The Listia Blog

Today we turn 2! It’s been an amazing 2 years and we’ve grown so much as a company and community. We want to give a huge THANK YOU to our entire community for helping us build Listia into what you see today. 

To celebrate our birthday, we have a few special treats for everyone who logs in on August 5th:

1. Get 100 bonus credits when you List an Auction (today only!)
2. Log in to our website and get a special badge (today only!)
3. Remember to check out our great rewards auctions and raffles – including a laptop, digital camera, Kindle, Dyson & more!

We have a lot of new features and improvements in the pipeline and we’re really excited for another great year!

– The Listia Team

Be sure to become a fan!

Happy parents and begrudging students will be hearing school bells again, some as early as next week. As kids are preparing mentally to go back to school, parents are preparing their wallets for some potentially expensive shopping.

 The Wall Street Journal reports an average spending of $604 per child on school materials, which seems outrageous for us Listia shoppers used to getting things for free. To help keep your costs well below the WSJ statistic, we’ve put together seven money-saving tips for your back to school shopping:

1. CHECKLIST: Work with your student(s) to make a list of all supplies, clothes, and electronics they need. Here are sample lists to get you started: Grades K-3, Grades 4-10
   
2. WANTS & NEEDS: Have your kids separate their checklists into WANTS and NEEDS. Tackle the must-haves first and set a budget for the wishlist items.
3. TAKE INVENTORY: Scour your closets, cabinets and drawers for back to school treasures. Use your checklist to note items you already have, including any surplus.
4. TRADE: Try to trade your unwanted or extra supplies for things you need. Host a neighborhood swap, or post your items on Listia (check out supplies up for grabs here).
5. DO YOUR HOMEWORK: Before hitting the stores, check for deals in your Sunday circulars and sites like Coupons.com, Coupon Cabin, CouponMom, and RetailMeNot.
6. PRICE MATCH: Save time by shopping a store that price matches like Walmart, Target, BestBuy or Staples (click to see their policies).
7. SHOP TAX FREE: Take advantage of Tax Free shopping, if available in your state. Most Tax Free holidays are happening this weekend. For details, check out: http://www.taxadmin.org/fta/rate/sales_holiday.html and http://singleparents.about.com/od/cuttingcosts/qt/TaxFreeHoliday.htm
   
   Participating states: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington DC, and West Virginia

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What else does your family do for Back to School savings?

It’s an exciting feeling to win an item you’ve been bidding on and wanting to get, but what happens next? Below are some helpful post-auction tips for both buyers and sellers:

BUYERS:

Provide A Shipping Address: Once an auction ends, a buyer will need to provide the seller with their stored Listia verified address and payment (if applicable) within 7 days. Make sure you take the time to double check your address. If a stored address is incomplete (e.g. missing zip code, street number, etc), you can visit the Shipping Address page to correct it.
If the item is for “local pick-up” only, both parties can agree to meet at a local public place to exchangethe item.

Check for Payment Method: Most listings offer Free Shipping, however if a seller does not offer free shipping, they have one of two shipping payment options:

1. Exact Rate – Fees may vary depending on the location between buyer and seller
2. Flat Rate – The fee is the same regardless of where the buyer is located (domestic addresses only)

For the actual payment, we ask that you use PayPal. PayPal is an easy, safe way to pay for shipping, but remember not to use the “gift” option. (You can contact PayPal to recover shipping money in case there is a problem, but not if you choose the “gift” or “personal payment” option). Once an auction ends, the seller can provide their PayPal email to the buyer or they can send a PayPal invoice to the buyer.
Avoid other payment methods such as sending cash, checks, money orders and never send wire transfers. These types of payments are extremely hard to recover in case there is a dispute, and Listia is unable to help recover shipping money. If you do send payment by mail, make sure you have evidence of payment.

Provide Feedback: Providing feedback is a great way of showing how the transaction went. A buyer will be prompted to leave a feedback after clicking the “Got It” button (meaning you’ve received the item)

SELLERS:

Check The Buyer’s Address: The only way of receiving an address from the buyer is through the shipping address section on the top of the post-auction page (addresses in the email message section are not allowed and not Listia verified). If the buyer provides an address in the email message logs, we ask that you inform them to use the provided address form on the auction page. If an address is stored correctly but looks incomplete (e.g. missing zip code, street number, etc), double check with the buyer first before shipping.

Provide Proper Payment for Shipping: Whether or not free shipping is offered, make sure you put enough postage on the package. If you are offering free shipping and the amount isn’t enough to cover the cost of the item being shipped, the item may not be delivered to the buyer and can be returned to you.

Securely Package Item(s): A seller is fully responsible for securely packaging and shipping the item to ensure against damage or loss from normal shipping practices. A common mistake is placing small items in a regular white letter envelope. If the item is fragile or delicate, such as jewelry, avoid placing it in an envelope which can be harmed or damaged during delivery. Envelopes may only be used if the item inside is flexible and can be sent through a sorting machine.  Be sure to package your item safely and accordingly, to prevent any damages or loss.

Provide Delivery Confirmation: The best way to track a shipped item is by providing a delivery confirmation/tracking number. USPS provides these for a small fee (roughly $0.80; fee may vary in locations), but they are extremely helpful for both parties once an item is shipped. Providing a post office receipt of payment is not sufficient evidence of where the item is, so whenever possible, please use delivery confirmation.

As a reminder, all users on Listia are both a buyer and seller, so we all share these responsibilities and tips. Check out our Rules page for additional information. What helpful tips would you also offer? Let us know by leaving a comment!

Summer is probably one of the best seasons to go to the theaters and I’m sure movie enthusiasts can agree that this summer has offered a lot of great movies. So far, this summer has brought us films like:

• Bridesmaids
• Cars 2
• Fast Five
• Horrible Bosses
• Kung Fu Panda 2
• Midnight in Paris
• Super 8
• The Hangover Part II
• Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon
• Winnie the Pooh

This past weekend was no exception. With the last and final installment of the Harry Potter series, the much anticipated “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2” made $168.6 million this opening weekend! According to CNN, this eighth Harry Potter film was the best opening weekend film to date and also scored the largest midnight debut.

You can find a lot of cool Harry Potter items and collectibles on Listia. Didn’t get a chance to see the first 6 movies?  Check out this awesome Harry Potter dvd box set.

With summer halfway through, I’m excited to see what other movies are in store, like “Captain America: The First Avenger” out this Friday, July 22.

Until next time,
ListiaRosie

With the recent addition of shipping addresses we decided that it was time to do a little refresh on the post auction flow.  This change will be pushed out fairly soon, but we wanted to give those of you that are following our blog a preview!  We hope this makes things a little easier for both new and experienced users.  On to the screenshots …

First up is the process a user will go through when they win an auction.

The first thing you’ll see when you win an auction is the shipping address selection form.  Select a saved address, “none” if no shipping address is need or you can add an address by clicking the link.  If the auction requires payment for shipping this information will still be delivered via email/message.

Once you’ve sent your address and payment (if applicable) the seller should be on their way to send out your item(s).  If you get the item be sure to notify the seller by clicking the “Got It!” button.  If you don’t get your item and a refund is available, there will be a link at the bottom right to initiate a refund request (see next screenshot).

After you get your item, leave feedback for the seller!  The link to request a refund will be at the bottom right corner.  Now, on to what the process will look like for a seller.

After your auction has ended if you don’t receive shipping information from the winner you should email them to remind them to send that information to you.  Be sure not to use any addresses sent to you via email or message as this will be taken into consideration if there is a dispute. Users are required to use the shipping address form.

After you get the winner’s shipping information you can send out their item(s) and leave feedback!  If there is a dispute on your auction this will also look a little different than what you may be used to.

If you win an auction and file a refund request you can now cancel this before the seller replies (previously not allowed).  The seller will be notified via email if you cancel your request.

We hope you enjoy the new changes and we’ll have a way for you to leave feedback and report any bugs that you see!  Overall we’re hoping that this is an improvement from what we have today, thanks for reading!

We’re happy to announce our newest team member, Shane! He is the latest addition to our engineering team and will be helping us roll out exciting features and improvements to our site.

It’s only his first day, so to get to know Shane a bit better, we asked him to share 5 random facts with us:

1. He grew up in Alabama (Roll tide!)
2. He drove across the country to get to Listia headquarters in California and made a few stops along the way (Zion National Park was his favorite pit stop)
3. He’s a huge board game nerd
4. He started programming video games in high school
5. He prefers biking over driving, so he bikes to work

Listia was founded with the idea that it should be fun, easy and rewarding to trade things that you don’t use anymore, and get things that you want in return. The site has really evolved since we launched in 2009, and our community is growing faster than ever. If you’re interested in job opportunities with us, visit more details here: www.listia.com/jobs

Leave a comment for Shane and welcome him to the Listia community!

Summer always reminds me of having fun and being out and about. The three day holiday break last week encouraged me to make this summer season memorable and adventurous (while watching my wallet). That’s why I came up with some cool goals to hit this summer: To explore inexpensive local activities.

1. Visit a local Farmer’s Market
Most cities regularly hold a weekend farmer’s market, so if you’ve never explored one before, it’s worth checking out. Not only does it bring a community of people together, but farmer’s markets host local vendors with fresh seasonal produce that can be more affordable than your average supermarket. I’ve been to a fair share of farmer’s markets in the past, so I always know to bring my reusable bag and cash with me.

2. Ride on two wheels – Bicycling
With the rise of gas prices in recent months, the amount of bike ridership has increased. Not only is it a cost effective mode of transportation, but it’s also a healthier alternative and reduces your carbon footprint. My goal this summer is to bike to work, which is roughly 3 miles one way. Whether you want to bike for pleasure or for purpose, change your pace and give bicycling a try. It’ll definitely be a rewarding workout.

3. Pick up a book from your local library
Visiting the library and joining the summer book club used to be an annual ritual when I was a kid. Nowadays, we have eBook readers, tablet devices, and other technology products that take us away from the physical copy of a book. Going to the library not only lets you explore and browse, but it’s also a rewarding experience of borrowing and reusing an item.

4. Take a day trip
Whether you live in a rural neighborhood or in a big metropolitan city, it’s always nice to step away from the familiar and go somewhere fun. I live close enough to lots of entertainment spots and dining, but far away enough from the big city life. Exploring what’s around you allows you to experience the city in ways you may not have before.

What goals would you like to reach this summer? Leave a comment and share with us your plans. Also if you’re a regular biker, what tips would you suggest for someone who hasn’t ridden in a while? Any tips would be helpful.

Until next time,
ListiaRosie

photo credit via Weed Whacker

Starting July 11, we will be enforcing a few new rules regarding shipping timeframes.  These rules are meant to improve communication between sellers and winners after an auction ends.  As always, we know most of you will send shipping info and ship items well before these deadlines, but they are here to help us in case of disputes.  More info will be posted on the site once the rules are in place.

Also, we wanted to thank everyone who filled out our shipping timeframe survey!  Hundreds of you responded, and the results were very eye opening. We read through everything and took all that advice to come up with the rules that you see below:

 Starting July 11, the following set of rules will limit the maximum amount of time given for communication and shipping after a listing ends. We do encourage everyone to communicate much faster than this to ensure a great experience for everyone involved, but here are the maximum timeframes.

 

• Winner
  1. Unless otherwise agreed upon by both the winner and seller, you must contact the seller within 7 days and provide the lister with your shipping address (if applicable) and shipping payment (if applicable)
  2. For example, if a listing ends on Tuesday, you have until the next Tuesday to contact the seller with your shipping info
  3. If you fail to do so, the seller may re-list the item and keep any credits earned
  4. As always, we encourage you to contact the seller ASAP and well before the limit to ensure a smooth transaction
• Seller
  1. Unless otherwise agreed upon by both the winner and seller, you must ship items out within 7 days from the day you receive the winner’s shipping address and shipping payment (if applicable)
  2. For example, if you get the shipping address and payment on Tuesday, you have until the next Tuesday to ship
  3. If you fail to do so, the winner will be entitled to a refund in case of a dispute
  4. As always, we encourage you to ship items ASAP and well before the limit to ensure a smooth transaction

The ongoing labor dispute between Canada Post and the Canada Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) have come to an end. Canada Post has resumed service on Monday, June 26, 2011.

For more information, visit here. 

We’re proud to announce a new layout of our Rules and Support (formerly “Help”) pages. We’ve reorganized the pages to provide a more streamlined way of getting information. Have a question? Go to Support. Want to know what the rules are, just click “Rules” and everything’s there . Check out these pages and let us know what you think!

We have a lot more in store as we continue improving Listia for everyone. Thanks!