Things to take note to prevent e-auction fraud when a consumer participating in an e-auction

Electronic auctions (e-auctions) are similar to off-line auctions except that they are done on a computer. Host sites on the Internet serve as brokers, offering services for sellers to post their goods for sale and allowing buyers to bid on those items.
Major online auctions such as eBay offer consumer products, electronic parts, artwork, vacation packages, airline tickets, and collectibles, as well as excess supplies and inventories being auctioned off by B2B (business-to-business) marketers.

One of the limitations of e-auction is possibility of fraud. Auction items are in many cases unique, used, or antique. Because buyers cannot see the item when participating in an e-auction, they may get a defective product, and the buyers can also commit fraud. Thus, the fraud rate in e-auctions is very high.

There are some protecting against e-auction fraud when a consumer participating in an e-auction are:

1. By authentication service. Product authentication is a way of determining whether an item is authentic and described appropriately. Authentication is very difficult to perform because it relies on the expertise of the authenticators. Because of their training and experience, experts can often detect counterfeits based on subtle details. However, two expert authenticators may have different opinions about the authenticity of the same item.

2. By grading services. Grading is a way of determining the physical condition of an item, such as “poor quality” or “mint condition.” The actual grading system depends on the type of item being graded.

3. By Feedback Forum. The e-commerce website Feedback Forum allows registered buyers and sellers to build up their online trading reputations. It provides users with the ability to comment on their experiences with other individuals.

4. By non-payment punishment. For example, a e-commerce website to help protect sellers in e-auction, a first-time non-payment results in a friendly warning. A sterner warning is issued for a second-time offense, a 30-day suspension for a third offense, and indefinite suspension for a fourth offense.

5. By appraisal services. Appraisers use a variety of methods to appraise items, including expert assessment of authenticity and condition and reviewing what comparable items have sold for in the marketplace in recent months. An appraised value is usually accurate at the time of appraisal but may change over time as an item becomes more or less popular in the marketplace.

6. By Verification. One way of confirming the identity and evaluating the condition of an item is through verification. With verification, neutral third parties will evaluate and identify an item through a variety of means


For more information about e-auction, can refer to
http://myphliputil.pearsoncmg.com/student/bp_turban_introec_1/Turban-Appendix2A.pdf

a review on a post Legal from My e-commerce blog

Based on Piracy in Malaysia: Fighting through Education and Enforcement! In my point of view, the raids operation and crackdowns on pirated software was a good move. This also includes of the seized and destroyed of pirated CDs, DVDs and other relevant materials. However I felt that there’s so much more we can do in curbing this menace by following some countries development and their enforcements. The likes are such as the United Kingdom on how they stop and curb the illegal downloader. UK government is working on a new law to have this illegal downloader's internet connection to be cut off.

Under the new proposed new law, action will be taken against the users who use their account to access pirated material by the internet services provider. There are estimated around 6 million people are downloading files illegally in UK. These illegal downloading of music and movies are costing the industry to lose million of pounds in revenue every year.

Among the contents of the new proposed law are ISP who failed to enforce the rules could be prosecuted and details of customers suspected in illegal downloading can be made available to the courts. Thus, a hefty fine should be imposed on the wrong doers to teach others as well to stay away from illegal downloads, software and others piracy possible materials.

Review Of Local E-Commerce Site

Www.BeyondGift.com.my specializes in import & manufacturing a series of promotional bags and Premium Gifts. It was founded in 1994 and established in Melaka, Malaysia for almost 13 years.

Their features are as such,

Their main products consist of bag, non-woven products, T-shirt, jacket & tracksuit, caps, household, electronics, keychain, stationery, leather gift, pen gift, wooden gift, umbrellas, sunshades, and miscellaneous.

Download speed would not be time consuming.

Site Design and Layout. The layout has white and yellowish colour. It is quite simple but it easy for us to view. It is easy for us to click on the picture icon which we wanted to know more about the description of the item selected. And even some images is moving to which can attract the viewers.

Search Engine. There has a Quick Search on the right side in the Design and Layout. We can find desired items and it is convenient for us to search for items and less time consuming.

Shopping Chart. Shopping chart is available at the bottom of the toolbars. Moreover when we click at the item selected, the ‘Shopping Chart’ icon will appear for customers to add in their list.

Calendar, Date and Time. There is a calendar as a reminder for viewers. It is quite useful for those customers who are forgetful about the memorable date, event and time.

BeyondGift.com.my considered as worthy website to be visited and browse through thus discover and even purchase their items to their beloved ones.

Coporate Blogging

Corporate blogging


There are two types of corporate blogs: internal and external.
Internal Blogs
Internal corporate blogs are those accessible to company employees and usually available on company Intranets. Although the decision as to who can and cannot contribute to the blog is up to the company itself, a communal approach, where anybody may contribute, can be an effective way to encourage employee participation, a sense of community, high morale and other factors.
Allowing employees at every level to contribute to your corporate blog creates an open
atmosphere and can promote open discussion about corporate policies, direction, criticisms or
suggestions.

External Blogs
The other type of corporate blog is an external blog. Although the blog is maintained and
authored by corporate staff, it is viewable by anyone with Internet access. These can be used to
make company announcements, share viewpoints, respond to news articles or any number of
other communications. More importantly, utilizing a comment system allows an organization to
interact directly with its audience in meaningful ways.

Advantages

Encourage Discussion Among Your Audience
Comments give your company instant feedback and can be used to measure of value for new products or services in your customers’ eyes. This interaction can also provide invaluable insight as to what your audience thinks, wants, needs or feels. Comment systems encourage discussion between visitors. The most successful blogs are those whose comment sections are much more active than the blog itself.
While there isn’t any professional communicator who would argue that getting a message to an audienceisn’t a success, blogs carry much more potential. Imagine the value of not just getting your message to your audience, but having such an impact on it that they consider and discuss it among themselves.Blogs can also be used to find and directly communicate with influencers within a company’s audience.Reaching opinion leaders and influencers has always been a goal of public relations and blogs allow communicators to do so much more easily than in the past.

Give Your Perspective
Corporate blogs are undeniably biased, but they also have several advantages. First, corporations have complete control over the content of the site. That isn’t to say that the blog should focus on corporate strengths and ignore controversies. As a matter of fact, blogs are fantastic opportunities to address issues and concerns from the company’s perspective. Providing timely, honest views about potentiallycontentious issues can have a dramatic effect on public opinion and adds to an organization’s credibility.

Increase Your Reach
External corporate blogs also come with the added advantage of increased traffic and search engine rankings. Frequent updates add credibility and encourage visitors to return, which will help keep your search engine rankings high. Another good idea is to create an RSS feed for your blog.RSS feeds automatically update users’ aggregators and alert them to new posts or bulletins on your blog.Essentially, rather than looking for new information, users have the information sent to them. As more people adopted the use of this technology, it is becoming increasingly important for companies to do the same in order to keep up with Internet trends.
Corporate blogs are powerful tools to reach your audiences. Several companies have already started utilizing blogs and if you plan on keeping your company competitive, a corporate blog is a must have communication channels.

Touch-n Go for E-tailing

The Octopus card is a rechargeable contact less stored value smart card used to transfer electronic payments in online or off line systems in Hong Kong. There are four types of cards that are On-Loan, Sold, the Airport Express Tourist and the MTR Airport Staff.

On-Loan cards are issued for usage in daily functions, first and foremost for fare payment in transport systems. If an owner loses a card, only the stored value and the deposit of the card are lost and no identification is necessary to buy the card. This type of Octopus card is anonymous; no personal information, bank account or credit card details are stored on the card.

Sold cards are sponsored and branded cards. Octopus Cards Limited only distributes Sold cards as souvenir cards. These cards are sold at a premium, have limited or no initial stored value, and cannot be refunded, but they can otherwise be used as ordinary cards. Mcmug and Mcdull collection are the example of Sold cards.

Octopus Cards Limited also introduced Airport Express Tourist to target tourists in Hong Kong. There are two versions of this card are accessible, a HK$220 card with a free single ride on the Airport Express, the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) train line that runs between the Hong Kong International Airport and the city areas, and also a $300 card with two free single rides included. The airport journeys are valid for 180 days from the date of purchase. These tourist Octopus cards may be used only by tourists staying in Hong Kong for 14 or fewer days.Users might be need to buy a passport showing their arrival date in Hong Kong. Airport Express Tourist Octopus is available for purchase at all MTR stations.

The MTR Airport Staff Octopus is obtainable for the staff of Hong Kong International Airport and Asia World-Expo for commuting at a reduced fare between the airport and MTR stations via the Airport Express. For those staff got the card may use it for a discount of up to 64 percent for Airport Express single journey fares. The MTR Airport Staff Octopus is obtainable upon application via the company for which that a staff member works.

The Octopus card used to pay fares for all public transport in Hong Kong and to make purchases for consumer products at many stores in the city. It is accepted by more than 160 merchants. The card can be used in many soft drink vending machines, photo booths, parking meters, pay phones and car parks

Famous businesses that accept Octopus cards include PARKnSHOP, Watson, 7-Eleven, Starbucks, McDonald's, and Circle K.. Octopus cards can also be used for admission control in buildings and for school administrative functions.In 21 November 2004,all parking meters in Hong Kong had been changed to using the Octopus card as the form of payment.

Mobile payment systems in Malaysia: It’s potentials and consumers’ adoption strategies

Mobile payment also referred to as mobile web payment or WAP billing is the collection of money from a consumer via a mobile device such as their mobile phone, Smart Phone, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) or other such device.

Mobile payment can be used to purchase any number of digital or hard goods, such as music, videos, ringtones, games, wallpapers and other digital goods. Besides that, it is also can be used to purchase books, magazines, tickets and other hard goods.

Nowadays, there are some companies start promote mobile systems in Malaysia, such as Visa and Nokia. Visa and Nokia have teamed up to release the world's first credit card payment system in Malaysia, they allow consumers to shop and pay by using their mobile phones. PayPal has launched a somewhat similar service called PayPal Mobile that lets people transfer money through their cell phones.

Nokia phones will use the Visa Wave smart card technology that utilizes the radio frequencies to eliminate the need to swipe credit card into a reader. During the trial period, Visa Wave cardholders in Malaysia will be given a special Nokia phone that can be used for such payments.

Pilot implementations of mobile payments have shown that consumers find mobile payments both functional and convenient. However, while consumers are receptive to innovative mobile payment devices and services, they are also still looking for a strong value proposition. Consumers are aware that they have alternatives and are educated about other options. Finally, consumers are showing a heightened awareness of security and privacy issues. Mobile payment scenarios can enhance security and privacy. However, if the perception exists that mobile payment potentially involves loss of privacy, consumers will not accept it.

Review on post on e-tailing My E-Commerce blog

I’ve done a lot of blog surfing lately, in search of new (best) blogs. What I found often, however, was that there are things people could do to improve the relationship and interaction value of their blogs, which would in turn build a better bridge between blogs and their readers.
Here are certain recomendation in my point of view of a post on e-tailing frm E-Commerce blog

1.Display Contact Info Prominently- Put the author’s name right up there easy to read, and add a photo, an email written out to avoid spiders ( chris at lifehack dot org instead of actually clickable), and even a phone number, if you want people to reach you. Add your IM username, and other contact info. If it’s a multi-author blog, display an “About the Authors” link prominently. .
2.Format Your Text- Take the extra time to write “pretty” posts, such as it were. Make it so that people can read what you’re typing, and do your best to keep the tone communicative, and not too dense. Translation: big fat paragraphs of dense text usually don’t make for “friendly” blog reading.
3.Use Tagging- The best thing about using Technorati tags and other tagging features is that it helps you AND others. As a blogger, it gets you more traffic from people interested in the words you’ve selected as tags for your post. As a reader, it helps you determine quickly if something is relevant to your interests.
4.Link, Link, Link- When you talk about 43 Folders, give them a link. When you write about a hilarious video on New Year’s Resolutions, share the direct link. This has two effects: one is that it makes it more useful to your readers. Two, it shows Google that you’re alive and sharing information back and forth (which benefits you *and* the linkee). BONUS: it’s good karma, and people feel warm and fuzzy when they see you’ve linked to them.