Alibris was kind enough to share a few details regarding the changes to the BNBQ affiliate program. Here are there highlights.
* Alibris will be the ONLY listings service affiliated with BNBQ when the improved service launches in August.
* Program rules and sign-up procedure will remain unchanged.
* Alibris would not comment on the total number of BNBQ sales currently, but said that sales were “healthy.”
* BN.com will improve customer service and increase visibility for used books which “should result in an increase of sales of participating users.
* HTML packing slips are being developed for the BNBQ program.
Booksellers were hit with emails from top brass at both ABEBooks and Alibris today. It seems as if ABE will no longer be participating in the BNBQ affiliate program, a move that seems to leave Alibris as the lone big listings service left in the Barnes used book department. I find it hard to believe that BNBQ sales alone will cause much of a transfer of sellers, primarily because ABE is the only major bookselling site that allows booksellers to set and collect 100% of shipping fees. Any of the large sellers out there, know that this difference alone can easily cover the difference in fees between Abe and Al - BNBQ sales aside.
A while back, I thought the days of consumers fearful of handing over their credit card numbers online were numbered. Oh, how wrong I was. Identity theft, your general internet scams, and the burgeoning phishing movement have all put the fear back into consumers. A recent study notes that one-third of online shoppers are buying less because of these fears. Note: that’s not of all shoppers, but of online shoppers specifically. One of the few attempts to fight this (or more like minimize the damage) is the introduction of a law that allows everyone to receive one free credit report a year. In any event, the threats to internet security pose a serious problem to online sellers. Any attempt to limit these fears and fight fraud should be welcomed with open arms.
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