From the Editor – October 14, 2018

October 13, 2018 8:26 pm

It’s been a busy month in ecommerce. In the last week alone, sellers praised eBay’s decision to lift restrictions on Markdown sales, while they remained skeptical over eBay’s claims about …
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The Online Seller’s Guide to USPS Shipping Rates for 2019

October 13, 2018 8:25 pm

The USPS filed its shipping rates for 2019, and it’s making some drastic changes that will impact online sellers. It’s not an across-the-board rate change, so some sellers will be …
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Branding and Social Media Help Seller Expand Beyond Etsy

October 13, 2018 8:24 pm

Miss Design Berry is a memorable name, and if you type it into Google, you’ll find Ms. Berry’s website and marketplace shops and social media pages prominently displayed. She appears …
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Postal Connections ISold It drop off stores

eBay Drop-Off Stores Adapt to Changing Times

October 13, 2018 8:23 pm

By adding the iSold It service for eBay sales, the Postal Connections business model now provides a single point for listing and fulfilling items through eBay. “We believe our new …
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Collectors Corner: Black Cats

October 13, 2018 8:22 pm

What do you do if a black cat crosses the sidewalk in front of you? Why, you pick up the poor thing (actually, it’s safer to use a trap), take …
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EcommerceBytes Soundoff: Letters to the Editor – October 14, 2018

October 13, 2018 8:21 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 Sells Clothes on the Streets of London

October 12, 2018 9:34 pm

Amazon is opening a pop-up store in London to showcase fashion brands, but it will only be open for 5 days. The Amazon Fashion pop-up will be located on Baker …
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eBay Sellers in Canada Rely on US but Face Shipping Barriers

October 11, 2018 9:26 pm

eBay published a report showing sellers in Canada are highly reliant on US exports. While optimistic, they face challenges in selling into the US market. eBay said nearly half (47%) …
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Etsy Adds Search Analytics to Improve Listings

October 11, 2018 8:11 pm

Etsy has begun rolling out a new search analytics tool for sellers to provide them with insight into how their listings perform in search; note that Etsy is keeping the …
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eBay Interviews HoneVille on Managed Payments Experience

October 11, 2018 2:26 pm

eBay published an interview with eBay seller Danny Hone of HoneVille about his experience using its new managed payments (MP). eBay has received some pushback from sellers about the lack …
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PayPal Users Can Cash In and Cash Out at Walmart Stores

October 11, 2018 1:39 pm

PayPal announced a collaboration with retail giant Walmart that gives “cash in, cash out” capabilities to PayPal customers. Beginning in November, people will be able to move money in and …
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eBay Sets New Limitations for UK Click & Collect Program

October 9, 2018 9:32 pm

eBay UK sellers should be aware that the marketplace is changing the terms of its Click & Collect service, which lets shoppers purchase from eBay UK sellers and pick up …
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Bonanza Promotes Its Partner Program for Sellers

October 9, 2018 9:00 pm

Online marketplace Bonanza reminded sellers of the tools available to them through third-party partners. In a blog post on Tuesday, the company said it wanted to help sellers end the …
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eBay Lifts Markdown Manager Restriction for the Holidays

October 9, 2018 5:17 pm

eBay rolled back a new policy that had restricted sellers from running markdown sales in certain circumstances. eBay had imposed the restriction in June, though it exempted some sellers from …
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eBay Motors Raises Fee with Duration Change

October 8, 2018 9:17 pm

eBay Motors is raising fees as it makes changes to duration options for vehicles. Note that eBay charges different fees for vehicles than it does for eBay Motors Parts & …
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eBay Promises Protection to Sellers Facing Hurricane Michael

October 8, 2018 8:48 pm

eBay said it would extend protection to sellers impacted by the hurricane that’s headed to the Gulf Coast. Hurricane Michael is expected to hit the Gulf Coast as a major …
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Voice Activation Could Be a Game Changer for Online Sellers

October 8, 2018 9:43 am

ShippingEasy wants to liberate sellers from their shipping stations, announcing today an integration with Amazon’s Alexa voice technology. It’s the first cloud-based shipping platform to use “conversational user interface.” In …
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No Mail on Monday, But Postal Workers Won’t Be Idle

October 7, 2018 9:24 pm

There’s no mail service on Monday due to the Columbus Day holiday, but postal workers will be showing up at postal facilities and at local Congressional offices around the country …
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PayPal Shows Off Abilities with Sports Team Deal

October 7, 2018 8:56 pm

PayPal has expanded beyond the traditional ecommerce payments transaction, and nowhere is that more evident than with a new deal in entered into with the Phoenix Suns basketball team. Fans …
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eBay Canada Points Out Changes Under New Trade Deal

October 7, 2018 5:35 pm

eBay Canada’s General Manager released a statement about Canada’s trade deal with the US and Mexico on October 1st, and on Friday, the company notified its sellers in a post …
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Facebook Marketplace Adds Online Merchant Deals

October 7, 2018 5:15 pm

Facebook Marketplace is adding “shopping and deals from e-commerce merchants” and “exclusive deals from retailers.” Over 33% of Facebook members use its classifieds-style platform every month according to the company, …
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Etsy Launches Integrations Toolbox Featuring Third-Party Apps

October 4, 2018 8:00 pm

Etsy announced a new Integrations “toolbox” featuring third-party tools available in sellers’ Shop Manager. Many of the apps are the same as on the Etsy apps gallery page, which it …
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eBay Looking for Canadian Sellers to Test Shipping Rate Tables

October 3, 2018 8:05 pm

eBay is looking for sellers in Canada to help it test its new shipping rate tables that will allow them to set shipping rates for 21 shipping zones across the …
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eBay Updates Sellers on Launch of Managed Payments

October 3, 2018 4:57 pm

eBay updated sellers on managed payments that began rolling out to a small percentage of sellers on September 24th. There’s been some pushback as sellers learned of major limitations of …
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Amazon Will Open Third Fulfillment Center in British Columbia

October 1, 2018 4:42 pm

Amazon will open a third fulfillment center in British Columbia, its tenth in Canada. Amazon operates a tech hub in Vancouver and also has fulfillment centers in Alberta and Ontario …
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Accenture Spots Holiday Shopping Trends

October 1, 2018 11:17 am

Consumers will spend more on holiday shopping this year, according to a new survey of 1,500 US consumers. They also appear to be less concerned with the economy and their …
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Halloween Represents Scary Amount of Online Sales

September 30, 2018 7:54 pm

Break out the candy corn, Halloween spending is expected to reach $9 billion online and offline, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). And when it comes to buying costumes …
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eBay Continues Investment in Visual Shopping and Image Search

September 29, 2018 10:00 am

eBay will continue working on improving its Visual Shopping feature and will expand it to additional platforms, according to a post on the eBay Tech Blog written by software engineer …
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eBay Lures Bargain Hunters with Coupon for Under-$10 Goods

September 29, 2018 8:26 am

As if $10 weren’t low enough, eBay is luring bargain hunters with a $5 coupon good for products listed in its Under $10 portal. It’s another sign that eBay believes …
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Amazon Shipping Is Back Up for Sellers after Outage

September 28, 2018 4:42 pm

Sellers desperately trying to get orders out the door on Friday ran into problems when Amazon Buy Shipping went down for about 2 hours. Sellers trying to print shipping labels …
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eBay Runs Another Sitewide Sale, This One in the UK

September 28, 2018 12:05 pm

One day after running a sitewide sale in the US, eBay is running another, this one in the UK. eBay UK is offering a 10% discount on Friday, September 28th …
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Understanding Etsy’s ‘Use’ Attribute in Listings

September 27, 2018 9:45 pm

Etsy has a field in certain categories that auto-populates based on the type of item a seller is listing. As a recent discussion on the Etsy boards indicated, it can …
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eBay Runs End-of-Quarter Sitewide Sale on Thursday

September 26, 2018 1:44 pm

Get ready for a sitewide sale on eBay on Thursday, another sale subsidized by the company. The 1-day sale takes place on September 27th and runs until 6 pm PT …
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How to Tell If Your Listings Offer eBay Managed Payments

September 25, 2018 2:11 pm

Sellers unsure whether their listings go through the new eBay Managed Payments (MP) program can check.* eBay notified sellers today through an announcement board post: “Sellers who have been invited …
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eBay Begins Payments Journey in US, Will Go International in 2019

September 25, 2018 9:51 am

eBay CEO Devin Wenig tweeted yesterday that the company had begun rolling out managed payments (MP) on Monday to the “thousands of sellers” who had opted in, and today, eBay …
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Etsy Runs Test Highlighting Recent 5-Star Reviews

September 24, 2018 8:17 pm

Etsy launched another test, this one highlighting recent positive reviews left by a seller’s customers. A new badge appears in the review section on sellers’ listing pages if they received …
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Amazon Introduces New Voice of the Customer Metrics for Sellers

September 23, 2018 9:20 pm

Amazon sellers are buzzing about a new metric called Customer Experience (CX) found in a dashboard called “Voice of the Customer.” It’s an interesting label, as Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos …
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eBay Holds Summit at Advertising Week NY 2018

September 23, 2018 8:36 pm

eBay Chief Marketing Officer Suzy Deering will speak at the Advertising Week New York conference in New York next month where eBay will also hold a half-day summit as part …
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Amazon FBA Offers Customers Free Replacements for Returns

September 23, 2018 8:29 pm

Amazon is now allowing customers who are returning an FBA item to choose to receive a free replacement rather than a refund, with “no cost” to sellers. Of course, the …
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eBay Security Concerns Extend to Employees

September 21, 2018 11:28 pm

eBay wants to move quickly to build a fence around its headquarters in California for the safety and security of employees, according to the San Jose Mercury News. eBay told …
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Etsy Tests New Timetable for Leaving Reviews

September 20, 2018 5:23 pm

Etsy is testing a new timetable for leaving reviews. Buyers use Etsy’s five-star review system (one being the lowest and five being the highest) to review their purchases. Currently, a …
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eBay’s Answer to Customer Service: Have Reps Work from Home

September 20, 2018 12:01 pm

eBay is hiring customer service representatives who can work from home, including 120 positions in the US. eBay launched the program, called eBay@Home, in Ireland in 2017 and also has …
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Etsy to Launch Search Analytics Tool for Sellers

September 19, 2018 1:17 pm

Etsy is readying a search analytics tool for sellers along with other resources it will launch in the coming months to support sellers. It also released today a new guide …
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eBay Celebrates Vinyl and Launches Authorized Reseller Hub

September 19, 2018 10:16 am

In 2015, a Record Store Day co-founder called advance eBay listings “fraudulent,” according to the LA Times. Three years later, eBay is collaborating with the organizers of what the Times …
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Amazon Launches in Turkey and Expands Saudi Arabian Trade

September 19, 2018 9:43 am

Amazon launched in Turkey and added a Global Storefront in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as it continues to expand internationally and grow cross-border trade. Amazon.com.tr offers millions of products, …
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Amazon Notifies Sellers It Will Collect Minnesota Sales Tax

September 18, 2018 11:55 pm

Amazon notified sellers it will begin collecting sales tax for orders shipped to Minnesota beginning October 1, 2018, which passed what’s come to be known as a Marketplace Facilitator law …
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eBay Bucks Promo Pushes Mobile App Use

September 18, 2018 10:42 pm

eBay is pushing its mobile app with the latest eBay Bucks loyalty promotion that kicked off today. The invitation-only promotion offers sellers 8% in eBay Bucks on every qualifying item …
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Hope for eBay Sellers Looking for Immediate Funds

September 18, 2018 3:17 pm

Right now, most eBay sellers receive payments immediately into their PayPal accounts. But as eBay transitions to take over payments itself, sellers will have to wait for disbursements from the …
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Amazon Builds Another Fulfillment Center in California

September 17, 2018 4:43 pm

Amazon is building a second fulfillment center in Stockton, California, the company announced today. It has created over 39,000 full-time jobs in California and invested over $19 billion in the …
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Etsy Monday Morning Performance Issues Now Deemed Resolved

September 17, 2018 2:01 pm

Etsy users had problems access the site this morning, as reported on Ecommerce EKG. Users also reported problems via DownDetector. Etsy kept users up to date on its Status board …
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eBay Postpones Penalty Fees in UK

September 17, 2018 9:41 am

eBay is postponing penalty fees in the UK, it told sellers there this morning. Sellers who accrue a certain percentage of claims for item not as described or item not …
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Amazon Launches Storefront Featuring Items from US Sellers

September 17, 2018 9:29 am

Amazon launched a new storefront featuring items from US sellers. With the public relations tactic, Amazon no doubt hopes to attract buyers who wish to support small US-based sellers while …
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Lawmaker Sticks Up for Amazon Sellers

September 15, 2018 11:32 am

A lawmaker is sticking up for Amazon sellers. Senator Warren told the New York Times that Amazon should be scrutinized for potential anti-competitive behavior. The problem, as she sees it, …
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Lawmakers Float a Bill to Freeze Sales Tax “Chaos” for Small Biz

September 14, 2018 11:55 pm

Republican and democratic lawmakers in Congress have introduced a bill that would be a huge relief to small businesses worried about online sales tax obligations in the wake of the …
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Jeff Bezos to Apply Amazon Principles to Nonprofit Preschools

September 13, 2018 5:48 pm

What if you took the principles of running an ecommerce marketplace and applied them to a nonprofit educational operation, with the child as “customer”? Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, …
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Etsy Eliminates Position of Chief Operating Officer

September 13, 2018 11:43 am

Etsy is eliminating the position of Chief Operating Officer. Current COO Linda Kozlowski will leave the company at the end of the year to pursue other opportunities. In announcing the …
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FedEx Ground Moves to Permanent Six-Day Delivery Citing Ecommerce Demand

September 13, 2018 10:26 am

FedEx Ground will now deliver packages 6 days a week in the US on a permanent basis thanks to ecommerce and the “dramatic and consistent” rise in demand for the …
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Etsy Moved Its Site to Google Cloud Last Month

September 12, 2018 8:26 pm

Etsy successfully moved its website to the cloud, it announced on Wednesday, along with its mobile apps. Etsy said it was done “with minimal disruption to our buyers and sellers.” …
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Sellers Help Amazon Business Reach $10 Billion in B2B Sales

September 11, 2018 10:41 pm

Amazon Business now reaches over $10 billion in annualized sales and serves “millions” of business customers, the company revealed on Tuesday. Amazon Business is a B2B marketplace – customers purchase …
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PayPal Capitalizes on a Strength Missing from eBay Payments

September 11, 2018 1:25 pm

PayPal launched Funds Now, giving sellers instant access to payments from online sales. The timing is interesting as it comes as eBay begins rolling out managed payments, where sellers will …
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eBay Intern Shows Practical Application of Gee-Whiz Technology

September 11, 2018 12:36 pm

A PhD candidate working as an intern at eBay shows there’s a practical side to investments in gee-whiz technology by companies like eBay. Muratcan Cicek published a blog post on …
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PayPal CEO Dan Schulman Joins Verizon Board

September 10, 2018 2:52 pm

Verizon added PayPal CEO Dan Schulman to its Board of Directors effective September 6, 2018. It’s worth noting that Verizon operates Yahoo Small Business through its Oath subsidiary, though we …
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Alibaba Founder Is Ready to Return to Education

September 9, 2018 11:29 pm

Jack Ma was a teacher in China before turning entrepreneur, but he succeeded in growing Alibaba into a global ecommerce powerhouse because he paid attention to the needs of small …
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eBay Repeats Coupon Promo – and Redemption Issues

September 9, 2018 4:46 pm

eBay is offering a $5 coupon this month as part of an invitation-only promotion. It kicked off on September 5th and runs through September 27th. Some buyers who received the …
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From the Editor – September 9, 2018

September 8, 2018 7:59 pm

In an unusual occurrence, Amazon’s search engine went haywire on Wednesday, and according to CNBC, it was followed by outages impacting the back-end system for tracking sellers’ orders and sales …
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More Info for Sellers as eBay Kicks Off New Managed Payments

September 8, 2018 7:58 pm

In the two months since eBay invited some sellers to participate in its initial launch of “managed payments” that is scheduled to begin this month, eBay has provided additional information …
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Online Sellers Stumped over Sales Tax Collection

September 8, 2018 7:57 pm

We’re getting questions from sellers about their obligations to collect sales tax after the Supreme Court overturned Quill with its ruling in June. Unfortunately there are no simple, one-size-fits-all answers, frustrating …
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Collectors Corner: How Cultural Changes Are Impacting Collectibles

September 8, 2018 7:56 pm

The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus (c. 535 – 475 BC) stated that change was the only constant, and that dictum certainly applies to collectibles. A few – Beanie Babies, fidget …
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EcommerceBytes Soundoff: Letters to the Editor – September 9, 2018

September 8, 2018 7:55 pm

Teikametrics Offers Tool to Optimize Amazon Advertising

September 6, 2018 9:59 am

Teikametrics helps merchants and brands optimize their ecommerce activities, and this week the company released its next-generation “Retail Optimization Platform” called Teikametrics Flywheel. Teikametrics’ founder and CEO Alasdair McLean-Foreman said …
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Walmart Tests New Last-Mile Grocery Delivery Service

September 6, 2018 9:16 am

Walmart is expanding its grocery delivery services with the launch of a new pilot program called Spark Delivery. It’s a crowd-sourced platform that Walmart says allows it to learn even …
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Ecommerce Platform Shopify Revamps Its App Store

September 5, 2018 12:51 pm

Shopify revamped its app store, which first launched in 2009. The Shopify App Store offers its merchants free and paid apps that extend the functionality of Shopify stores. The new …
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eBay Expands Consignment Program Globally, Adds Luxury Watches

September 5, 2018 11:10 am

eBay expanded its consignment program called eBay Authenticate to include luxury watches. The program already includes luxury handbags. The company also announced it expanded eBay Authenticate to several European markets …
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Amazon Adds J.Crew to Its Fashion Lineup

September 5, 2018 10:47 am

Shoppers can now find J.Crew fashion on Amazon through a new partnership between the fashion brand and marketplace powerhouse. The curated selection from the J.Crew Mercantile’s Fall ’18 collection include …
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Amazon Doubles Tech Hub Workforce in San Diego

September 5, 2018 10:36 am

Amazon is doubling its technical workforce in the San Diego area with the addition of 300 jobs in software development, machine learning, cloud computing, and digital entertainment. It announced Wednesday …
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Two Schools of Thought on Why eBay Is Re-Running FVF Promo

September 4, 2018 10:58 pm

eBay ran a 3-day promotion giving sellers a 25% commission discount from September 1 – 3rd. Now it’s running the same promotion for 6 more days, from September 4 through …
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UPU Director General Addresses eBay, Ecommerce, and Reform

September 4, 2018 3:09 pm

Ecommerce and the business of international mail exchange were key themes coming out of the first day of the special meeting of the Universal Postal Union this week, as was …
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eBay Listings to Display on ESPN Sports Site

September 4, 2018 10:09 am

Going after sports fans, eBay announced its listings will appear on ESPN.com through an exclusive partnership with the sports news and commentary site, it announced on Tuesday. eBay said it …
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Amazon Blogs about Robots on Labor Day Weekend

September 3, 2018 11:09 pm

Amazon wants to set the record straight about its use of robots, publishing a post titled, “5 facts to know about Amazon Robotics.” Included as one of its facts: “Robots …
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Amazon Runs Contest to Promote Its UK Pet-Supplies Store

September 3, 2018 7:34 pm

Amazon wants shoppers to think of its marketplace as a source for all their pet-supply needs, and on Monday, it kicked off a contest in the UK to get the …
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eBay Closely Watches North American Trade Talks

September 2, 2018 8:46 pm

On Wednesday, eBay applauded Mexico’s plans to make it easier for its residents to buy low-value shipments from the US by raising its “de minimis” threshold from $50 to $100 …
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UPU Responds to President Trump’s Directive on Postal Terminal Dues

August 30, 2018 3:21 pm

The Universal Postal Union (UPU) issued a statement on Monday in response to President Trump’s memorandum regarding terminal dues, which is the system Postal Services around the world use for …
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eBay Replaces General Manager of New York Office

August 29, 2018 3:20 pm

eBay named Bradford Shellhammer General Manager of its New York office, which includes technology, marketing, ads, sales, design, and merchandising departments. Shellhammer had been eBay’s Global Head of Buyer Engagement …
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Amazon Launches Monthly Prime Membership in Canada

August 29, 2018 8:17 am

Amazon introduced a monthly Prime membership option in Canada this week for $7.99/month. The most surprising about the announcement is the fact it hadn’t already offered it in Canada, after …
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New California Regulation Hits eBay Sellers

August 28, 2018 9:20 pm

eBay advised sellers of new regulations from the state of California that impact sellers who list products containing certain substances. As a result of California Proposition 65, which takes effect …
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UPS Launches Ware2Go – A Response to Amazon FBA Onsite?

August 28, 2018 10:08 am

UPS launched Ware2Go, a platform to help merchants find available flexible warehouse space and fulfillment services. The advantage to sellers: it allows small and medium-sized businesses to expand their reach …
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Weebly to Sellers: Ditch the Desktop

August 27, 2018 8:52 pm

Weebly launched new ecommerce tools on Monday to help sellers manage their stores from their mobile devices. Weebly, which was acquired by payments firm Square on May 31st of this …
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Hurricane Disrupts Mail on Hawaii, eBay Offers Seller Protection

August 27, 2018 7:48 pm

Expecting a package from a seller located in Hawaii? Be aware of recent disruptions of both outgoing and incoming mail. The US Postal Service issued service disruption alerts for the …
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eBay to Run Sitewide Sale on August 28th

August 27, 2018 5:25 pm

eBay will run another sitewide flash sale, this one on Tuesday, August 28th. Shoppers can save 15% off using the coupon code PREGAME15. eBay subsidizes flash sale as a form …
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Etsy Warns Sellers about FedEx Surcharges Coming Monday

August 27, 2018 3:42 pm

If you ship using FedEx, be aware of some fee changes for overweight and oversized packages that take effect next week. Etsy issued a warning to sellers about higher surcharge …
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October 2018
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