AuctionWire

TOKYO, May 15 - Telecoms and Internet firm Softbank Corp said it was in talks to invest in the Japanese unit of Alibaba Group, aiming to boost the Chinese Internet firm's business-to-business service in the country. The Nikkei business daily reported that Softbank would invest 2 billion yen ($19 million) to take a 65 percent stake in the unit through a private placement to be conducted between July and September. Softbank spokesman Hideo Azuma said the companies had not agreed on details yet.

On reuters.com

There were two predictable fallouts from New York State’s move to force online companies to collect state sales tax: There would be a lawsuit. And some online merchants would cut off their affiliates in the state. Amazon filed suit against the state late last month. Now Overstock.com has become the first major Internet retailer to cancel its relationship with affiliates in New York. Affiliates are Web site owners who get commissions for referring customers to an online store. They are important because New York State is requiring any company that has an affiliate in the state to collect sales taxes on its behalf. Until now, companies had to collect taxes only if they had a physical presence, such as an office or factory, in the state.

By Saul Hansell

Earlier this year, eBay made the first changes ever to its feedback system. The most controversial of them was ending the ability of sellers to give feedback on buyers, leaving people who felt harmed by a purchaser with no way of warning their auctioneering peers. eBay users found this so disturbing they organized a week-long strike. Sensing an opportunity in the uproar, a company called Fair Outcomes is now offering an arbitration system that's centered around maintaining the reputations of both sides involved.

By John Timmer

After the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, China's online auction website eBay Eachnet announced plans to donate RMB200,000 to the disaster areas.The company also encouraged its employees to make donations and it at the same time launched an online charity auction to provide support to the people affected. By logging onto the Donation and Auction sector of eBay Eachnet, Internet users can now make donations via a charity auction or online bank remittance. eBay Eachnet says it will spend all the money donated by the Internet users and its employees on purchasing emergency goods for the disaster areas.

On chinatechnews.com

E-tailers using eBay and other online marketplaces to sell goods are often looking for new tools that will help them manage their e-businesses more efficiently, and naturally, to make more sales. Merchants who want to run their own Web shop in addition to selling on eBay should take a look at  IRUN, a full-featured hosted Web site builder with easy and automated eBay auction integration. This eBay Certified hosted solution is designed for non-technical users. You can easily develop your own site's front-end, with options to incorporate any existing logos, tagline or images you already have. With a design for your Web site in place, IRUN then seamlessly integrates your payment gateway for transactions. It also includes the tools needed to send your products straight to an eBay listing.

By Vangie Beal

Buyers and sellers are getting their first taste of the new feedback changes eBay is rolling out globally to its marketplaces by peeking at the Australian site, where changes rolled out on Monday. Users are finding their positive percentage scores are changing, and eBay has rolled out new messaging on to the site to inform buyers of the new policy. When buyers leave feedback, eBay Australia now serves up a pop-up box on users' computer screen stating, "Buyers, you can no longer receive negative or neutral Feedback from sellers. You should leave honest and accurate Feedback without the fear of receiving negative or neutral ratings."

By Ina Steiner