Last week eBay invited some sellers to participate in "Fulfillment for eBay," but the pilot program works differently from the rival Fulfillment By Amazon program (FBA). Instead of building out its own fulfillment centers, as Amazon has done, eBay is working with third-party fulfillment services. 

Keep in mind that one of the most compelling things about Amazon's program is the fact that FBA products qualify for free delivery through Amazon Prime, meaning sellers' listings become more appealing to shoppers.

It's unclear if eBay is considering rolling out a Prime-like program as it did in Australia this summer, where shoppers pay $49/year ... Read More

Alibaba sold its US operations to OpenSky in 2015 and at the same time took a 37% stake in OpenSky. In the fall, Alibaba acquired 100% of OpenSky, according to TechCrunch.

In May of 2016, OpenSky shut down the 11 Main marketplace that Alibaba had launched for US sellers in 2014, but it continued to operate Auctiva and Vendio, makers of tools for eBay sellers, while operating a number of marketplaces through its MoreCommerce unit, including: OpenSky, Dot & Bo, Storenvy, PickPerfect.com, gemafina, and 55Mulberry.

MoreCommerce is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alibaba Group, "a network of solutions that empower trade ... Read More

Online sellers have nominated some new selling venues in the annual Sellers Choice Awards, now in its 10th year. Two mobile selling apps have joined the lineup.

Each year, sellers nominate selling venues and then rate the top finalists, giving sellers the rare opportunity to provide feedback to management and share their experiences with colleagues. 

In addition to rating key ecommerce platforms areas such as profitability, sellers write detailed and thoughtful comments that provide an insider's view of each venue, revealing trends and describing changes both popular or unpopular with sellers.

Once again online sellers nominated stalwarts eBay, Amazon, and Etsy, along with their smaller ... Read More

Small packages from China (and elsewhere) delivered to shoppers by the US Postal Service will become more costly for overseas sellers, helping to level a playing field that many domestic online sellers feel is skewed against them.

At first blush, it looks like small US sellers will be rejoicing, since in many cases it costs them more to send a similarly sized parcel to a US buyer than it costs a Chinese seller/shipper - for packages weighing under 4.4 pounds.

It could have a negative impact on eBay and Amazon, however, whose platforms are attractive ... Read More

You won't have to wait much longer to find out how eBay did during the holiday shopping season and compare it with your own sales. Three weeks from today, on January 29, 2019, eBay will announce fourth-quarter and full-year 2018 results.

During last year's fourth-quarter conference call on January 31, 2018, eBay revealed it had grown Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV) a mere 7% in Q4 2017 compared to Q4 2016. Things didn't get any better for subsequent quarters - eBay grew GMV 7% in the first 2 quarters of 2018 and by 5% in the third quarter, all on ... Read More