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 Brags of Prime Day Impact on Small Sellers

July 9, 2018July 9, 2018 Ina Steiner

Amazon is an ecommerce giant, but on Monday, it reminded the world that it also allows small- and medium-sized to sell on its platform. In fact, it said thousands of such companies generated over $50,000 in sales on Prime Day Read more

From the Editor – July 8, 2018

July 7, 2018July 7, 2018 Ina Steiner

Devin Wenig is celebrating his 3-year anniversary as CEO of eBay by cutting costs and laying off workers (a “low single digit percentage of employees”). A spokesperson told EcommerceBytes eBay was sharpening its focus on priority initiatives and aligning its Read more

Understanding eBay’s New Returns Policies, Penalties, and Protections

July 7, 2018July 7, 2018 Ina Steiner

eBay is pushing sellers to offer 30-day free returns, and its Vice President of Seller & Marketplace Operations Bob Kupbens made the case during a recent video presentation. He outlined a few steps eBay was taking to protect sellers who Read more

EcommerceBytes Soundoff: Letters to the Editor – July 8, 2018

July 7, 2018July 7, 2018 Ina Steiner

In every issue, readers soundoff about issues important to them. From shipping issues to payment processing, from fees to online marketplace policies, EcommerceBytes Soundoff gives you a chance to air your views. ******** ******** Hi Ina, Just wondering if you Read more

Newegg Changes Seller Status after Supreme Court Sales-Tax Ruling

July 6, 2018July 6, 2018 Ina Steiner

Newegg is making changes affecting its third-party marketplace sellers after the Supreme Court changed the rules on sales tax obligations. The state of South Dakota had sued Wayfair, Overstock.com, and Newegg to force them to collect use tax for transactions Read more

Where Is eBay’s Chief Product Officer?

July 5, 2018July 6, 2018 Ina Steiner

Update 7/6/18: eBay has confirmed Pittman’s departure. A spokesperson provided the following response to our inquiry: “RJ Pittman has decided to leave eBay. RJ has made significant contributions and has been a strong advocate for eBay since joining us in Read more

eBay Australia Runs Sitewide Sale Including US and UK Listings

July 5, 2018July 5, 2018 Ina Steiner

eBay is running a sitewide flash sale in Australia, but it includes listings on eBay’s US and UK websites as well. (To be clear, the sale only applies to eBay users in Australia when purchasing items from those three country Read more

Will eBay ‘Prime Day’ Deals Help Regular Sellers?

July 5, 2018 Ina Steiner

eBay will hold a “Deals” event that coincides with Amazon Prime Day, it announced hours after Amazon released the date of this year’s July shopping event. But whether eBay “Prime Day” deals help *regular* sellers is difficult to say. The Read more

Amazon Puts Its Own Brands Front and Center on Prime Day

July 5, 2018 Ina Steiner

Amazon is heavily promoting its own brands in its Prime Day marketing campaign, and it serves as a reminder of how many different brands it offers across a range of product categories. In a follow-up to its Prime Day announcement Read more

eBay Apologizes for Technical Issues

July 3, 2018 Ina Steiner

eBay apologized on July 3, 2018, for technical issues plaguing its site in recent weeks, though it made no offer to compensate sellers (eBay changed its outage policy in 2014). eBay executive Bob Kupbens had characterized the technical issues as Read more