Hi gang,

John Lawson is a nationally known e-commerce and social media expert.  You can find him speaking at conventions all over the world and on colderice.com and if his name sounds familiar it’s because he was a winner of Startupnation’s own Home Based 100 contest a few years ago.

I’ve known John for a long time and we both thought it was high time we sat down and discussed my new position at BHFO, e-commerce, eBay, Amazon, business books, and of course, stripping.

So grab some coffee, pull up a chair, and enjoy!  Just click the link below to see the full 28 minute video:

Kevin Harmon and John Lawson

Kevin Harmon

Twitter:  twitter.com/imadness

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/YesTHATKevinHarmon

It’s been a while! How’ve you been? Still in business? Growing? Circling the wagons? Custer’s last stand? Hey, you got into this entrepreneur thing because you don’t fear uncertainty - don’t forget that! This is fun! You could be like all your friends, who are right now being lectured by Bill Lumbergh about their TPS reports (shudders).

I’ve been thinking a lot about the future lately - my future, your future, Earth’s future, and the future of technology.  What are things going to be like in 20 years? 50 years? 100 years? I’ve been doing some research and reading on the subject of future tech, and I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that the future is going to look like magic to us 2011 dummies.

See, in terms of technology, the future is exponential in nature, not linear.  Perhaps you have heard of Moore’s Law? Gordon Moore was a founder of IBM, and in the 1960’s he observed that the number of components in integrated circuits had doubled every year from the invention of the integrated circuit in 1958 until 1965 and predicted that the trend would continue “for at least ten years”.  Well, guess what? The trend continues to this day - it is a perfect exponential line that has not changed since 1965, and looks like this:

Moores Law

What does this mean for us?  Well, futurist Ray Kurzweil, author of “The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology” and subject of the movie “Transcendent Man” (you can and should stream it on Netflix)  says that this line of exponential growth in the power of CPU’s will at some point become so dramatic that we stupid humans can no longer keep up with it.   He calls this phenomenon “The Singularity” - the point at which machines become smarter than us.  In fact, he thinks The Singularity is fast approaching - it is less than 20 years away.

I recently attended a Fandango event called “Transcendent Man”, which was a 2 hour Q/A with a pretty incredible panel of tech leaders and futurists such as Ray Kurzweil, Dean Kamen (inventor of the Segway and robotics guru), Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Deepak Chopra, and several other amazing minds. They discussed The Singularity and its’ implications for humanity.  I left the theater needing a whole bottle of Advil and a shot of tequila. I had learned a lot - too much - in 2 hours.  Lets talk about the relevant points:

1.  HERE’S WHY I’M WRITING THIS FOR STARTUPNATION.COM!:  A lot of these inventors, entrepreneurs, and technologists are designing and developing technology that is still theoretical - in other words, the technology does not yet exist yet to build what they are designing!  Ray Kurzweil, for example, has become a multimillionaire in the last 30 years by designing products in exactly in this manner.  He invented the modern synthesizer in this way, as well as reading devices for the blind (Stevie Wonder has said that Ray has changed his life completely)

So, entrepreneurs, is your business model designed for 2011 or 2015? 2020? Are you coding for todays internet or 2014’s?  I suspect that the most wealth to be had in business ventures from here on out are going to be ventures that can most accurately predict the future and be right on top of it when it happens.

2.  Emerging technologies are amazing - and freaky - particularly in the area of nanotechnology.  Right now, scientists are programming atoms to compute as today’s circuits do.   Imagine a computer 100 times as powerful as the fastest computer in existence today that would fit inside of a red blood cell. Don’t worry - if that doesn’t work out, we’ll be building computers that small anyway. In fact, the majority of the Transcendent Man panel agree that in my lifetime (I’m 41), man will become a hybrid of man and machine.  We will all have millions of nanobots floating around our bodies, programmed to help us a) think better by assisting brain function b) keep our arteries clear of plaque, c) manufacture red or white blood cells, d) destroy cancer cells, and so on.  Let’s face it, people:  Technology is stronger than Biology.

3.  Keep an eye on 3D printing.  Right now, 3D printers can “print” out physical objects.  Dean Kamen is working on a technology that, when complete, could wipe out 50% of the worlds’ disease problems associated with polluted/bad drinking water.  Imagine shipping a 3D printer to the Sudan and telling it to print out another 3D printer, and then telling both to print out 3D printers. Then, tell the 6 printers to print out a water filtration system for a village.  This is the future of manufacturing, and its’ coming soon.

Here’s a 3D printer in action:

3D Wrench

4.  Robotics will get to the point of creating better, faster, and stronger body parts than our own.  As Dean Kamen stated (I’m paraphrasing) “Right now, we build artificial limbs for people who don’t have them. What happens when we can replace an existing part with a superior mechanical one? How many people would elect for that? I think it will be MANY”.

I think about his point often because I am a victim of severe arthritis in both of my knees and earlier this year a surgeon in Napa Valley told a robot to partially replace both of my knees.  The robot could perform the surgery better than the surgeon could and the surgery was done in less than 20 minutes.  So, now that I’m partially robotic, would I do it again?  You bet your sweet mechanical ass I would - in fact, I plan to have a robot in 2020 redo the surgery and possibly replace both my knees totally, because by then artificial knees will be stronger, faster, and better than even healthy knees.  By the way, I’ll also be able to swallow a pill which will reprogram my DNA to stop storing fat on my body and I will lean out naturally.

Believe me, I completely understand that this article raises questions:

Can we live forever?  I think we can.  I think we’ll be able to upload our consciousness into a computer and live forever.  Or, nanotechnology will be able to stop our aging process. Technically, that will be possible.  But the bigger question for me is: Do I want to live forever?
When the machines become smarter than us and we cannot intelligently keep up without them, why would they need us?  Hello, Matrix anyone? Terminator?  We’ve all seen the movies where machines are smarter and it generally doesn’t go well for the humans.  Ray Kurzweil is very optimistic that we’ll all get along, but there are others who are not.

And so on, and so forth, and holy crap I need some more Advil. PLEASE comment below with your thoughts - I’d love a good healthy conversation about all of this.

Um, have a nice day?

Kevin Harmon
CEO Red Shorts Media LLC
twitter.com/imadness
http://www.linkedin.com/in/thekevinharmon
kevin@redshortsmedia.com

I admit that I did not totally unplug while away.  I did check emails a few times a day, set up a few crucial appointments, and tweeted here and there.  What I did enjoy A LOT of was walking around the beach town in the morning.  Nothing like jamming to tunes and catching some early morning ocean air while checking out the town on foot.

As I explored the local town, I was struck by one major finding - I was surrounded my small business!  Of course, there were a few chain type places in the town, but for the most part, I was literally in an ocean of entrepreneurs. This was completely fascinating and invigorating to me.  I began to think about my experience at other beaches, and I came to the conclusion that BeachTown, U.S.A. is a model of small business.

I am not sure why this phenomenon exists.  Possibly, beach dwellers are a dream filled bunch or the logistics of getting stuff in and out of the little town scares big box types away.  Nonetheless, seeing the local small businesses in action was a fabulous experience for me, and of course, I took mental notes on what I saw…….The coolest part was seeing a lot of what we discuss here on StartUpNation in action.

Here are the highlights that show small businesses know What’s Up:

• The QR Code is smoking hot among the beach retailers.  Walking by the storefronts, I saw a QR Code about every 5-6 stores hanging in the window.  With one little click of my smart phone, I could save the store’s URL for shopping back home or connect with the store on Facebook.  These individual retailers realize that this is a low cost and time-saving way to get their information out there.

• The local small businesses were swimming in a sea of Social Media.  A majority of the stores were promoting their Facebook pages and/or their Twitter Handle.  These beachside entrepreneurs were embracing the importance of social media in terms of staying in touch with the customer when they were and were not at the beach about specials, sales, new merchandise, and town information.  Growing loyalty is obviously important to these businesses.

• Implementation of Facebook and Twitter did not replace a Website.  These local businesses did not ditch their own url for social media, but rather integrated all of the above!  This provides consumers a comprehensive way to stay in touch.

• Foursquare was responsible for a stake in the sand.  Many of the small businesses were using Foursquare Check-Ins/Deals to grab the attention of beach-goers.  My sons had their heart set on a new sports bar type restaurant, and after checking in, we got $5 off the meal.  My boys were impressed that they saved me five bucks.

• We may have been on a family vacation, but many of these small businesses have made their endeavors a Family Affair.  I met so many teens working for the summer in their family business.  Not only do these teens get to spend the summer at the beach, BUT they learn about creating their own dreams.  They see the hard work behind it, but also view the amazing payoff of all that hard work.

I took a week off not knowing that it would be so incredibly inspiring to see all these small businesses and entrepreneurs making it happen in real time.  Now, I do not feel as guilty for taking a little time away AND I am re-invigorated to tackle my dreams while keeping in mind what I saw these businesses practicing.

As small business people, do you implement these practices?

To follow my dreams and pursuits, connect with me at http://backngroovemom.com

I’ve been working with the creators of StartUpNation since 2001 when I was hired to shoot Rich Sloan doing yoga on the conference room table in the Birmingham Michigan office of the up and coming StartUpNation.  I was recently offered the opportunity to blog about photography if I thought I could contribute to entrepreneurs and start ups. I think I can so I’ll give it a shot.  I’ll be talking about all things photography, from how to do a shoot in the office, to what’s the best stock agency for what your needs are, to rights and usage contracts.  I’ll be answering questions about any thing relating to the business of photography and photography in your business. If I don’t know the answers I’ll look to the vast knowledge base of my peers and will share what I learn with you, so post your questions and comments about you’re photographic quandaries here, and I’ll help you along the image driven super highway of successful businesses.

I should tell you a bit about me.
I began my career as a photographer early in life.  My brother had a darkroom in a closet at our house when I was a sixth grader.  It didn’t take long for my teachers at school to see an opportunity to recruit the next news paper and yearbook photographer.  That’s when I learned that you can have fun and provide a needed service at the same time.  I could get credits for graduation if I work on the year book and news paper staff!  Life was good.  Then one day I was handed a press pass to cover the cheerleaders for a story for the news paper, that was all the motivation I ever needed to pursue my career.  When I was a senior in High School I was introduced to an advertising photographer in my home town of Detroit named Ameen Howrani.  He let me watch him work one day, he was shooting a news crew for the local ABC affiliate.  It was very glamorous, they had food there!  I was face to face with the local anchor man!  That’s when I decided that advertising was where it’s at.  Fast forward 25 years.  I have photographed some really great people, some incredibly beautiful places, and some of the most interesting stuff you’ll ever see.  I picked up a few professional sports teams along the way as well.  Namely the Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions, and currently Tampa Bay Ray’s as well as the NHL, NFL, MLB and other editorial venues related to sports. I’ve had unprecedented access to closed door behind the scenes events in the NFL, NHL, and MLB to name just a few. I was given the opportunity to shoot a book for the Detroit Red Wings called “48 Hours with the Detroit Red Wings”. Its a chronological documentation of what happens in forty eight hours in the world of the Red Wings Hockey team.  I was able to travel with the team to photograph players, coaches, and staff. We took two days to shoot the book so we could show the travel aspect of how the team lives on the road (and above the clouds).  During that shoot I was given access to coaches meetings that had never been photographed before.  One of the best experiences I had with the Red  Wings was Flying on the team jet to Washington DC to the White House to meet President George W Bush.   I was given an assignment by the Detroit Tigers Baseball team to shoot an eighteen page photo essay of Tiger Stadium during the final home stand ever to be played there.  The parting shot was Al Kaline in his nineteen sixty eight world series uniform (it still fit), pondering his days playing in that historic stadium.  The cover shot was of the stadium from the corner of Michigan and Trumble on a Friday night with fireworks lighting the sky.  I was able to get images never before captured, such as the neon Tiger Stadium sign from the roof of the press elevator.  I’m currently team photographer for the Tampa Bay Ray’s Baseball team, and have a nice client list of local and national companies and agencies as well.  I live in the St Petersburg area of Florida where I’ve lived for the past six years.  Before that I lived mostly in the suburbs of Detroit with a few years in New York city.  Please feel free to see some of the photographs I mention here at www.kovich.com

As I wrote a while ago here in my blog about the Twitter squatter who was trying to extort StartupNation, there are definitely systems in place at the social media companies that support ethical companies and certainly intellectual property rights of individuals and companies. Twitter worked on our behalf to wrestle away the /startupnation account for us given that it was a registered trademark owned by our business and was obviously strategic to us as well as a source of confusion in the marketplace under the squatter’s control. They quickly moved the account into our control.

Now through the encouragement of Daliah Saper of Saper Law, we’ve done the same thing at Facebook. In less than 24 hours, by following their simple, clear instructions, we were able to pull www.facebook.com/startupnation away from the squatter and now have that username as our own, appropriately so.

Here’s the simple, step-by-step process we followed in case you have a squatter issue and/or trademark issue as it relates to a Facebook username:

1. Go to the bottom of any Facebook page. Click on the link called “Terms.”
   For your convenience, that link is here.
2. Scroll down to #5, “Protecting Other People’s Rights,” and select “How to Report Claims of Intellectual Property Infringement”.
   For your convenience that link is here.
3. For copyright infringement, scroll down to “How to report claims of copyright infringement by users” and select the link.
   For your convenience, that link is here.
4. For trademark (or other intellectual property concerns), which was what applied to our situation given our registered trademark for StartupNation that the squatter was unethically using for their benefit, scroll down to “How to report other claims of intellectual property infringement by users” and select the link.
   For your convenience, that link is here.

We are always looking out for you and hope that you find similar success and satisfaction in the process, which is set up and well enforced by Facebook.

We hope that you can soon make your own blog entry titled, “Me 1, Facebook Squatter 0″!

Rich

Please do me the honor tomorrow of joining myself and John Lawson, aka ColderIce, aka one of Startupnation’s home based business winners, as we discuss what the GSI Commerce deal means for eBay and for YOU, my dear eBay seller nation. Yes, we’ll also be talking about the upcoming fee changes, format changes, the Where purchase, etc.

So please climb back down from your window ledges and let John and I walk you through what’s happening at your favorite e-commerce site.

Here’s the link to the call:

http://www.focus.com/events/finance/what-does-acquisition-gsi-mean-ebay/

Here is the call-in info:

Toll-free Dial-In Number: (866) 951-1151
International Dial-In Number: (201) 590-2255
Conference # : 4999006

This will be fun!

UPDATE:

Here is the audio file from the roundtable. I would LOVE to get your feedback on it.  Listen HERE

Kevin Harmon

CEO Red Shorts Media

Heckle me on Twitter here

Guffaw at me on Linkedin here

Hire me to write/twitter/facebook/dress as a giraffe for you at kevin_harmon@hotmail.com

Yep. We’ve all been there. It’s not fun, but frustration is a part of business.

Instead of taking it personally, you need to move on to the next opportunity. And this can be easier said than done so here are three, quick tips to help you feel better about your business and get back on the road to success.

1. Follow a Plan.

Do you have a plan to obtain new business, or are you just pitching whatever comes across your desk? If you don’t have a plan, it’s time to stop what you are doing and focus.

• What do you want to accomplish and how are you going to get there?
• What do you need to do, and when, to reach your goals?

This will help you organize your sales process and know exactly what steps to take after a potential customer turns you down.

2. Let it Go.

Instead of focusing on lost sales, move on. Give yourself a few minutes to review why your products or services were rejected, and learn from your mistakes. Then, use this new knowledge in your future pitches.

You will feel a lot better if you concentrate on positive thoughts rather than dwelling on the negative. And sometimes this can be difficult so don’t be afraid to turn to a friend for support, read a good, self-help book or blast some upbeat music to get back on track.

This is important because if you feel depressed and frustrated, potential clients will feel your sad vibe. However, if you radiate a positive energy, you’ll be more likely to get others excited about the benefits your products or services can provide.

3. Review Successes.

Things can get pretty ugly out there in the business world. There are many people who do not want to see you succeed, and it can often seem like you are fighting a constant, uphill battle.

But please don’t let it get to you!

When you start to get frustrated, look back at your successes. Think of all the things you have done right for your business, and be proud of how far you have come.

Also, think of ten things you are thankful for and write them down. After all, many people wish they had what you do right now, and it helps to take a minute and appreciate all of the good things in your life.

You Can Do It!

All of us go through trying times in our business lives. It’s how you react to these challenges that matters.

Hang in there, and get through them the best that you can. Vision success in your mind every day.

If you continue to focus on your plan for success and learn from your mistakes, things will probably get better when you least expect it. And when your sales numbers skyrocket, just think of the great “rags to riches” story you’ll have to tell the media!

Do you have some tips to share with others on how you get through the tough times as an entrepreneur? Please share them here or write to me at www.rembrandtwrites.com. Thanks!

The new program will be called “FreeBay”, and will be effective as of April 10th.

“We have really been listening to the needs of the eBay buyer over the last several years,” said John Donahoe, eBay’s CEO, “and what we really feel that the buying public is saying to us loud and clear is that they need better customer service from our sellers, free shipping of goods, and product that is completely free as well. We believe that this move will be well received by the eBay buying community. Of course, buyers will still be able to pay for their free items with the convenience of PayPal.”

When asked how the seller community might react to such a move, Todd Lutwak, eBay VP of Selling Experience, replied, “we think this will be seen as a welcome opportunity for the eBay seller base.  With FreeBay, sellers are now able to streamline their auction and fixed price strategies substantially. Sellers have been concerned in the past that frequent eBay fee changes have forced them to reevalutate their business models, and we think this change will end that concern for good. We are also happy to announce that eBay will not be adjusting fees for the rest of the year for this program, so they will be able to list their free items for as little as .05 with very low final value fees.  We expect selection on the site to increase substantially”

There has been mixed reaction to FreeBay from the eBay seller community this morning.  Jay Senese, a large seller of CD’s and DVD’s, is optimistic.  “You know, with the declining eBay auction model that we’ve stuck with, we were pretty much giving the stuff away for free anyway,” he says. “This just makes the whole thing a lot easier”.

Jack Sheng, CEO of a large electronics accessories eBay seller, concurs. “We do well over a million dollars in sales a month on the site right now with a net profit after eBay listing, final value, and Paypal fees of about $25.00, so offering our items for free should really help increase our volume substantially”

Other sellers, however, seem concerned.  “I’m not so sure about this,” says Kirk Holbert, a seller of toys and memorabilia. “Before I really buy in to the idea, I will have to make sure that all of my suppliers are on board with giving me the products to sell at no charge.”

The move also seems to enhance eBay’s recent acquisition of GSI Commerce.  “Large retailers who have in the past been hesitant to offer their in season items for sale on eBay will now see the value of giving their items away on the site, ” Donahoe says. “Of course, all of their eBay fees will be waived anyway, so we don’t expect much of a bottom line impact on their costs. The GSI warehouses can hold a LOT of free goods.”

When Donahoe was asked if he thought that FreeBay may have a significant impact on the profits of eBay sellers, Donahoe replied, “I’m sorry, I don’t understand the question.”

Kevin Harmon

Twitter:  Here

LinkedIn:  Here

Email:  kevin_harmon@hotmail.com

You have a thought…. No, that’s not good enough… more staring at the screen…

Ugh… writer’s block!

Well, most of us have been there at one time or another. The important thing is to just start writing… about anything. Eventually, your thoughts will circle around to something pertinent to write about.

Or, you can start writing in a different way so that you can take full advantage of search engine optimization (SEO) copywriting and give customers what they want.

What is SEO anyway?

There is a lot of buzz about SEO, and many entrepreneurs ask me what it is and why they need it.

Well, basically, SEO is the process of using the right keywords in the right places in your Website copy so that your business shows up in search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo! and others.

For example, if you provide carpet-cleaning services, you want your business to appear at the top of the list when people type “carpet cleaning services” into Google or one of the other search engines.

If your business name isn’t there, most people will click on the names listed first. In other words, if your site doesn’t have search engine optimization with the right keywords, you lose business to the competition.

Now, this may seem technical, but it really isn’t.

If you are doing your own writing, start with research and figure out which keywords you want to use and make a list. For help, check out the Google Keyword Tool, Keyword Discovery, Wordtracker, and other, free services. Next, follow these:

3 Key Items to Include in Your SEO Copy

1. Provide Benefits.

Write about all of the benefits your business offers customers.

How will they feel and what will they get from using your products and/or services?

To begin any piece of copywriting, make a list of all your benefits and go from there. It will help you start writing and stress what is important to the customer.

2. Be Unique.

Once you know the benefits you have to offer, write down why you are unique.

Why should a customer go to you instead of the competition?

Maybe you have extensive experience in a particular area, excellent personal service, special discounts, etc.

Once you discover what makes you unique and how this uniqueness benefits customers, be sure to mention it in your copy.

3. Offer Value.

When you sit down to write, think about your customers…

What keeps them up at night?

How can you solve their problems in your own, unique way?

What’s in it for them?

By thinking about your customers and fulfilling their needs, you will be able to write copy that they want to read. And if you really focus on fulfilling their desires, you will write copy that sells too.

Profits Await!

With these three, quick tips, you will be able to write better copy for your business that will get noticed by the search engines.

Now, if you really want to take advantage of search engine optimization copywriting and significantly increase site visitors, online awareness and sales, hire a professional, SEO writer. Your ROI will be well worth it, and you can concentrate on your core responsibilities running your business!

For more information about SEO, please contact me below or see:

How to Avoid SEO Rip-Offs
http://www.startupnation.com/business-blogs/index.php/2011/03/16/avoid-seo-rip-offs/

Your Site Isn’t Optimized, Why Not?

http://www.startupnation.com/business-blogs/index.php/2011/01/18/seo-2/

Simple Publicity
http://www.rembrandtwrites.com/simple-publicity/

“Ooohhh, so THAT’S why our fees are so high,” exclaimed eBay’s seller community today after eBay announced that it is acquiring GSI Commerce for $2.4 BILLION in cash and debt.  Hey, I’m an optimist - at least they didn’t buy Skype again!

This is a pretty interesting purchase if you ask me.  A lot of you have never heard of GSI Commerce, so let me edumacate you.  Whereas eBay is a selling and payments platform (Paypal), GSI is just about EVERYTHING else.  GSI is a giant logistics, warehousing, software, marketing, customer service, e-commerce company.  The company is not very old - in 1999 GSI reported revenue of $5.5 MILLION (yep $5.5 million to $2.4 BILLION in 12 years - not bad!).  GSI does not deal with the little fish - they deal with the big fish - companies like the NFL, Ralph Lauren, Adidas, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Mattel, and Levi’s.

“Kevin, what does it all mean for eBay sellers?” you scream.

Well, Ive got several thoughts on this and what it could mean for eBay and it’s sellers.  Here we go:

1.  eBay just bought a company that does everything that eBay does not do.  So eBay just became a complete end-to-end solution for large businesses.  What this likely means for eBay is that you will now see many, many more large companies begin to sell on the platform.  Let’s face it - eBay and large retailers really don’t get along too well.  eBay’s buyer base expects brand new, in season merchandise at a serious discount to retail. You can guess what big retailers think about that idea.  This move just opened up a whole bunch of doors to retailers that eBay never had before because they just bought the entire platform that these companies use for e-commerce.

Effect for eBay: Positive - larger companies, more in-season new merchandise, direct access to off-season discounted merchandise.

Effect for eBay small sellers: Negative - you’re just getting shoved further to the back of the bus while the new companies will be given substantial competitive advantage over you.

2.  eBay kinda just became Amazon.  What I mean by that is that eBay is now free to purchase, warehouse, and ship goods.  I would not at all be surprised if we don’t begin seeing “Sold By eBay” logos or even eBay id’s.  Personally I’m hoping that, once eBay actually tries to be a seller, they’ll stop attacking the seller community for “faster service, free shipping, more customer service”.  In other words, once they eBay does it themselves, maybe they’ll get how hard it all is.

Effect for eBay:  Positive.  eBay has never purchased, warehoused, or shipped a single good. If eBay were undertaking that task on their own, I would short eBay stock and prepare for glory.  However, GSI appears to be pretty good as these functions, so eBay will come out fine on this idea if they choose to.

Effect for Sellers:  Negative.  If you think eBay gave Buy.com preferential treatment, just wait until you see eBay’s deal with…eBay.

3.  eBay MAY be going after Amazons Fulfillment By Amazon program.  FBA requires sellers who opt in to send their product to an Amazon warehouse and then Amazon ships the goods when they sell.  I can easily picture a scenario where sellers will need to store product at eBay warehouses in order to retain “Top Rated Seller” status.

Effect for eBay:  Neutral.  eBay would certainly charge fees, as Amazon does, to store and fulfill product. However, FBA cannot be an easy thing to control and implement, even for Amazon.

Effect for Sellers:  Neutral.  Many eBay sellers would freak out if eBay required them to store product at eBay for preferred status. As an FBA seller myself, I can say that the burden of warehousing, customer service, and shipping product is a tremendous one for any sized seller, and using FBA allows me to not worry about any of it.

All-in-all, I think every eBay seller needs to keep both eyes on this move by eBay.  I think, in the mid to long term, this move could mean more for the future of eBay than anything they have ever done save for their purchase of Paypal.

Kevin Harmon

Follow me on Twitter:  Twitter.com/imadness

Follow me on LinkedIn: LinkedIn