Sales Tax Victory Not Assured for All States

July 14, 2018 10:51 pm

A new analysis of the Supreme Court ruling in South Dakota vs Wayfair offers a ray of hope for small online sellers who are worried about the burden of collecting …
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Amazon to Open New Fulfillment Center in Ontario

July 13, 2018 9:33 am

Even as Amazon expands in new geographies including Australia and the Middle East, it hasn’t stopped expanding its logistics capabilities in existing markets. This week the company announced plans to …
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eBay Expands Prime-Like Program with New Fulfillment Deal

July 12, 2018 11:36 pm

eBay launched a program for shoppers last month in Australia modeled after Amazon Prime called eBay Plus. But with no warehouses or Amazon FBA-style fulfillment program, it was difficult to …
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Amazon Prime Day Meets Black Friday in July

July 12, 2018 9:34 pm

Amazon didn’t create the concept of “Christmas in July” or “back-to-school” sales, but its annual Prime Day shopping holiday has spawned annual “Black Friday in July” sales from rivals who …
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Auctiva Surveys eBay Sellers on Going Multi Channel

July 11, 2018 2:30 pm

Auctiva is surveying eBay sellers about using other marketplaces as it prepares to launch a new product called Auctiva Multi-Channel. Auctiva Product Manager Natasha Burns told EcommerceBytes that after 18 …
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eBay Runs a Second Flash Sale Ahead of Prime Day

July 11, 2018 12:28 am

eBay is running another flash sale in advance of next week’s Amazon Prime Day shopping extravaganza. Tuesday’s flash sale was limited to items in the tech category, but Wednesday’s sale …
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eBay Runs Category-Wide Flash Sales in Advance of Prime Day

July 10, 2018 1:53 pm

eBay had announced on Monday it would be running category-wide sales today and tomorrow when it wrote, “Exclusively this week, eBay is hosting one-day-only sales in its top categories from …
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Etsy Starts Rolling Out New Subscription Plan Called Plus

July 9, 2018 11:25 pm

Etsy began rolling out its new subscription plan today. It had announced Etsy Plus in mid-June, but sellers can be forgiven if they don’t remember it since it was introduced …
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Google Rebrands AdWords Ad Platform

July 9, 2018 11:20 pm

Google recently announced it is rebranding its iconic AdWords advertising program that launched in 2000. Google AdWords will become Google Ads, and the company is launching two additional programs: Google …
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eBay Lowers Certain Fees – But Don’t Get Too Excited

July 9, 2018 5:20 pm

eBay is lowering fees, but only in certain subcategories in the Business and Industrial Goods category. It’s unclear exactly what prompted the fee adjustment, but competitive factors likely played a …
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eBay Launches Deals a Week ahead of Amazon Prime Day

July 9, 2018 11:53 am

eBay is launching what it calls massive deals this week. We can’t help wondering if like many in the industry, it thought Amazon would be holding its Prime Day shopping …
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Amazon Brags of Prime Day Impact on Small Sellers

July 9, 2018 10:01 am

Amazon is an ecommerce giant, but on Monday, it reminded the world that it also allows small- and medium-sized to sell on its platform. In fact, it said thousands of …
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From the Editor – July 8, 2018

July 7, 2018 9:34 pm

Devin Wenig is celebrating his 3-year anniversary as CEO of eBay by cutting costs and laying off workers (a “low single digit percentage of employees”). A spokesperson told EcommerceBytes eBay …
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Understanding eBay’s New Returns Policies, Penalties, and Protections

July 7, 2018 9:33 pm

eBay is pushing sellers to offer 30-day free returns, and its Vice President of Seller & Marketplace Operations Bob Kupbens made the case during a recent video presentation. He outlined …
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Email Turns 40, But Email Marketing Remains Relevant

July 7, 2018 9:32 pm

Over a generation has passed since the first email zipped along from sender to receiver. The medium persists today, useful in delivering plenty of information to its recipients. Once ecommerce …
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Collectors Corner: Vintage Swimwear

July 7, 2018 9:31 pm

Here in the Northeast we have put away the woolen underwear some months ago and have brought out the swimwear. From one-piece full-figure suits to the tiniest bikinis, there’s something …
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EcommerceBytes Soundoff: Letters to the Editor – July 8, 2018

July 7, 2018 9:30 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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Newegg Changes Seller Status after Supreme Court Sales-Tax Ruling

July 6, 2018 11:09 am

Newegg is making changes affecting its third-party marketplace sellers after the Supreme Court changed the rules on sales tax obligations. The state of South Dakota had sued Wayfair, Overstock.com, and …
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Where Is eBay’s Chief Product Officer?

July 5, 2018 11:45 pm

Update 7/6/18: eBay has confirmed Pittman’s departure. A spokesperson provided the following response to our inquiry: “RJ Pittman has decided to leave eBay. RJ has made significant contributions and has …
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eBay Australia Runs Sitewide Sale Including US and UK Listings

July 5, 2018 5:07 pm

eBay is running a sitewide flash sale in Australia, but it includes listings on eBay’s US and UK websites as well. (To be clear, the sale only applies to eBay …
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Will eBay ‘Prime Day’ Deals Help Regular Sellers?

July 5, 2018 12:33 pm

eBay will hold a “Deals” event that coincides with Amazon Prime Day, it announced hours after Amazon released the date of this year’s July shopping event. But whether eBay “Prime …
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Amazon Puts Its Own Brands Front and Center on Prime Day

July 5, 2018 12:25 pm

Amazon is heavily promoting its own brands in its Prime Day marketing campaign, and it serves as a reminder of how many different brands it offers across a range of …
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eBay Apologizes for Technical Issues

July 3, 2018 10:51 pm

eBay apologized on July 3, 2018, for technical issues plaguing its site in recent weeks, though it made no offer to compensate sellers (eBay changed its outage policy in 2014) …
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PayPal Completes $6.9 Billion Deal with Synchrony

July 3, 2018 8:40 pm

PayPal completed its deal with Synchrony it had announced last November, selling Synchrony its consumer credit receivables. PayPal said the deal with Synchrony will help it enrich and expand its …
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Amazon Promises to Deliver an Epic Prime Day 2018

July 3, 2018 11:05 am

Amazon promises to deliver an epic Prime Day 2018 online and through its app, with the key word being *deliver.* Amazon Prime Day will kick off on the afternoon of …
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NH to Protect Small Sellers from Sales Tax Burden

July 2, 2018 5:50 pm

New Hampshire, which has no sales tax, is working to protect small businesses in its state from what its Governor called “improper attempts by other states to force our businesses …
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Sellers Seek Answers from eBay Executive Bob Kupbens

July 2, 2018 9:59 am

eBay executive Bob Kupbens answered 7 prescreened questions during a video presentation on Wednesday. Sellers were asked to submit their questions 2 weeks prior to the broadcast. The section where …
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Kyozou Now Compatible with Listing Templates from 3Dsellers

July 2, 2018 9:05 am

Canadian based inventory-management service Kyozou has integrated with 3Dsellers so their customers can access its listing templates, which include features that allow sellers to cross-promote directly within their listings. Kyozou …
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Etsy Lands in India and Expands in Europe

June 30, 2018 4:28 pm

Etsy has landed in India, placing a small team on the ground there, and is expanding in Germany and Central Europe through a deal with DaWanda. The online marketplace announced …
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eBay Partners with Trading Card Seller to Provide Pricing Data

June 30, 2018 8:58 am

eBay announced the availability of a new research tool on a third-party site. The publisher, PWCC, sells trading cards on the eBay platform. eBay said PWCC’s tool provides over 250 …
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eBay Adds Digital Content for the First Time Since 2008

June 29, 2018 9:45 pm

eBay added digital comics to its lineup, but only a small number from a single seller. Nevertheless, it’s significant since it’s the first time it has allowed digital content to …
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eBay Runs End of Quarter Sitewide Flash Sale

June 29, 2018 11:17 am

Update 6/29/18: We happened to notice this evening that the sale has been extended to 11 pm PT. eBay is running another sitewide flash sale that runs until 9 pm …
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BQool Partners with InventoryLab to Automate Amazon Selling Tasks

June 29, 2018 10:43 am

BQool partnered with product sourcing tool InventoryLab to make it easier for Amazon sellers to manage inventory and sell competitively with repricing features, and sellers can now populate their InventoryLab …
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Payability Expands Financing to More Marketplace Sellers

June 29, 2018 10:39 am

Payability gives online sellers quicker access to revenues they’ve earned from Amazon, and now it’s expanded Instant Advance Financing to additional marketplaces – Newegg, Tophatter, Walmart, and Jet.com. The service …
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ShipStation Partners with ShipBob Fulfillment

June 28, 2018 5:10 pm

ShipStation partnered with ShipBob fulfillment, giving merchants access to a service with fulfillment centers in Brooklyn, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Press release follows: ShipStation, the leading web-based …
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PayPal Launched the New PayPal Checkout

June 28, 2018 4:48 pm

PayPal launched the new PayPal Checkout with Smart Payment Buttons offering today. It is designed to boost conversions by presenting relevant payment methods, including PayPal, Venmo, PayPal Credit. It also …
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Amazon Will Buy Online Pharmacy PillPack

June 28, 2018 4:27 pm

Amazon will buy online pharmacy PillPack, which offers pre-sorted doses of medications, home delivery, and a commitment to customer service, it announced on Thursday. Press release follows: Amazon and PillPack …
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Etsy Delays Change to How It Collects Fees from Sellers

June 28, 2018 2:03 pm

Etsy notified sellers it is delaying a change in billing practices first announced in April. The crux of the change, it explained to sellers at the time: “Starting in June, …
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eBay Launches Best Price Guarantee, But Only for Deals and Top 20

June 27, 2018 5:13 pm

eBay will launch a Best Price Guarantee, it announced on Wednesday, but not for all listings – only for its special “Deals” that are preselected from certain sellers and for …
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PayPal Acquires Risk Management Platform Simility

June 27, 2018 12:57 pm

PayPal is acquiring risk management platform Simility for $120 million in cash after investing in the company last year. It will help PayPal merchants avoid fraud. It is the latest …
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Already? Amazon Launches Back-to-School Shopping Portals

June 27, 2018 9:42 am

It’s not even July, yet Amazon is already anticipating the back-to-school shopping season. Today, it launched Back to School and Off to College stores. It used today’s announcement to promote …
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eBay Extends Relationship with PayPal Credit

June 26, 2018 10:25 pm

eBay and PayPal extended their consumer-credit relationship, PayPal announced on Tuesday, meaning eBay will continue to accept and promote PayPal Credit on its Marketplace platform. The two companies broke up …
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eBay Employees Pursue Innovation at Annual Hack Week

June 26, 2018 9:05 pm

eBay top management places an emphasis on innovation (it’s a technology company, its CEO Devin Wenig insists). The company held its annual Hack Week the first week in June to …
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Volusion Lists Top Ten Cities for Small Sellers

June 26, 2018 5:21 pm

Volusion released a list of the top-ten cities for small sellers – and one state hit the jackpot, hosting 3 cities on the list: Florida. Ecommerce platform Volusion is based …
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Webgility Partners with Stamps.com to Offer Discounted Shipping

June 26, 2018 4:58 pm

Webgility partnered with Stamps.com to offer online merchants discounted shipping from the US Postal Service. Webgility customers will have access to USPS Commercial Plus Pricing rates for qualified USPS shipments …
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eBay Seller Update Changes Are Imminent

June 25, 2018 5:00 pm

eBay issued a reminder of imminent changes, including new seller benchmarks and fee changes. Among the changes: eBay is requiring sellers to enter a zip code for item shipping location, …
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With Quill Protection Gone, What Should Online Sellers Do?

June 23, 2018 4:17 pm

Even if you’re a small online seller with a presence in a single state, should you immediately start collecting sales tax from your out-of-state buyers? That’s a question on many …
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Supreme Court Throws Out Longstanding Sales Tax Rule-Book

June 23, 2018 11:27 am

Just the mention of “taxes” can cause stomachs to tighten, but Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling in South Dakota v Wayfair is inducing anxiety in small business owners who aren’t sure …
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Amazon Announces Yet Another Fulfillment Center, the First in Alabama

June 22, 2018 5:00 pm

Amazon will open its first fulfillment center in Alabama as it continues to build out its logistics network. The over 855,000-square-foot center will be used to fulfill small items such …
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NRF Says Supreme Court Sales-Tax Ruling Levels the Playing Field

June 21, 2018 10:53 pm

The National Retail Federation (NRF) hailed today’s Supreme Court ruling on sales tax in South Dakota v. Wayfair. While online marketplaces eBay and Etsy see the issue as a big …
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eBay Runs Another Sitewide Sale to Goose Sales

June 21, 2018 9:02 pm

eBay is running yet another sitewide sale, this one good for a $15 coupon off a minimum purchase of $75. The 1-day sale kicked off at 7 am (Pacific) and …
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Etsy CEO Hails Supreme Court Chief Justice Dissent in Sales Tax Case

June 21, 2018 4:26 pm

Etsy CEO Josh Silverman quoted Chief Justice Roberts dissent in today’s Supreme Court ruling on sales-tax collection requirements in South Dakota vs. Wayfair. Roberts had pointed to the burden micro …
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eBay Urges Congress to Act in Wake of Sales Tax Ruling

June 21, 2018 4:07 pm

eBay called on Congress to provide clear rules and a small-business exemption after the Supreme Court ruled in South Dakota v. Wayfair. Today’s decision overruled the 1992 Quill Corp. v …
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Brands Say Amazon Has Unfair Data Advantage

June 19, 2018 11:05 pm

A new survey of over 300 brand marketers show three-quarters of them feel Amazon has an unfair “data” advantage, with 86 percent stating they would benefit from understanding competitors’ search, …
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Bonanza Runs Membership Sale as It Celebrates 10-year Anniversary

June 19, 2018 10:33 pm

Online marketplace Bonanza thanked members old and new for helping it reach age 10. The company is celebrating its 10-year anniversary with a membership sales promotion. Sellers don’t have to …
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PayPal Acquires Hyperwallet for $400 Million in Cash

June 19, 2018 9:08 pm

PayPal is acquiring a company called Hyperwallet, which it calls “a leading global payout platform.” Or as the company says on its website, “Go global, pay local.” While it’s relatively …
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New Portal Showcases eBay Germany Sellers

June 19, 2018 12:43 pm

eBay features 17 million buyers on its German marketplace. It created a new German-language portal to showcase some of the “tens of thousands” of businesses selling over 140 million listings …
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Amazon to Open a Fourth Fulfillment Center in Michigan

June 19, 2018 9:52 am

Amazon will open its fourth fulfillment center located in Michigan. The 850,000 square-foot fulfillment center will feature “innovative technologies” including Amazon Robotics and will be used to fulfill small items …
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Amazon Launches Prime in Australia

June 19, 2018 8:53 am

Amazon launched Prime in Australia this week, just in time for next month’s Prime Day global shopping event. Prime offers free 2-day shipping on domestic orders to 90% of Australians …
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Etsy Kicks Off Birthday Sale

June 18, 2018 10:50 pm

Etsy is celebrating the 13-year anniversary of its founding by organizing a sale. As we previously reported, Etsy gave sellers instructions last month on how to participate (“create a sale …
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Google Shopping to See Influx of Chinese Products via JD.com Deal

June 18, 2018 4:19 pm

Expect more competition from China on Google Shopping thanks to a new deal announced on Monday. Google is investing in Alibaba rival JD.com, China’s second largest ecommerce player. “As part …
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Amazon Opens New Office in Ireland

June 18, 2018 2:06 pm

Amazon opened a new office in Dublin today and said it would create 1,000 new technology jobs in Ireland over the next 2 years. That’s double the commitment it made …
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Amazon Advises FBA Sellers to Prep for Prime Day

June 17, 2018 9:07 pm

Amazon sent an email to sellers who participate in its Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) program this month advising them to prepare for its annual Prime Day shopping holiday. “Is your …
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eBay Gives Competitive Insight Tool to Select Partners

June 17, 2018 8:32 pm

eBay has a new tool to help sellers compete in the new product-based shopping experience it’s rolling out (PBSE, as eBay calls its Amazon-like catalog approach). However, it’s only available …
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eBay Loses Canada Post Shipping Discount for Sellers

June 17, 2018 1:38 pm

It will cost eBay sellers in Canada more to ship some of their packages as of July 1, 2018 because Canada Post is no longer providing discount prices to eBay …
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As eBay Preps for Payments, It Eschews Role of Chief Technology Officer

June 16, 2018 12:32 am

eBay will begin testing a new payments system in July and shuffled some managers overseeing technology to help prepare for the impact on eBay’s platform. eBay appointed Steve Fisher, its …
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eBay Launches Free-Shipping Program in Australia

June 16, 2018 12:00 am

eBay officially launched its $49/year membership program in Australia on Thursday that mimics Amazon Prime. Shoppers who subscribe to the program get free shipping and free returns on certain items …
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Etsy Raises Fees, Promises to Boost Marketing

June 14, 2018 8:38 am

Etsy is raising seller fees and introducing new subscription plans while promising to boost its marketing budget to bring more buyers to the site. One positive thing worth noting: listing …
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Etsy Kicks Off Marketing Campaign in UK

June 12, 2018 10:38 pm

Etsy kicked off a marketing campaign in the UK. It’s working with five “influencers” who will post about the campaign on their social media accounts, giving exposure to Etsy and …
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Amazon Signals Commitment to the UK Market

June 12, 2018 10:25 pm

Amazon signaled is commitment to the UK market, showing again its ability to remain above the political fray as the UK moves toward exiting the EU, while staying focused on …
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eBay Bucks Runs Buy-or-Sell Promotion

June 12, 2018 4:21 pm

A new eBay Bucks promotion offers members of the eBay loyalty program 10% in eBay Bucks for buying or for selling. The invitation-only promotion offers the following: 10% in eBay …
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Facebook Offers Digital-Marketing Training for Small Businesses

June 12, 2018 11:02 am

Facebook has two programs that small businesses can use to improve their digital marketing skills. The company made a pledge to help the US workforce in a June 8, 2018 …
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eBay Canada Gets Automotive Parts Catalog Feature

June 11, 2018 8:17 pm

eBay launched its parts compatibility feature called Fitment on eBay Motors 8 years ago, but it’s just rolling out to Canadians this month. eBay Canada announced in its February Spring …
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eBay Pitches Luxury Brands on Benefits of Marketplace Ads

June 11, 2018 7:35 pm

eBay said 21 million of its shoppers hold “black” and “platinum” credit cards, and it revealed other tidbits about its high-spending buyers in a bid to persuade luxury brands to …
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Amazon Offers Sellers an Hour of Coaching for 75 Bucks

June 10, 2018 10:51 am

Amazon has been sending an invitation to sellers this month giving them the opportunity for coaching. The Amazon Support Connect program costs $75 for a one-hour session and is conducted …
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From the Editor – June 10, 2018

June 9, 2018 8:04 pm

Handmade and vintage marketplace Etsy is turning 13 (time flies!) and is celebrating this month with a sales event kicking off on June 18th and running through June 22nd – …
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Are You Missing Out by Avoiding International Sales?

June 9, 2018 8:03 pm

Imagine being able to boost sales by between 10 and 25 percent. What’s the catch? Opening yourself up to buyers in other countries, which of course comes with its own …
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The New and Confusing eBay Item Location Policy

June 9, 2018 8:02 pm

Many readers are familiar with Skip McGrath who has been writing about online selling since the late 1990s. His latest newsletter features an article, “Has eBay finally jumped the shark? …
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EcommerceBytes Soundoff: Letters to the Editor – June 10, 2018

June 9, 2018 8:00 pm

Amazon Announces Plans for a Second Fulfillment Center in Oklahoma

June 8, 2018 11:15 pm

Amazon follows up on its announcement to build a Fulfillment Center in Oklahoma by announcing plans to build a second such facility in the state. The second FC will be …
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eBay Runs Flash Sale in UK

June 8, 2018 12:07 pm

eBay is running a flash sale in the UK today til 8pm (or 3 pm ET). Normally we call these types of sales “sitewide” to indicate they are open to …
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Rakuten Acquires Curbside

June 7, 2018 8:39 pm

As the popularity of in-store and curbside pickup is growing, ecommerce giant Rakuten announced it is acquiring Curbside, a service that helps stores and restaurants offer customers “order ahead” service …
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BQool Launches New Feature for Its Amazon Product Research Tool

June 7, 2018 5:20 pm

BQool launched a new chrome extension for its product-research tool BigTracker. When users search Amazon for a particular product, the BigTracker extension aggregates all of the results on a single …
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Etsy Holds Annual Shareholder Meeting

June 7, 2018 11:17 am

Etsy held its annual shareholder meeting this morning. It webcast the event, but only shareholders as of the record date were allowed to attend the virtual meeting. We checked in …
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eBay Launches Bullion Buyback Program

June 6, 2018 2:49 pm

eBay launched a program that lets users sell their gold and silver to its partner through the eBay Bullion Buyback program. Users simply take a photo and send it to …
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Discogs Offers Centralized Payments in Footsteps of Etsy, eBay

June 6, 2018 1:22 pm

Discogs is going down the same path as Etsy and eBay by becoming a payments intermediary, and will use the same payments processor to power Discogs Payments that eBay chose …
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Shipping Disruption Possible as UPS Union Opens Door to Labor Strike

June 6, 2018 11:50 am

CNN reported the possibility of a labor strike of UPS union workers that could disrupt the economy, estimating that shipments UPS transports equal an estimated 6% of the nation’s GDP …
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eBay Names New Head of Portland Office

June 5, 2018 9:13 pm

eBay named Gail Frederick the new General Manager of its Portland office, which is an eBay Center of Excellence and an innovation hub specifically for its mobile development and eBay …
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Mercari Selling App Launches Seller Badges

June 5, 2018 8:51 pm

Mercari launched seller badges designed to give buyers an indication of seller reliability. The badges display information about sellers, including: how long they’ve been a member of the marketplace, if …
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BigCommerce Integrates with WordPress

June 5, 2018 2:40 pm

For the many sellers who use WordPress to host their websites, there’s now BigCommerce for WordPress. BigCommerce launched its first “Commerce-as-a-Service” offering – meaning sellers don’t have to host their …
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