-is-hot-on-ebay-here-pops-the-answer/#comment-7502 Great stuff Yan. I wish the tech pull down had more categories. But, this is a very useful tool indeed. Who would've thought you can get a Fuji Finepix camera for only $27! Great stuff Yan.

I wish the tech pull down had more categories. But, this is a very useful tool indeed. Who would’ve thought you can get a Fuji Finepix camera for only $27!

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