21 November 2008
Official Google Blog: Sorting 1PB with MapReduce
Google has cut down their processing time of sorting 1TB of data from 209 to 68 seconds. It only takes a third of the time it used to take. Makes me wonder how much of this is due to hard drive writes. Is RAM cheap enough now where you can use Gigabyte i-RAM to be the hard drive? I bet they could reduce their processing time if sorting involves the hard disk to some extent.
Official Google Blog: Sorting 1PB with MapReduce: "We are excited to announce we were able to sort 1TB (stored on the Google File System as 10 billion 100-byte records in uncompressed text files) on 1,000 computers in 68 seconds. By comparison, the previous 1TB sorting record is 209 seconds on 910 computers."
Official Google Blog: Sorting 1PB with MapReduce: "We are excited to announce we were able to sort 1TB (stored on the Google File System as 10 billion 100-byte records in uncompressed text files) on 1,000 computers in 68 seconds. By comparison, the previous 1TB sorting record is 209 seconds on 910 computers."
14 November 2008
E-Commerce News: E-Marketing: Cashback Program Grows MS Product Search From Puny to Small
The smallest rebate purchase I made on this was $32.50. Everything else is ranging in the $100 to $200 rebate range. I see little point in purchasing something via Live.com cashback unless you can get maximize your rebate. But then again, the purchases are for business so perhaps we are not the ideal target market. :)
E-Commerce News: E-Marketing: Cashback Program Grows MS Product Search From Puny to Small: "Under Microsoft's Cashback program, launched in May, the company rewards shoppers with rebates from a few cents to US$20 or more on items they find using its search engine, Live Search."
E-Commerce News: E-Marketing: Cashback Program Grows MS Product Search From Puny to Small: "Under Microsoft's Cashback program, launched in May, the company rewards shoppers with rebates from a few cents to US$20 or more on items they find using its search engine, Live Search."
Labels: eBay, live.com cashback, microsoft, rebate
Made my own 12V Supply and it sucks - RC Groups
One of our customers purchased an Echo Star power supply and did not like it. I would say Echo Star is slightly better than A-Power.
Made my own 12V Supply and it sucks - RC Groups: "I bought a brand new 450W computer power supply thinking I would save some money. Its not the best brand (echostar) but its rated for 450W Max /14A at 12V.
http://tekgems.com/Products/et-11182-pwr-estar-450-n.htm
I wired it up and hooked up my Electrify Polycharge 4. Basically I crossed a green and black to get it to stay on all the time then took a yellow and black lead for my positive and negative.
If I put a load on the thing any more than 2A, the low voltage alarm goes off and the PS voltage drops in the 10V range. Is this just a crap supply or do you think I did something wrong?"
Made my own 12V Supply and it sucks - RC Groups: "I bought a brand new 450W computer power supply thinking I would save some money. Its not the best brand (echostar) but its rated for 450W Max /14A at 12V.
http://tekgems.com/Products/et-11182-pwr-estar-450-n.htm
I wired it up and hooked up my Electrify Polycharge 4. Basically I crossed a green and black to get it to stay on all the time then took a yellow and black lead for my positive and negative.
If I put a load on the thing any more than 2A, the low voltage alarm goes off and the PS voltage drops in the 10V range. Is this just a crap supply or do you think I did something wrong?"
13 November 2008
eBay Launches Pay-Per-Click Advertising Program for Sellers
We already pay eBay a listing fee to advertise our products on eBay. I do not really understand the logic of why you have text ads on top of that. I can only reason that if keyword "spamming" is an issue, you can get around by supplementing your advertising via text ads.
eBay Launches Pay-Per-Click Advertising Program for Sellers: "The pay-per-click ad program, similar to Google AdWords or Yahoo Search Marketing, allows eBay sellers to advertise their listings and eBay Stores on eBay search results pages via a customized text ad."
eBay Launches Pay-Per-Click Advertising Program for Sellers: "The pay-per-click ad program, similar to Google AdWords or Yahoo Search Marketing, allows eBay sellers to advertise their listings and eBay Stores on eBay search results pages via a customized text ad."
Internet Retailer Conference Named Fastest-Growing Conference
We skipped PubCon this year and will save our attendance for IRC. If you plan on attending an eCommerce trade show, this is the one to go to.
Internet Retailer Conference Named Fastest-Growing Conference: "'This recognition is really a reflection of how vibrant the e-commerce market is compared to other industries. When you consider that there are more than 13,000 trade shows in the U.S. each year, it's an absolutely stunning achievement for IRCE to be named the country's fastest growing conference and exhibition,' said Jack Love, publisher of Internet Retailer, which operates the Internet Retailer Conference."
Internet Retailer Conference Named Fastest-Growing Conference: "'This recognition is really a reflection of how vibrant the e-commerce market is compared to other industries. When you consider that there are more than 13,000 trade shows in the U.S. each year, it's an absolutely stunning achievement for IRCE to be named the country's fastest growing conference and exhibition,' said Jack Love, publisher of Internet Retailer, which operates the Internet Retailer Conference."
2Checkout.com - Merchant Account / Credit Card Processing Alternative » 2CO Uniting with Leading Online Retailers to Stamp Out Fraud
This is an interesting concept in fraud detection. I've always wondered if there was a way to contribute our suspicious orders to a central database that other merchants can leverage. For a time, we used to have fraudsters use our shopping cart to test the validity of credit cards. We had to implement an IP velocity filter (order more than # of times in an hour and you get declined) to stop this type of fraud.
Below is an image I got off the Ethoca site that explains the process of how a community based fraud risk manager may work:
2Checkout.com - Merchant Account / Credit Card Processing Alternative » 2CO Uniting with Leading Online Retailers to Stamp Out Fraud: "2Checkout joined a global fraud-fighting community, powered by Ethoca – a leader in collaborative fraud management - to extend our fraud management services beyond our current system. Now, we have access to shared fraud data from a pool of online retailers designed to help augment our efforts in spotting and stopping fraudulent online behavior more efficiently, and guaranteeing less chargebacks related to fraud."
Below is an image I got off the Ethoca site that explains the process of how a community based fraud risk manager may work:
2Checkout.com - Merchant Account / Credit Card Processing Alternative » 2CO Uniting with Leading Online Retailers to Stamp Out Fraud: "2Checkout joined a global fraud-fighting community, powered by Ethoca – a leader in collaborative fraud management - to extend our fraud management services beyond our current system. Now, we have access to shared fraud data from a pool of online retailers designed to help augment our efforts in spotting and stopping fraudulent online behavior more efficiently, and guaranteeing less chargebacks related to fraud."
USPS - Shipping Services January 18 Pricing Change
We are anxious to start using the Small Flat Rate Box that is priced at $4.95. We have been using Flat Rate Envelope for years, but having an inexpensive Flat Rate Box will really help us give USPS our business instead of UPS.
USPS - Shipping Services January 18 Pricing Change: "On January 18 prices for Express Mail, Priority Mail, Parcel Select, Parcel Return Service, Global Express Guaranteed, Express Mail International, Priority Mail International, and M-Bags change. As always, we do not impose fuel surcharges, hidden surcharges, or surcharges for residential or Saturday delivery."
USPS - Shipping Services January 18 Pricing Change: "On January 18 prices for Express Mail, Priority Mail, Parcel Select, Parcel Return Service, Global Express Guaranteed, Express Mail International, Priority Mail International, and M-Bags change. As always, we do not impose fuel surcharges, hidden surcharges, or surcharges for residential or Saturday delivery."
12 November 2008
U.S. Pullout Will Cost DHL Some International Business
With established competitors such as UPS and FedEx, DHL had a long way to go before they could have competed on the same level in the United States. I think it was a smart move for them to give up the territory and focus on their international business. Their international rates are far better than UPS or FedEx. Below is a map taken from DHL's 2008 Q3 Investor's PDF. The darkest green tells you what areas most of DHL's international inbound arrive at:
U.S. Pullout Will Cost DHL Some International Business: "“The international footprint is very different from a domestic footprint,” he explained. “To compete domestically, you really need to go to every township, of any size, in the entire United States. But for international, the footprint is much smaller – the concentration of where those international shipments go, is much more dense. Those 15 to 20 major metro areas will cover about 80% to 90% of the volume.”"
U.S. Pullout Will Cost DHL Some International Business: "“The international footprint is very different from a domestic footprint,” he explained. “To compete domestically, you really need to go to every township, of any size, in the entire United States. But for international, the footprint is much smaller – the concentration of where those international shipments go, is much more dense. Those 15 to 20 major metro areas will cover about 80% to 90% of the volume.”"
11 November 2008
ProPay integration issues with eBay Checkout continue
ProPay: Ebay: "The ProPay eAuction account is the easiest way for your eBay® buyers to pay. With ProPay’s secure integrated checkout, your buyers pay immediately with their credit or debit cards, without having to log into or set up a separate account. They’ll love the convenience, protection, and rewards from paying with credit or debit cards."
05 November 2008
USPS Express Mail 'Hold For Pickup' Available for Online Shippers
This is very good news for consumers and businesses that offer US Postal Service Express Mail service. You can imagine for high dollar parcels you do not want to chance a carrier leaving at someone's door step. The shipper gets a guaranteed signature. If the package is being delivered to a rural area, USPS can save money on labor and gas by consolidating all inbound shipments to the local office.
USPS Express Mail 'Hold For Pickup' Available for Online Shippers: "A Hold For Pickup package is shipped directly to a Post Office, instead of being left at the recipient's address. The package is then held at the Post Office until picked up anytime during office hours."
USPS Express Mail 'Hold For Pickup' Available for Online Shippers: "A Hold For Pickup package is shipped directly to a Post Office, instead of being left at the recipient's address. The package is then held at the Post Office until picked up anytime during office hours."
04 November 2008
About immediate payments
eBay's Immediate Payment Required only becomes an issue if leaving the option turned off increases non-payment. For example, Sony PSP is often "purchased" by children whose parent did not approve the purchase. For something like this, removing Immediate Payment Required would cause a lot of cancelled orders. I would not use ProPay in this situation and just keep Immediate Payment Required turned on. If someone wanted to purchase by credit card, I can always revise the listing or create a new one where ProPay was an option.
The side benefit is that while you wait for payment, you will receive Best Match Recent Sales search advantage.
About immediate payments: "Immediate payment is sometimes required by sellers to make sure an item is paid for before they ship it.
To use immediate payment, you need to:
* Pay for the item before you win it.
* Pay with PayPal using a credit card, bank card, or PayPal account.
* Be aware that another member could win the item first by paying first."
The side benefit is that while you wait for payment, you will receive Best Match Recent Sales search advantage.
About immediate payments: "Immediate payment is sometimes required by sellers to make sure an item is paid for before they ship it.
To use immediate payment, you need to:
* Pay for the item before you win it.
* Pay with PayPal using a credit card, bank card, or PayPal account.
* Be aware that another member could win the item first by paying first."
03 November 2008
Amazon Green Scene's Blog: Introducing Amazon Frustration-Free™ Packaging Permalink
Packaging requirement for retail and online are completely different. I think for online, least weight with minimal packaging is ideal. I love the 8x6x2 format because you can stick them inside a Priority Flat Rate Envelope. Once the small Flat Rate Box comes out, that should be another packaging dimension goal to strive for. When we import stuff from Asia, we will sometimes take stuff out of blister packaging and put them into clear sandwich bags. The savings in postage offsets any labor costs. We can also stock more since my office is so small.
Amazon Green Scene's Blog: Introducing Amazon Frustration-Free™ Packaging Permalink: "Amazon.com has launched “Frustration-Free Packaging,” a new initiative designed to make it easier for customers to liberate products from their packages. Amazon is focusing first on two kinds of items: those enclosed in hard plastic cases known as “clamshells” and those secured with a large number of plastic-coated wire ties, commonly used in toy packaging."
Amazon Green Scene's Blog: Introducing Amazon Frustration-Free™ Packaging Permalink: "Amazon.com has launched “Frustration-Free Packaging,” a new initiative designed to make it easier for customers to liberate products from their packages. Amazon is focusing first on two kinds of items: those enclosed in hard plastic cases known as “clamshells” and those secured with a large number of plastic-coated wire ties, commonly used in toy packaging."
02 November 2008
ProPay & eBay Integration Not Complete
We have been experimenting with ProPay and integration with eBay Checkout. We still need to revise all the listings we have on eBay, but customers are able to checkout using ProPay when the option is selected. Paypal's Immediate Payment Required must be turned off. And it seems all the bulk editing tools (Selling Manager Pro, File Exchange, eBay Blackthorne, TurboLister) as of today do not have a way to revise or add listings with ProPay option selected. eBay Blackthorne (alpha builds) is supposed to have some ProPay support, but have not tested it yet.
Even if customers pay with ProPay, we have not received e-mail notifications to let us know nor do eBay transactions get marked as paid.
It seems the integration is not complete. We look forward to ProPay working with eBay to get this integration complete.
ProPay: Ebay: "The ProPay eAuction account is the easiest way for your eBay® buyers to pay. With ProPay’s secure integrated checkout, your buyers pay immediately with their credit or debit cards, without having to log into or set up a separate account. They’ll love the convenience, protection, and rewards from paying with credit or debit cards."
Even if customers pay with ProPay, we have not received e-mail notifications to let us know nor do eBay transactions get marked as paid.
It seems the integration is not complete. We look forward to ProPay working with eBay to get this integration complete.
ProPay: Ebay: "The ProPay eAuction account is the easiest way for your eBay® buyers to pay. With ProPay’s secure integrated checkout, your buyers pay immediately with their credit or debit cards, without having to log into or set up a separate account. They’ll love the convenience, protection, and rewards from paying with credit or debit cards."
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
I have been anxiously awaiting the integration of ProPay.com into eBay Checkout. Apparently, ProPay customer service is not really aware that there is even a problem... ? Below is the communication I received after I explained what the current integration issues are. They honestly thought proactively checking the ProPay account for sales was an appropriate way to see if a payment was made via credit card: