While the ink dries on a deal between Amazon and California regarding online sales tax and business growth, officials in two cities are considering giving back more than half the tax money generated from the retail giant.
Amazon came to an agreement with the state to begin collecting online sales tax on purchases starting in the fall and to set up distribution centers in San Bernadino and Patterson. Read More

When you’re running a small online business, you may think your product pages are the most important pages on the site. While listing an effective product page is certainly a priority, it’s also significant to pay special attention to your “About Us” page. Read More

eBay alternative auction sites Proxibid and Auctionopia are expanding their marketplaces to make selling and buying more flexible.
Live online-auction provider Proxibid just unrolled a “buy now” feature called Instant Purchase, which allows auction houses to offer an “instant purchase” price that will override any existing bids on an item. Read More

Economic hardships won’t stop consumers from making sure Mom feels loved this year. A recent survey conducted by BIGinsight reveals how shoppers plan to celebrate their mothers this year.
Despite high gas prices and other economic factors, the average person is expected to spend $152.52 on gifts, up from last year’s average of $140.73. Read More

Holy batstache! There’s no room for boredom at Mark Pahlow’s shop, Archie McPhee, where bacon-scented air fresheners and instant underpants rank among the store’s more popular products.
What started as a home business founded on rubber lizards and other oddities soon turned into a niche market that appeals to the weird child in us, regardless of our age. Read More

With online sellers increasingly looking to capitalize on Pinterest’s popularity to bring traffic to their product listings, it seems a natural next step to enable them to sell directly on the site.
One company is doing just that. Pin2Sell is a free service from Clique Studios that allows users to sell through Pinterest just by uploading an image and a description, entering a valid PayPal email address and then pinning the item on their Pinterest board. Read More

eBay continues to morph and upgrade its selling policies. One of several changes eBay is implementing this year includes the “Authorized Reseller” badge for Diamond Sellers.
The badge is displayed above the seller’s name in product page search results—which are now available for certain categories—and in item view pages. Read More

One of the most challenging aspects of starting and managing a small online business is finding the funds that will help you realize your dream. This is particularly difficult as your business begins to grow and mature.
Fortunately, there are a variety of avenues by which business owners might acquire capital for startup or expansion. Read More

A big chunk of an eBay class action suit was dismissed by a federal judge this week, but some claims remain.
The September 2011 lawsuit, filed by Richard Noll, claims breach of contract, fraud, unjust enrichment, unfair competition and violation of California’s consumer protection and false-advertising statutes. Read More

Jay Shafer never has a typical day. Since designing and living in his first “tiny house” in 1997, his life has been forever changed, and now he works to help emancipate others from a life of excess space with his business, Tumbleweed Tiny House Company. Read More