Author: Ina Steiner

Ina Steiner is co-founder and Editor of EcommerceBytes and has been reporting on ecommerce since 1999. She's a widely cited authority on marketplace selling and is author of "Turn eBay Data Into Dollars" (McGraw-Hill 2006). Her blog was featured in the book, "Blogging Heroes" (Wiley 2008). She is a member of the Online News Association (Sep 2005 - present) and Investigative Reporters and Editors (Mar 2006 - present). Follow her on Twitter at @ecommercebytes and send news tips to ina@ecommercebytes.com. See disclosure at EcommerceBytes.com/disclosure/.

Etsy Runs Flash Sale But Only through Its Mobile App

May 6, 2021May 9, 2021 Ina Steiner

Etsy is running a flash sale on Friday, May 7, but only through the Etsy mobile app. The marketplace sent an email to shoppers on Thursday advertising 20% off or more, with a subject line: “Tomorrow” bookended by trumpet emojis. Read more

Online Sales Grow in April, as Do Total US Retail Sales

May 6, 2021May 6, 2021 Ina Steiner

Online sales rose 20% last month year-over-year, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse. Comparing April 2021 to April 2019, online sales grew 95%. As far as total US retail sales, they grew 23% in April 2021 year-over-year. A Mastercard spokesperson said retail Read more

Etsy Updates Categories to Support Sellers in India

May 6, 2021May 6, 2021 Ina Steiner

Each month, Etsy updates categories and product attributes sellers use to list their products. Among the changes this month, it added new categories tailored to sellers in India. Sellers should note that Etsy automatically moved some listings to the new Read more

Sales on Etsy Grow 144% in First Quarter of 2021

May 5, 2021May 5, 2021 Ina Steiner

Sales on the Etsy marketplace grew 144% to $2.9 billion in the first three months of 2021. Sales including Reverb grew 132% and revenue 141%. In what may be news to sellers, Etsy said it had enhanced personanlized search in Read more

eBay CEO Makes Case for USPS Reliability, Reduced Regulations

May 5, 2021May 5, 2021 Ina Steiner

eBay sponsored an event for small businesses put on by Politico, and eBay CEO Jamie Iannone keynoted the event where he made an argument for a strong US Postal Service and for reducing burdensome regulations. Politico’s virtual event, “Beyond Survival: Read more

eBay Says It Helped Boost Small Biz during Pandemic

May 5, 2021May 5, 2021 Ina Steiner

eBay said the number of US small businesses on its marketplace grew 34% from April 1 to September 30, 2020, and 38% in sales, crediting its site with helping small businesses during the pandemic. “As evidence of the value of Read more

Mailchimp Swings into Ecommerce with Stores for Small Biz

May 4, 2021September 10, 2021 Ina Steiner

Mailchimp: It isn’t just for email anymore. The service that helps small businesses send marketing emails to their customers now wants to help them set up online stores. Nearly 40% of Mailchimp’s 14 million customers are in the commerce space, Read more

Verizon Deal Means Likely Rebranding for Yahoo Stores

May 4, 2021May 4, 2021 Ina Steiner

Verizon is selling its Verizon Media unit for $5 billion to Apollo Global Management, Inc, and while Yahoo Small Business will not be included in the sale, it could mean a rebranding is in its future. That’s because after the Read more

CEO Says eBay Is Looking at Cryptocurrency and NFTs

May 4, 2021May 4, 2021 Ina Steiner

eBay CEO Jamie Iannone’s recent comments about cryptocurrency, as cryptic as they were, caused a stir. Monday’s CNBC interview was not the first time eBay expressed interest in crypto, but together with the CEO’s comments about NFTs, it led to Read more

Etsy Goes on Defense after Investigation into Illicit Goods

May 4, 2021May 4, 2021 Ina Steiner

After a reporter from Insider reached out to Etsy about illicit goods allegedly available for sale on its marketplace, the company went on defense. “We’re investing at least $40 million in policy enforcement this year to ensure we uphold the Read more