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 Reopens Discussion Boards after 2-Week Hiatus

January 22, 2019January 22, 2019 Ina Steiner

Etsy reopened its discussion boards after a nearly 2-week hiatus, along with Etsy “Teams,” the company’s version of groups. Etsy expanded the new forum topic sections, including adding a new shop critique section. Etsy said the new platform makes it Read more

eBay Once Again in Crosshairs of Activist Investor

January 22, 2019May 9, 2021 Ina Steiner

eBay is once again in the crosshairs of an activist investor, this time Elliott Management, which said it “beneficially owns” over 4% of eBay, making it one of the company’s largest investors. The last time an activist investor took aim Read more

eBay Frowns on Orders Wrapped in Amazon Smiles

January 21, 2019January 21, 2019 Ina Steiner

For a decade or more, eBay tolerated a selling practice known as “Amazon drop-shipping” that left some buyers confused or upset when their orders arrived in Amazon boxes. In 2017, eBay even told sellers it allowed the practice. But with Read more

Amazon Fights Image as Retail Goliath

January 21, 2019January 21, 2019 Ina Steiner

Amazon wants to change its image as a retail goliath and have people think of it as a platform for supporting small businesses. On Friday, it issued a press release to support that notion. Amazon particularly wants to be seen Read more

Sellers with Subscription Models: PayPal Is Making Changes

January 21, 2019January 21, 2019 Ina Steiner

PayPal is making a change to its subscription feature that allows sellers to offer recurring payments, subscriptions, automatic billing, and installment plans to their customers. PayPal announced that starting February 1st, 2019, it will be making a change to the Read more

eBay Raises Fees for eBay Motors in 2 Weeks

January 18, 2019January 18, 2019 Ina Steiner

Sellers will have to pay more to make their listings stand out on eBay Motors. The company announced a fee hike for two optional features – Picture Pack and Subtitle, which takes effect 2 weeks from today. According to the Read more

PayPal Offers Cash Advances to Workers Impacted by Government Shutdown

January 18, 2019January 19, 2019 Ina Steiner

PayPal committed to fund up to $25 million of interest-free cash advances to help federal government employees during the shutdown. PayPal is offering an interest-free cash advance up to $500 for federal employees through its PayPal Credit platform to pay Read more

eBay UK Caps Seller Fees in New Promotion

January 18, 2019January 18, 2019 Ina Steiner

eBay is running a promotion for sellers in the UK where selling fees are capped at £1 for up to 100 listings. However, sellers must be “private” sellers in order to participate. According to the terms and conditions, the promotion Read more

Amazon to Open Up about Advanced Technologies

January 18, 2019January 18, 2019 Ina Steiner

Amazon is holding a conference on Artificial Intelligence called re:MARS where speakers will demonstrate the practical applications of AI behind Alexa, AWS services, Amazon Go, Prime Air, Lab 126, and Robotics. It is somewhat surprising given the usual secrecy with Read more

Amazon Reaps Prime Rewards as eBay Floats Fulfillment Program

January 18, 2019January 18, 2019 Ina Steiner

New research highlights Amazon’s Prime advantage even as eBay tests a new fulfillment system for sellers. In a report released on Thursday, Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, LLC (CIRP) estimated that 62% of Amazon customers are Prime members, or about 101 Read more