EcommerceBytes Blog
News and insight focusing on ecommerce.
by Ina Steiner, Editor of EcommerceBytes.com

Sun Feb 9 2014 21:48:09

Exclusive: Alibaba Subsidiary to Launch eBay Rival in U.S.

By: Ina Steiner

eBay's rival in China is backing a new marketplace set to launch soon in the U.S. Alibaba's new subsidiary 11Main.com has been onboarding third-party sellers since the fall with the help of Auctiva and Vendio, two eBay listing tools acquired by Alibaba almost 4 years ago. Through those acquisitions, Alibaba gained 250,000 eBay sellers that accounted for an estimated 5 - 10 percent of eBay listings.

Alibaba and 11 Main declined to comment for the story in tomorrow's Newsflash newsletter, but EcommerceBytes has spoken to some sellers who are participating in the pre-launch. One such seller said he was excited about the new marketplace because it could be a viable competitor to eBay, "When I hear that the biggest internet presence in China is behind this, that's an attention getter. That makes it real and different from all the other competitors. They have the money and time to make it work."

Alibaba benefits when sellers use its product sourcing marketplace to sell on eBay.com. The fact that its subsidiary has chosen this time to launch a marketplace in the U.S. may say something about how those sellers are faring on eBay, which has chosen to focus on large brands and retailers.

Smaller sellers have found it increasingly frustrating to sell on eBay as management shifts its strategy to focus on the sale of new goods by retail giants. While many eBay sellers sell on multiple channels, eBay could take it as an affront to learn that one of its largest partners, Auctiva, is helping power a rival marketplace.

The biggest challenge new marketplaces face is gaining access to shoppers. 11 Main and its merchants have an edge over most startups since they can promote the site to their existing customers.

You can read the full story in Newsflash, along with a pre-launch screenshot of the homepage. Let us know what you think of the 11 Main marketplace, which is set to launch soon in a special invitation-only preview before its official launch. Would its lower fees (3.5% including shipping & handling) entice you to try it?

Comments (107) | Leave Comment | Permalink

Readers Comments

Exclusive: Alibaba Subsidiary to Launch eBay Rival in U.S.

by: Mr. Me

Thu Apr 17 16:06:33 2014

Anybody out there who is listing with 11 main? Ive listed a few items, it seems to take 2 weeks for items to be "approved" to appear on 11 main ... vendios image upload is "archaic"

Exclusive: Alibaba Subsidiary to Launch eBay Rival in U.S.

by: Mr. Me

Fri May 2 15:57:18 2014

Its a bit underwhelming, but finally 11 main is open for business (for a "select" group of buyers ;0 } It looks like there is plenty of merchandise from lots of sellers ...... at the very least it should knock ebay down another notch !

Exclusive: Alibaba Subsidiary to Launch eBay Rival in U.S.

by: Mr. Me

Tue May 13 10:11:30 2014

Anybody have a "progress report?"
I've listed a few items and am a bit put off by the clunky process and narrow range of what they consider "collectable" ie. NO vintage hi-fi gear allowed....... really.....:?
Customer service is friendly, but not experienced sellers, more like a bunch of 20-somethings , right out of school.
They have had the same boring beach-themed-items home page for a month, a little too "touristy" for me.
Ill put 11 main on hold for now, butit will be fun to watch them take a bite (no-matter how small) out of ebay. also, strangely .... why hasnt 11 main been advertising like heck, to build up interest in the Grand? Opening????

Exclusive: Alibaba Subsidiary to Launch eBay Rival in U.S.

by: Patricia

Wed May 14 21:11:31 2014

Since Ida didn't open up her last article on 11 Main to comments. I came back here to tell everyone how excited I am about this site. They keep reassuring me they are still in beta and trying to get everything exactly right before opening its doors to the public. I even got a nice long phone call from a rep there assuring me they liked what I was offering and even put a couple of my paintings on their home page. I noticed there are only 43 shops for art direct from artist. That's a small pool of us which is what makes me very optimistic. Hopefully, when they open up I will not be disappointed. They certainly are bending over backwards to beat the bush for sellers they feel are top notch. I feel my long association with vendio and my 15 year spotless record on Ebay had a lot to do with accepting me for a shop on their site. Hope this info helps others who are waiting for the site to open.

Exclusive: Alibaba Subsidiary to Launch eBay Rival in U.S.

by: df874

Fri Jul 4 12:48:16 2014

Quick question for those whose listings have been approved: Does it seem like the $30 threshold is still in place?

I got approved for 11 Main earlier this week (in Collectibles) and am working on shop-prep and listings. I didn't receive any info that mentioned the $30 floor, but if sellers are finding that to be the case, then I'll focus my listings on items that exceed that figure.

Thanks in advance!

Exclusive: Alibaba Subsidiary to Launch eBay Rival in U.S.

by: Mr. Me

Sat Jul 5 09:52:25 2014

Big disapointment ! These "curated" listings stink. I dont need some 20-something telling me what is and what isn't collectable. Site has a Disneylandish "main street" feel to it. Oh well, at least 11main will get eBays panties in a bunch.

Exclusive: Alibaba Subsidiary to Launch eBay Rival in U.S.

by: mykee3d

Mon Nov 10 09:03:50 2014

11/10/2014 and 11 MAIN is still an Enigma. I have looked at the site and it is not inviting for me as a seller or buyer.I tried to aply as a seller at the start and got no response. Getting emails now about signing up and it seems so complicated that it just does not seem worth it. Cant anyone out there with a big site compete with crazy old ebay? I am ignoring 11 Main for a few years. Who needs to giant crazy selling sites like ebay and now 11 main. Right now i will stick with the devil i know. . . ebay.

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