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Riding strong electronics and international sales through a traditionally slower quarter, Amazon.com posted a pro forma net loss of US$49 million, or 21 cents per share, for the first quarter ended March 31st, beating initial analyst estimates by 3 to 4 cents. "Over the last year, it's become incre...

With European e-commerce lagging some 18 months or so behind that in the States, the U.S. dot-com shakeout has served as a highly visible business lesson for European e-tailers -- helping to prevent them from making many of the same mistakes. "Europe's fall with the dot-coms wasn't as painful as...

E-Stamp completed its ongoing transformation from an Internet postage business Friday, announcing it is merging with Learn2.com to focus on the corporate e-learning market. E-Stamp will phase out its shipping and logistics services. The new company, to be called Learn2 Corporation, will have approx...

Adding to the recent wave of profitable earnings reports, eBay announced Thursday that net income for its first quarter 2001 was US$21.1 million, or 8 cents per diluted share. The earnings beat analyst predictions. "Despite our optimism for the future, we will continue to watch for signs of a d...

Just as one six-figure online auction scam on eBay was finding closure, eBay has begun investigating another, according to published reports Wednesday. This time, the alleged fraud involves the sale of over US$400,000 in gold and silver coins and bullion, which were allegedly never delivered to ...

Published reports stating that Homestore.com had breached a seven-day old contract with Bank of America are "absolutely incorrect," a spokesperson for the bank told the E-Commerce Times on Tuesday, an assertion that contradicted comments she allegedly made to the press earlier in the day. A wee...

Online retailer Buy.com announced Thursday that two members of its board of directors, both representing the venture capital arm of Tokyo-based Softbank, are leaving the struggling e-tailer. The departures of Softbank's William L. Burnham and Scott Russell leave four seats open on the Buy.com bo...

An elaborate Internet scam involving fake banking documents worth approximately US$3.9 billion has been shut down by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), London-based ICC Commercial Crime Services announced Wednesday. According to the ICC, the fraud involved the use of fake European banki...

The day after Amazon announced it would see a narrower-than-expected loss for the first quarter, shares of the e-tail giant continued their dramatic ascent in early morning trading Tuesday, rising more than $2.00, or 19 percent, to as high as $13.50 a share. But will such renewed optimism hold, or i...

MP3.com woke up to quite a shock Monday morning when the company was informed by a U.S. District Court that a US$300,000 copyright infringement award in favor of Tee Vee Toons (TVT) Records on Friday might actually be almost $3 million. According to published reports, the eight-member jury in th...

Microsoft announced a new alliance with Partner America on Friday designed to help small businesses venture into the world of e-commerce. Partner America, a public-private partnership between the United States Conference of Mayors and American Management Services, will be co-sponsoring a series...

U.S. Commerce Secretary Don Evans told Latin American trade ministers Wednesday that e-commerce initiatives must play an integral part in the creation of any Western Hemisphere free trade agreements. "President Bush recognizes, as do I, that e-commerce will continue to be one of the driving forces...

Using an e-business patent has become the weapon of choice for Internet giants in recent months, with a series of patent cases between powerhouses determining who can -- and who cannot -- use key Internet shopping technologies. Although it is often the case that patent rights are used by the big gu...

Are there ways for dot-coms to trim the fat without resorting to layoffs? According to a study released Wednesday by Gartner, the answer is a resounding yes. The study, "Nine Ways to Cut Costs and Save E-Business Initiatives," outlines the ways in which chief information officers can improve th...

The financial future of struggling Internet delivery company Webvan appeared more clouded than ever after statements released Monday by the company's auditor, Deloitte & Touche, in Webvan's annual report. "There can be no assurance that [Webvan] will be successful in its efforts to achieve f...

Although the number of electronic income tax returns filed through the first week of March in the U.S. rose 36 percent compared to last year, many more consumers are spurning online tax filing methods because they do not provide enough security, ease and versatility. According to the U.S. Intern...

Despite the general reluctance of Canadians to shop online, there are new signs of e-commerce growth in Canada. "Towards the end of this year, we'll really start to see the critical mass (in Canada) starting to adopt online shopping, and on the business-to-business side as well we expect a lot of ...

When the Andersen professional services firm recently surveyed e-commerce customers, nearly half said that e-tailers who also sell from a physical location provide better customer service. More than three-quarters of respondents said they have had both online and offline contact with e-tailers. ...

The pressing question for e-tailers this year is whether consumer apprehension about the overall economy is going to cause a drop in online spending. So far, Internet spending levels have increased steadily year after year. But with consumer confidence hovering above a low, is 2001 the year th...

Internet shopping network Bigsmart.com has agreed to settle U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charges that its e-commerce marketplace operates as an illegal pyramid scheme. The settlement calls for the company to pay US$5 million in consumer redress. Under the agreement, Bigsmart.com will als...