US Retailers Are Subject to GDPR, Says National Retail Federation

May 24, 2018 10:06 pm

The first paragraph of a new report from the National Retail Federation and EuroCommerce is grim: “The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) sets out changes to almost every area of …
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eBay Explains Philosophy as It Kicks Off Memorial Day Promo

May 24, 2018 5:16 pm

eBay is running several versions of a promotion designed to encourage sellers to list in any format ahead of the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Interestingly an invitation forwarded by a …
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Here Comes Another Etsy Sale

May 23, 2018 8:11 pm

Etsy is holding another sales event, this one in June to celebrate the 13th anniversary of its founding. The new CEO Josh Silverman is clearly a fan of sales and …
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Privy CEO Warns Sellers Not to Overthink Optimization

May 23, 2018 11:33 am

For ecommerce pros, fine-tuning their marketing provides a method of evening the playing field. But sometimes SMB sellers do a little too much. EcommerceBytes and Privy CEO Ben Jabbawy discussed …
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eBay to Sellers: All Your Listings Are Belong to Us

May 22, 2018 4:24 pm

eBay announced it is updating its User Agreement effective June 21, 2008. One provision eBay pointed out stands out as it clarifies what sellers have been feeling – to paraphrase …
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eBay Announces Summer Seller Update: Changes Ahead

May 22, 2018 10:37 am

eBay is announcing the Summer Seller Update today that includes some major changes to eBay Stores and an expansion of its new product based shopping experience (PBSE), which it has …
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Adobe to Acquire Magento Commerce for $1.68 Billion

May 22, 2018 12:26 am

Adobe is acquiring ecommerce platform Magento Commerce for $1.68 billion. Magento CEO Mark Lavelle will continue to lead the Magento team as part of Adobe’s Digital Experience business. Last month, …
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eBay Lures Buyers with Bucks Promotion

May 21, 2018 11:39 pm

eBay is running some variations of a promotion to entice buyers through its eBay Bucks program. A seller who forwarded two invitations said, “I received the 10%/$50 minimum promo in …
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eBay Launches Ambitious Plan to Manage User Identities

May 21, 2018 8:26 pm

eBay wants to eliminate the need for users to have passwords, though it’s not the first time eBay has laid out ambitious plans when it comes to managing user identities …
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Amazon Launches Marketplace App Store for Sellers

May 21, 2018 7:56 pm

Amazon launched an app store to make it easier for sellers to find Amazon-approved tools to help them sell more efficiently as it also appears to be seeking tighter control …
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eBay Appeals to Buyers Directly with Promotions

May 18, 2018 9:38 am

eBay is changing things up when it comes to promotions. eBay has long relied on promotions to encourage sellers to list items that would attract buyers, but eBay is doing …
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PayPal to Buy iZettle for Two Reasons

May 17, 2018 9:23 pm

PayPal is turning to an acquisition for growth, betting on international and in-store opportunities. On Thursday it announced it had agreed to acquire iZettle, allowing it to expand offerings in …
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Amazon Announces New Fulfillment Center in Arizona

May 17, 2018 10:29 am

After announcing plans to build another fulfillment center in Ohio on Monday (the sixth in the state), Amazon announced Wednesday plans to build a new center in Arizona. The new …
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eBay Announces Personalized Shopping Feature Called Interests

May 17, 2018 9:17 am

eBay announced a new feature called Interests that shows shoppers what eBay thinks they want to see based on what shoppers have told it, and matching it to shopping themes …
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eBay Surveys Sellers on Diversity

May 16, 2018 4:42 pm

eBay is surveying sellers on the topic of diversity. The marketplace explained the Seller Diversity Questionnaire “is intended to gather demographic information that will allow us to better understand our …
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Amazon Accepts Cold Hard Cash via Coinstar Kiosks

May 15, 2018 4:14 pm

Amazon users can now load up their account balance by adding cash at a Coinstar kiosk. Here’s the pitch to buyers: “Want to shop on Amazon.com without a credit or …
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Amazon Expands Logistics Network with Ohio Fulfillment Center

May 14, 2018 9:07 pm

Amazon will build another fulfillment center in Ohio, its sixth in the state. In addition to the centers currently operating in Etna and Obetz, Amazon will launch operations at previously …
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PayPal UK Boasts of Small-Business Lending

May 14, 2018 1:34 pm

Norah Coelho, PayPal UK’s Director of Business Financing, took to the corporate blog last week to share the news of a milestone reached by its PayPal Working Capital program. PayPal …
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Amazon Tweaks Feedback Policy for Late Deliveries

May 14, 2018 1:17 pm

Amazon gives US sellers a way to purchase and print shipping labels using Amazon Buy Shipping in Seller Central, and this month it launched a new policy to offer some …
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eBay Mobile App: Tech Issues, Greater Connectivity

May 14, 2018 12:44 pm

eBay buyers have experienced some technical issues using the eBay mobile app of late. eBay also announced recently it is working with new technology to make some improvements to the …
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eBay to Canadian Sellers: Prep for May 16th Campaign

May 13, 2018 8:07 pm

eBay is running a “Buy Canadian” campaign in Canada that launches on May 16, 2018. It sent an email to sellers alerting them so they can take advantage of the …
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From the Editor – May 13, 2018

May 12, 2018 8:04 pm

It’s always interesting to compare the sales growth rates of the major marketplaces when they release them each quarter. eBay announced first-quarter earnings on April 25th – it grew Gross …
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Sellers Guide to eBay Guaranteed Delivery

May 12, 2018 8:03 pm

With the Guaranteed Delivery program, eBay is allowing shoppers to filter search results to show only items that offer guaranteed delivery within 3 days. That means sellers who don’t participate …
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Happy Anniversary to the New Etsy and Its CEO

May 12, 2018 8:02 pm

It’s hard to believe that just one year-and-10-days ago, it was business as usual at Etsy under a CEO who had happily reigned for 6 years. But on May 2, …
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Collectors Corner: Wade Figurines, Beanie Babies, and Bolivar

May 12, 2018 8:01 pm

It’s spring – Finally! – and in accordance with the season, it’s time to clean out our update folder and bring you up-to-speed with some of your (and our) favorite …
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EcommerceBytes Soundoff: Letters to the Editor – May 13, 2018

May 12, 2018 8:00 pm

In every issue, readers soundoff about issues important to them. From shipping issues to payment processing, from fees to online marketplace policies, EcommerceBytes Soundoff gives you a chance to air …
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Amazon to Launch Shop for Indie Beauty Brands

May 12, 2018 4:03 pm

Amazon will launch a beauty shop next month in which brands will sell directly to consumers, according to an online publication called Beauty Independent. Amazon’s Justin Boettcher announced Amazon’s Indie …
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eBay Eastern European Seller Summit 2018

eBay Holds Seller Summit for Eastern Europeans

May 11, 2018 1:22 pm

eBay’s Moscow news team described a recent gathering of sellers held in Budapest, Hungary, at its Eastern European Seller Summit. eBay Vice President of Cross Border Trade John Lin spoke …
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eBay Partners with Australian Shopping Rewards Program Flybuys

May 10, 2018 11:13 pm

eBay partnered with Australian shopping rewards program flybuys to offer point collection at 40,000 online stores. It’s kicking off the program by offering Australian shoppers 10 times flybuys points on …
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eBay CEO Devin Wenig to Relaunch eBay India

May 9, 2018 11:34 am

eBay CEO Devin Wenig tweeted the news that he plans to relaunch eBay India: “We will be back in the India market soon with http://eBay.in . We will start by …
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Amazon Showcases Smart-Home Technology at New Experience Centers

May 9, 2018 9:28 am

Amazon announced it is opening what it calls Amazon Experience Centers inside Lennar model homes to showcase its “smart home” technology, known as IoT (the Internet of Things). “Customers can …
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Etsy Grows Sales by 18 Percent in First Quarter of 2018

May 8, 2018 4:55 pm

Etsy grew Gross Merchandise Sales (GMS) by nearly 18% in the first 3 months of 2018. Specifically, Etsy GMS grew 19.8% year-over-year, or 17.6% on a currency-neutral basis. Etsy saw …
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Facebook Ads Still Viable For Privacy-Conscious Sellers

May 8, 2018 1:25 pm

Facebook and its founder Mark Zuckerberg made news for the social network’s privacy practices. Prudent online sellers may be concerned about how potential customers drawn from Facebook perceive their brands …
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eBay Asks Sellers to Sign Petition Opposing Online Sales Tax

May 7, 2018 4:33 pm

eBay urged sellers to sign a petition opposing internet sales tax to “protect your small business.” eBay will present the petition to President Trump, members of Congress, and state governors …
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eBay Competes on Price in Australia as Amazon Advances

May 7, 2018 2:57 pm

Things are getting more competitive for eBay in Australia, and it launched a new marketing campaign this month with ads featuring Australian sports figure Shane Warne (former cricketer), who shared …
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Google Innovates to Monetize Online Shopping

May 6, 2018 9:46 pm

As Amazon finds success encroaching on Google’s territory by leveraging its marketplace as an ad platform, Google continues to play both defense and offense to take advantage of its traffic …
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All Amazon Sellers Must Accept Pay By Invoice Orders

May 4, 2018 12:15 pm

Amazon is going after the business customer and has decided to broaden selection for Amazon Business customers by bringing third-party sellers along – but with a major change that could …
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Get Ready for Another eBay Sitewide Flash Sale Today, May 4th

May 4, 2018 9:33 am

eBay is running another sitewide flash sale offering 15 percent off when using a special code. The sale kicks off at 8 am Pacific (11 am Eastern) and runs through …
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eBay Entices Sellers to Use Translation Service for International Listings

May 3, 2018 9:13 pm

Update 5/4/18: Sellers are reporting problems with this promotion, see comments below and proceed carefully when dealing with this eBay promotion. Another Update: See WebInterpret’s response on the EcommerceBytes Blog …
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Amazon Hails Small Businesses Selling on Its Marketplace

May 3, 2018 12:00 pm

Amazon said over one million small- and medium-sized US businesses are selling on Amazon. The company’s PR department is firing on all cylinders these days to show it’s friendly to …
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Amazon to Open Second Fulfillment Center in Australia

May 2, 2018 9:25 pm

Amazon will open a new fulfillment center in Australia in the second half of 2018, presumably in time for the holidays. Amazon opened its first Australian fulfillment center in Melbourne …
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eBay Updates Privacy Notice Effective May 25th

May 1, 2018 8:52 pm

eBay notified users today that it’s updating its privacy notice. The new notice takes effect on May 25th. Announcement follows: At eBay, we are updating our User Privacy Notice to …
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eBay Global Shipping Program Keeps Pitney Bowes on Board

May 1, 2018 11:23 am

eBay renewed its partnership with Pitney Bowes to continue powering eBay’s Global Shipping program that is meant to make things easier for sellers selling internationally and more transparent for international …
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Classifieds App OfferUp Adds Shipping for Nationwide Sales

May 1, 2018 10:01 am

You can now expand your audience on OfferUp to national shoppers – the mobile classifieds app is adding shipping capability. While Craigslist is local-only and Mercari is shipping-only, OfferUp now …
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Amazon Expands Tech Hub in Boston

May 1, 2018 9:25 am

Amazon will create 2,000 jobs in Boston in the fields of machine learning, speech science, cloud computing, and robotics engineering as it gets ready to expand its Tech Hub in …
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PayPal Boasts Better Conversion Rates

April 30, 2018 9:17 pm

PayPal said it converts shoppers into buyers better than other payment methods citing recent research. A comScore study found PayPal Checkout converts at 88.7 percent, which was 82 percent higher …
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Etsy Adds Another Basic Feature to Pattern Stores: Reviews

April 30, 2018 3:15 pm

Etsy added a new feature to its store-hosting service called Pattern: it now allows sellers to display their Etsy reviews on their Pattern-hosted stores, though sellers reported problems utilizing the …
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Amazon Earns Billions of Dollars in Advertising

April 27, 2018 10:08 pm

Amazon called its advertising business a bright spot from both a product standpoint and also financially. Amazon Chief Financial Officer Brian Olsavsky made the remark when talking to analysts after …
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eBay Opens 2018 SHINE Small Business Awards

April 27, 2018 2:57 pm

eBay is now accepting applications for the third annual SHINE Small Business Awards. This year, eBay has a “Click-and-Mortar Business Owner” category (“A small business owner who sells both on …
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eBay Shares Survey Results on Advertising, Messaging and Stores

April 27, 2018 10:37 am

eBay said 18% of all sellers surveyed said they owned or managed a physical storefront. The survey was conducted as part of a program called eBay Expressions that helps influence …
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Amazon Grows Q1 Sales 42 Percent Excluding AWS

April 26, 2018 4:46 pm

UPDATE 5:30 pm: Amazon raises cost of Prime membership in US from $99 to $119. Amazon.com Inc. grew net sales 43% to $51 billion in the first quarter of 2018 compared …
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PayPal Grows Revenue 22 Percent in Q1, Volume up 27 Percent

April 26, 2018 4:42 pm

PayPal said Wednesday its revenue grew 22% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2018 on a foreign-exchange (fx)-neutral basis, reaching $3.69 billion. The payments firm indicated to Wall Street analysts …
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eBay Runs Sitewide Sale to Encourage Buyers to Download Mobile App

April 26, 2018 1:01 pm

eBay is running another sitewide sale today, but only until 1 pm PT (4 pm East Coast). Up until last month these types of flash sales had been rare, since …
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Tophatter Tips Sellers Toward Speedy Sales

April 26, 2018 11:11 am

Modern society feels pressed for time, as people look for the fastest and most efficient ways to accomplish their tasks. Where two-day shipping for online orders once seemed fast, same-day …
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eBay Grows GMV by 7 Percent in First Quarter of 2018

April 25, 2018 4:49 pm

eBay grew Gross Merchandise Volume (the value of goods sold on its Marketplaces) by 13% in the first three months of 2018, or by 7% on an FX neutral basis …
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BigCommerce Raises More Money for Building Merchant Stores

April 25, 2018 10:10 am

BigCommerce raised another $64 million to grow its business of helping merchants and brands build online stores. The company said the funding would help it accelerate its product roadmap and …
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Vets Turned Entrepreneurs Win FedEx Small-Business Contest

April 25, 2018 12:12 am

Ex Army officers who served in Afghanistan are the winners of the sixth annual FedEx Small Business Grant Contest. FedEx awarded $120,500 to the top ten winners and shares the …
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Amazon Pay Woos Online Merchants and Developers

April 24, 2018 11:52 pm

Amazon is a major sponsor at this week’s Magento Imagine developers conference and touted the benefits of its services, including its Amazon Pay payments solution for online merchants. Attendee John …
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Magento Helps Build Online Stores with App-Like Experiences

April 24, 2018 11:06 pm

Magento Commerce announced a new suite of tools to help developers build online stores with app-like experiences. The new PWA Studio promises better shopping experiences to deliver higher conversion rates …
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eBay Seeks Political Capital with Training Programs

April 24, 2018 3:29 pm

eBay has always been careful to cultivate its image as an enabler of entrepreneurs and small businesses, and as Amazon faces scrutiny from many corners, eBay has launched new programs …
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Amazon Launches In-Car Delivery

April 24, 2018 8:37 am

Just as Amazon wants the smart-key to your front door to deliver your items inside, the ecommerce giant now wants to deliver items inside your car. Amazon Prime members who …
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Amazon Buy Shipping Launches Print Connect

April 23, 2018 4:39 pm

Amazon offers sellers the ability to purchase shipping through its platform for non-FBA orders, called Amazon Buy Shipping and available in Seller Central. It launched a new feature that gives …
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Amazon to Waive FBA Removal Fees Thanks to LTS Fee Changes

April 21, 2018 10:40 pm

Amazon is temporarily allowing sellers who use its FBA fulfillment service to remove slow-selling inventory at no charge thanks to fee changes it had announced in March. On March 1st, …
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eBay CEO Devin Wenig Joins GM Board

April 20, 2018 9:24 pm

eBay CEO Devin Wenig was appointed to the board of General Motors. The company said he brings his “significant expertise in technology, global operations and strategic planning” to the board …
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ShipStation Adds New Scan to Print Feature

April 20, 2018 5:40 pm

ShipStation added a new feature called “Scan to Print” to help online sellers be more efficient when printing shipping labels. ShipStation is web-based shipping solution that helps merchants import, organize, …
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eBay Delays Fee Change for Multi-Category Listings

April 20, 2018 3:42 pm

eBay now wants to discourage sellers from listing a single item in multiple categories, and in February, the company announced a fee change as part of that effort. Under the …
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Amazon Opens Massive ‘Inbound Cross Dock’ Distribution Center

April 20, 2018 3:38 pm

Amazon opened a state of the art logistics center in Germany, calling it its first “Inbound Cross Dock” distribution center (IXD) in Europe (redistribution centers in Amazon logistics parlance). Items …
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Amazon Makes It Easier for Foreign Shoppers to Buy US Goods via Mobile

April 19, 2018 1:37 pm

Amazon is making it easier for foreign shoppers to buy items from its US website by launching the “International Shopping” experience on its Amazon Shopping App. International customers can shop …
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Another Made-Up Shopping Holiday: Way Day

April 19, 2018 11:24 am

Many holidays have become commercialized (PayPal just sent out a marketing email today touting “Mother’s Day gifts up to 60% off”), and now companies are making up their own holidays …
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eBay Entices New Sellers with Updated App for Quick Listing

April 19, 2018 10:22 am

eBay can seem schizophrenic in how it treats sellers. On the one hand, it puts a lot of hurdles in front of serious sellers (even those selling part-time). At the …
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Etsy Helps Sellers Optimize Listings with Category Assistance

April 19, 2018 10:17 am

Etsy announced a new feature to help sellers optimize their listings. When sellers add a category to new listings or update existing listings, it will help them select the best …
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Amazon Jeff Bezos announcing Best Buy collaboration

Best Buy to Sell New Fire Smart TVs on Amazon.com

April 18, 2018 3:20 pm

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said Wednesday he’s taking the company’s longstanding partnership with retail chain Best Buy to a “new level.” The companies are collaborating on new TVs that Best …
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Etsy Offers Pay-to-Play Email Marketing Campaigns

April 18, 2018 1:22 pm

Etsy updated its Sales and Coupons tool so sellers can now send special targeted offers in the form of a unique coupon code directly to shoppers who’ve added the seller’s …
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Walmart Heralds Ecommerce Revamp Coming in May

April 17, 2018 4:12 pm

Walmart will unveil a new website next month, calling it a dramatic step change. The site will have a new look and feel and will feature more local and personalized …
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Highlights from eBay CEO Devin Wenig’s Letter to Shareholders

April 16, 2018 10:44 pm

The CEO of eBay began his letter to shareholders with some dire warnings, advising them of increased scrutiny and regulation of tech companies and warning of a pending battle between …
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Sales Tax Threatens One of the World’s Oldest Professions

April 16, 2018 8:21 pm

Auctioneering is one of the world’s oldest professions, a national trade association told the Supreme Court in an amicus brief filed this month in South Dakota vs Wayfair, which could …
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Federal Government Backs States in Fight over Sales Tax

April 16, 2018 9:52 am

The United States government is siding with (most) states over the sales tax debate and cited the national economy and the states’ “financial stability.” On Friday, the Supreme Court granted …
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From the Editor – April 15, 2018

April 14, 2018 5:48 pm

We broke the news Friday that Target is no longer selling on eBay (thanks to a reader and some alert sellers on Down Detector). The company told us it is …
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The Flipper Brief: Amazon Seller Briefs Supreme Court on Sales Tax

April 14, 2018 5:45 pm

An Amazon seller told the Supreme Court that current and proposed state tax laws are unfair and explained how they burden small business owners like himself. He made the argument …
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Can You Learn from eBay’s Tips on Reducing Returns?

April 14, 2018 5:44 pm

eBay sent a mass email to sellers on March 26 about their return rates, in some cases warning recipients the rate was “too high.” Each email was customized for the …
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Accenture’s Search Technologies Says Accentuate Your Site Search

April 14, 2018 5:43 pm

If your online commerce site returns the equivalent of a blank stare to a shopper’s search query, the site probably missed out on a conversion. Add a few dozen, hundred, …
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Collectors Corner: Kinder Eggs

April 14, 2018 5:42 pm

If you happened to be in a Walmart on Black Friday last year (2017), you may have come across a display of a new, egg-shaped confection called Kinder Joy, consisting …
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EcommerceBytes Soundoff: Letters to the Editor – April 15, 2018

April 14, 2018 5:41 pm

eBay Experiences Another Listing Promotion Snafu

April 13, 2018 9:46 pm

eBay experienced another listing promotion snafu. eBay sent some users a promotion encouraging them to sell, but when recipients clicked on the link, they were confronted with a red warning …
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Returns Solution for Merchants Wins PostalPitch Startup Award

April 12, 2018 10:55 pm

A company that helps merchants with returns has won the PostalPitch Startup Award. The competition was held at the 8th annual PostalVision 2020 conference this month. Product returns are costly …
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Yahoo Stores Adds PayPal’s Braintree Payment Processing

April 12, 2018 10:38 pm

Online sellers who operate a Yahoo Store or website powered by Yahoo’s Merchant Solutions can now use PayPal’s Braintree payment processing solution. Announcement follows: Yahoo Small Business has partnered with …
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Alibaba Founder Jack Ma Warns of Trade War

April 12, 2018 9:43 am

Alibaba founder Jack Ma, who became as celebrated in China as Microsoft founder Bill Gates became in the US, spoke out about the ramifications of a potential trade war. “As …
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Etsy Tests Ways to Highlight Sales for Those Looking for a Deal

April 11, 2018 12:24 pm

Etsy continues to test ways to highlight sales taking place on its marketplace. Just as rival eBay encourages its sellers to run sales through Promotions Manager (and formerly Markdown Manager), …
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Social Commerce Site Polyvore Shuts Down without Warning

April 10, 2018 10:37 pm

Social commerce site Polyvore shut down last week, and users are upset at how the new owner is handling the closure, their content, and their data. Former Yahoo engineers launched …
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eBay Woos Brands at April Advertising Meetup

April 10, 2018 12:08 am

eBay is trying hard to attract brands to its marketplace, encouraging them not only to sell on its marketplace, but to advertise there as well. eBay Advertising is hosting a …
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