JoyBidder interviewed by ABC Radio National

I was interviewed by reporter Hagar Cohen from ABC Radio National on JoyBidder eBay Auction Sniper software. The interview was on air on Dec. 29, 2010 on Radio National Breakfast program. If you missed the program, here is the link to ABC Radio National web site, where you can either listen online or download MP3 file. Les Howard, one of JoyBidder Pro users, also shared his eBay sniping experience during the interview. Actually, Ms. Cohen also interviewed several other JoyBidder Pro users, however, due the length of the program, only Les's interview was included.

Thanks everybody responded to the interview and happy new year to all JoyBidder users!

Are eBay engineers smarter than 5th grader?

I guess most of them are smarter than 5th grader if not by much, but definitely not all, at least 2 of them are dumber than you would possibly imagine. Here is the proof. See the screen capture below.



The label says "shop by top 4 deals" on the up-left corner, while there are 5 items in the list on the right. See the highlighted section in the screen capture.

Then you would ask why this has to be a carefully coordinated work from at least 2 engineers. Here is the deal. You need one dumb developer to invent this "4 equals 5" nonsense first, then you need another even dumber quality assurance engineer to give a green check before it meets public eye.

Anyone wants to join eBay, please make a note of this. You see, next time you talk to eBay recruiter, bring this article with you, and confidently tell them you are more than good enough to replace these two dumb ass.

Seriously Disclaimer: I am not referring specific to any eBay engineers, if you think you might be one of two dumb ass showcased here, you have the right to remain silent, or reveal yourself by commenting here. Or even better, link this article to your LinkedIn profile.

eBay Auction Sniper Free Edition 1.6.9 is public on AMO

The following files of JoyBidder eBay Auction Sniper Free Edition 1.6.9 have been made public on Mozilla Addon web site (AMO).

Mozilla Addon editor has tested this update on Max OS X with Firefox.
Firefox user can now install this update and try it out on the latest beta of Firefox 4.

AMO's review process is the most rigid of all software download sites. Not only they will test the software, the editors will also review the source code. I understand why they are doing this to protect Firefox user from malicious software, and I feel good when my software has been reviewed and approved by a fellow programmer. However, this comes with a cost. It just takes time to clear the review queue. It is getting much better now or so they claim, most of the update will be reviewed in 3 days, while new submission takes a little longer. It used to be weeks, what a big improvement considering that!.

3 to 5 days of delay might be okay for most of the Firefox extensions, but doesn't allow me to quickly release fixes in light of random and inevitable eBay changes. That is one of the two reasons that I choose to host the Pro edition eBay sniper Firefox extension on www.joybidder.com, so I can release updates whenever I see fit. If you are interested in knowing the other reason for self-hosting, read it on.

JoyBidder is now compatible with Firefox 4

JoyBidder eBay Auction Sniper version 1.6.9 is released. It is compatible with Firefox 4, for those who cannot wait for the official release of Firefox 4, you can now try JoyBidder 1.6.9 on latest Firefox 4 beta. Please report any bug or compatibility problem.

Since Gecko 2 SDK is not officially released yet, the binary component that allow JoyBidder to wake up from sleep is disabled in Firefox 4.

Firefox 4 is 3 times as fast as Firefox 3.6, so JoyBidder Firefox extension runs faster as well. Desktop application user will have to wait for next year when Gecko 2 SDK is released.

Looks the same, but feel faster

call of duty black ops first week ebay price

Do you want to know how much Call of duty black ops sells during its first week on eBay? Here is the research I did. Enjoy.


Summary



Price Trend


Volume Trend

Sell through rate is very high and auction price is almost the same as Buy It now price, which means the demand is very high.

Price average is at around $58, with daily lowest under $50. Use eBay deal search tool such as this and our auction sniper software, it is not difficult to get one at $55. Use eBay bucks and affiliate program, you can save 4% off. So your take home price is $53 including shipping, which is better than retail which sells at $59 plus tax.

Note:

1. The price discussed above including shipping already.
2. Nov. 15 volume is not complete, since this study is done on this day.
3. The summary and chart are produced by JoyBidder Auction Analytic software, which is currently available as public beta in JoyBidder eBay Auction Sniper.

You can get xbox kinect cheaper on eBay

Major retailers are announcing that Microsoft xbox kinect is sold out quickly. Even Amazon sells used ones at $200. Can you get a better deal on eBay? Absolutely YES! Here is my study.

Sales Summary


Price Trend


Top sellers

Volume Trend

Sell through rate is not high, which means there is plenty of supply on eBay.
Price average is at around $195, with daily lowest at $150. Use eBay deal search tool such as this and our auction sniper software, it is not difficult to get one at $155. Use eBay bucks and affiliate program, you can save 4% off. So your take home price is $149, which is better than retail, which sells at $149 plus tax.

Note:

1. The price discussed above including shipping already.
2. Nov. 10 volume is not complete, since this study is done on this day.
3. The summary and chart are produced by JoyBidder Auction Analytic software, which is currently available as public beta in JoyBidder eBay Auction Sniper.

JoyBidder eBay Auction Sniper Pro for Mac OS X

Ever since the release of Free version for Mac, I have been asked by quite a few Mac users about the status of Pro version. And I kept telling them that it is being worked on and will be ready soon. Some even paid the registration fee which I have to refund. The point of shareware is that, you try the software first,if you like it, purchase it, otherwise, delete, remove or uninstall. Although I was really encouraged by the eagerness of Mac users that want to use the Pro version, I was dismayed when I found out that I lose money every time when issuing refund through PayPal.

The Pro version for Mac starts from version 1.6.4. It has lots of changes and bug fixes over the previous version, see release note for more detail. You can go to www.joybidder.com to download the dmg file.

Here is a screen capture with JoyBidder icon sitting nicely in the dock. Enjoy while waiting for the download to complete.