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/.

PayPal Clarifies New Refund Policy When It Comes to Voids

September 19, 2019September 19, 2019 Ina Steiner

PayPal added some clarity to its new refund policy that goes into effect next month that will prove costly to sellers. As we reported on the EcommerceBytes Blog on Wednesday, PayPal will no longer credit fees when issuing refunds, stating Read more

Tophatter Expands Tech Team as It Expands Internationally

September 19, 2019September 19, 2019 Ina Steiner

Tophatter opened new offices in Portland, Oregon and Bangalore, India. The online marketplace now has five international offices, including Shanghai and Shenzhen, China with headquarters in San Francisco. Tophatter said it saw strong growth in Europe in 2019 coming from Read more

Mercari Offers Cheaper Option for Shipping Small Items

September 19, 2019September 19, 2019 Ina Steiner

Ecommerce app Mercari introduced a new shipping option for its users who are sending lightweight items. The new 4-ounce USPS label costs $2.99 and can be used for items such as video games and jewelry. A spokesperson told us the Read more

Merchants Can Add UPS Pickup Locations to Checkout Flow

September 18, 2019September 18, 2019 Ina Steiner

Merchants can now more easily add UPS Access Point to their checkout flow so that shoppers can specify a preferred pickup location at one of 38,000 locations. UPS and HubBox teamed up to simplify the integration for online sellers, and Read more

Amazon Tech Hub Expansion a Reminder It’s Not Just a Retailer

September 18, 2019September 18, 2019 Ina Steiner

Amazon’s Tech Hubs serve as a reminder that the company is not just a retailer or marketplace. This week it announced it will expand its Tech Hub in Chicago – with plans to create 400 new tech jobs, doubling its Read more

Amazon Makes It Easier to Buy with Cash

September 18, 2019September 18, 2019 Ina Steiner

Amazon is making it easier to buy with cash with the launch of Amazon PayCode in the US today. Customers who pay using Amazon PayCode have 24 hours after their order is placed to provide payment at a Western Union Read more

eBay Launches Managed Payments Outside the US

September 17, 2019September 17, 2019 Ina Steiner

eBay launched Managed Payments in Germany, eBay announced this week, the second country where eBay is rolling out its own payment processing system in which buyers pay eBay instead of sellers. Some eBay Powersellers in the US reported last month Read more

eBay to Collect More States’ Sales Tax on October 1st

September 17, 2019September 17, 2019 Ina Steiner

eBay will collect and remit online sales tax for additional states beginning October 1st, it announced on Tuesday. The change impacts transactions involving buyers residing in Arizona, California, Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, North Dakota, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah. Read more

FedEx Announces 2020 Rate Hike and Peak Surcharges

September 17, 2019September 17, 2019 Ina Steiner

FedEx announced a rate hike coming in January 2020. The average rate increase for services commonly used by online merchants is 4.9% – that applies to FedEx Ground, FedEx Express, and FedEx Home Delivery. FedEx SmartPost shipping rates will also Read more

Small Business Payments Spotlight: How Shoppers Are Paying

September 13, 2019September 13, 2019 Ina Steiner

The percent of shoppers using digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay to make in-person purchases from small retailers has doubled in the past year to 10%. And they are increasingly using third-party payment methods like PayPal for online Read more