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/.

Amazon Triples Employees in Spain in 2018

April 12, 2019April 12, 2019 Ina Steiner

Amazon announced this week that it created over 3,200 new permanent jobs across Spain in 2018 alone. It ended 2017 with 1,600 permanent employees, and now has 4,800 permanent employees. Amazon also revealed it has invested over 1.1 billion euros Read more

More Robots to Join Amazon Fulfillment Centers

April 10, 2019April 10, 2019 Ina Steiner

It appears more robots will be joining Amazon fulfillment centers. TechCrunch reported today that Amazon acquired robotics firm Canvas Technology. You can see its robots in action in a TechCrunch video from 2017 showing an autonomous cart that can safely Read more

Universal Postal Union Reviews Three Options for Remuneration

April 10, 2019April 10, 2019 Ina Steiner

The Universal Postal Union (UPU) held a special conference this week to discuss postal remuneration – the prices paid to a postal operator (such as the US Postal Service) for the international delivery of postal items, including ecommerce items. It’s Read more

Amazon Sings 50 Ways to Help Your Seller

April 9, 2019April 9, 2019 Ina Steiner

Amazon issued a press release on Tuesday announcing it had found 50 ways to help its sellers this year. The marketplace said it had launched new tools and services to help small and medium-sized businesses succeed in selling their products Read more

eBay Launches ‘Spring Black Friday’ Sale: Deals Platform Only

April 9, 2019April 9, 2019 Ina Steiner

eBay launched a “Spring Black Friday” shopping event, but of course it’s limited to its eBay Deals site, since it has no way for third-party sellers to participate outside of the eBay Deals platform. Just like the traditional Black Friday Read more

eBay Launches New Seller Program Called eBay UpFront

April 8, 2019April 8, 2019 Ina Steiner

eBay launched a seller program called eBay UpFront, which are 3-hour meetups in select cities where employees meet with sellers and help them network with each other. eBay held the first eBay UpFront meetup in Miami, Florida on March 28th. Read more

Amazon Launches Ad Program in Australia

April 8, 2019 Ina Steiner

Amazon launched its ad program in Australia, and it’s not just for online merchants – brands can advertise through the program even if they don’t sell on the marketplace. Amazon Advertising offers display ads and video ads, and advertisers can Read more

Google Pay Now Available on eBay

April 5, 2019April 5, 2019 Ina Steiner

Announced in March, eBay’s Managed Payments integration with Google Pay is completed. That means buyers can now pay for purchases from US-based sellers who are opted in to eBay’s own payment processing system. Google Pay will now automatically show up Read more

Brits Get Royal Mail Alerts Day before Packages Arrive

April 5, 2019April 5, 2019 Ina Steiner

Royal Mail announced Day-Before Delivery Alerts in the UK in which it will notify recipients the day before a package is set to arrive along with the estimated delivery time, something online sellers are sure to welcome since missed deliveries Read more

EU Crackdown Focuses on Seller Rights vs President’s Marketplace Crackdown

April 4, 2019April 4, 2019 Ina Steiner

President Trump called for a crackdown on marketplaces this week, but European regulators have been trying to go much further, with a focus on protecting sellers rather than brands. The President, who is familiar with Intellectual Property issues through his Read more