Wednesday Amazon Outage Impacted Sellers

November 25, 2020 4:31 pm

Amazon experienced technical issues that impacted online sellers. One reader said they were unable to access Seller Central for order processing, noting the problem was especially impactful due to the …
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eBay, Amazon Receive DHS Anti-Counterfeiting Award

November 24, 2020 11:39 pm

eBay and Amazon The Department of Homeland Security awarded 32 organizations awards for their anti-counterfeiting efforts. In the Ecommerce Working Group category, it awarded private-sector awards to eBay, Amazon, Alibaba, …
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Ford Hires eBay Marketing Chief for Her Technology Skills

November 24, 2020 11:21 pm

eBay’s former Chief Marketing Officer announced in September she’d be leaving the company, later indicating she would stay through mid-October to help eBay prepare for the holiday shopping season, but …
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Online Marketplace Bonanza Creates Some Surprising New Tools

Bonanza Sellers Can Now Offer PayPal Credit as a Payment Option

November 23, 2020 9:06 pm

Online sellers can now offer PayPal Credit as a payment option for their customers on Bonanza. “Shoppers can use PayPal Credit’s digital, reusable credit line to shop at any seller’s …
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The Psychological Factor in NRF’s Holiday Sales Prediction

November 23, 2020 1:03 pm

The National Retail Federation (NRF) predicts online holiday sales will see strong growth in 2020 over last year, and among the many factors it considered in its estimates was consumer …
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Amazon Promotes Cyber Monday Deals and Touts Extended Returns

November 23, 2020 12:59 pm

Even as it runs Black Friday sales through November 27, Amazon provided a sneak peek into its Cyber Monday weekend deals in a press release today, calling it “A Weekend …
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Amazon Promotes Package Pickup with a New Twist

November 23, 2020 10:39 am

Amazon is encouraging shoppers to pick up packages instead of having them delivered to their homes, which could ease any potential strain on its delivery network as the pandemic seems …
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New eBay Grants Help Small Businesses onto Its Platform

November 23, 2020 10:01 am

eBay launched a grant program to help small businesses get up and running on its platform. eBay’s “Up & Running” grant program will provide 50 small-business sellers with a package …
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Etsy Fine-Tunes Estimated Delivery Dates

November 22, 2020 8:15 pm

Etsy is monitoring postal delays and is fine-tuning the estimated delivery dates it displays to shoppers, it told sellers on Friday As an Etsy help page tells buyers, “the estimated …
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Amazon Offers New Way for Brands to Target Buyers

November 22, 2020 8:13 pm

Amazon launched a new advertising tool to help target buyers called Sponsored Display audiences, available to vendors and sellers registered in Amazon Brand Registry in the US. Sponsored Display audiences …
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Amazon Calls for Federal Law on Price Gouging

November 20, 2020 4:13 pm

Two states’ efforts against price gouging amid COVID-19 made headlines this week, with Amazon responding by calling for federal legislation. New York’s Attorney General said her office stopped three Amazon …
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eBay Authenticates Collectibles in East Hollywood Drive-Thru

November 20, 2020 10:27 am

eBay opened an Authentication Station drive-thru in LA. For 3 days, people can have their luxury watches, sneakers, and collectibles authenticated at no charge, and without getting out of their …
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Black Friday Shoppers Demand Free Returns, Survey Shows

November 20, 2020 10:03 am

Half of US consumers will abandon product purchases on Black Friday if there are no free returns offered, according to a survey conducted by Emarsys. The company also advised brands …
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Etsy Offers Sellers FedEx SmartPost Labels

November 19, 2020 9:01 pm

Etsy added FedEx SmartPost to its shipping label program, which allows sellers to ship orders with USPS, FedEx, or Canada Post right from their Etsy shop. Etsy touts the program …
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Two Plead Not Guilty in eBay Cyberstalking Case

November 19, 2020 8:40 pm

Two people pleaded not guilty on Thursday in the eBay cyberstalking case in which five others recently pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit cyberstalking and conspiracy to tamper with witnesses …
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Understanding USPS 2021 Shipping Rates

November 18, 2020 9:30 pm

The USPS announced Monday that shipping rates for “competitive” services will be going up on January 24th, including Priority Mail and FCPS. In Monday’s announcement, it focused on “retail” rates …
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Amazon Launches Online Pharmacy with Prime Perks

November 18, 2020 4:19 pm

Amazon launched an online pharmacy on its marketplace and added yet another benefit to Prime members: unlimited, free two-day delivery on orders from Amazon Pharmacy. Any Amazon customer can create …
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eBay Promotes Reselling through ‘Bulq’ Sourcing

November 18, 2020 1:11 pm

eBay invited sellers to use its platform for product sourcing through a new partnership with Optoro. eBay made the following announcement to sellers on Wednesday: “Purchase wholesale lots through eBay’s …
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Buying and Selling Used Goods to Fund the Holidays

November 16, 2020 10:22 pm

A significant number of people are supplementing their holiday budget by selling personal items, and they’re also more willing to buy used this year. Mercari commissioned Ipsos to conduct a …
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Etsy Shares Holiday Sales Tips Based on Shopper Surveys

November 16, 2020 9:48 pm

Last week, Etsy invited sellers to participate in its Cyber Week Sales Event – a minimum discount of 20% is required to be eligible for exposure. This week, Etsy shared …
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Mercari Seeks Holiday Inventory with New Sweepstakes

November 16, 2020 2:04 pm

As people get in the holiday spirit, ecommerce platforms want inventory that gift-givers are looking for. That seems to be the incentive behind Mercari’s new holiday sweepstakes in which it …
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From the Editor – November 15, 2020

November 14, 2020 4:34 pm

Major changes may be coming to the US Postal Service, according to an article in Government Executive on Friday that said Postmaster General Louis DeJoy will seek to reinstitute operational …
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Facebook Shops Gearing up for Brisk Holiday Season

November 14, 2020 4:33 pm

As sellers head into the holiday season and eye adding a social component to their operations, Facebook wants the ecommerce world to know that it is open for business. There …
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Bracing for Holiday Returns Amid a Pandemic

November 14, 2020 4:32 pm

The numbers aren’t good for online sellers who are dreading holiday returns as coronavirus fears and lockdowns change shopping behavior. Signifyd found that two verticals with the highest return rates …
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Collectors Corner: Slinky

November 14, 2020 4:31 pm

It’s Slinky, it’s Slinky. For fun it’s a wonderful toy.It’s Slinky, it’s Slinky. It’s fun for a girl or a boy…– Television advertising jingle Inducted into the National Toy Hall …
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EcommerceBytes Soundoff: Letters to the Editor – November 15, 2020

November 14, 2020 4:30 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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Pandemic Accelerates USPS Mail and Package Trends

November 13, 2020 11:49 am

The USPS was already seeing declining Mail and increasing Package volume, and in the second half of its fiscal year 2020, it saw those trends accelerate due to the pandemic …
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eBay Gives British Sellers a Break amid Latest Lockdown

November 12, 2020 11:07 pm

With England under a strict lockdown this month, eBay is offering a break to some sellers. Those with an eBay.co.uk store subscription (a Basic, Featured or Anchor Shop) on November …
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Walmart Leverages Distribution Centers for Online Fulfillment

November 12, 2020 10:50 pm

Walmart is leveraging its distribution centers to increase its ecommerce capabilities. It will create areas inside 42 of its Regional Distribution Centers that it’s calling “pop-up eCommerce Distribution Centers” (eDCs) …
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eBay Offers Sellers $15 to Register Early for Payments

November 12, 2020 10:31 pm

A reader told EcommerceBytes eBay is coaxing him into signing up for Managed Payments by offering him a $15 coupon. But, he wondered, “If managed payments is going to be …
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