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/.

People Prefer to Complain Online Rather than in Person

May 20, 2016July 22, 2017 Ina Steiner

Most people prefer to complain using online methods, according to a new survey from Trustpilot, a review community for online shoppers. The national survey of 1,000 adults conducted by OnePoll found that 62% of Americans prefer online methods to complain when Read more

Amazon Sellers Wary of Yet Another Fee Change

May 20, 2016July 22, 2017 Ina Steiner

Amazon made a second announcement this week impacting third-party merchant fees: on Thursday, it said it will change the way it calculates something called High-Volume Fees. The sellers who fear they are the hardest hit are sellers of items that Read more

eBay to Tighten Up Shipping Program

May 20, 2016July 22, 2017 Ina Steiner

eBay’s answer to Amazon Prime during the holiday season in particular is a program called Fast ‘N Free. eBay’s top two executives told a Wall Street analyst this week that it would launch in the second half of 2016 a Read more

Amazon Releases Technology behind Product Recommendations

May 19, 2016July 22, 2017 Ina Steiner

Amazon uses artificial intelligence (AI) to power its search and product recommendation systems, and now other companies will be able to use it and tinker with the sophisticated technology. Wired reported on Monday that Amazon unveiled the open source AI framework Read more

Etsy Makes New Shipping Tool Available to Canadian Sellers

May 19, 2016July 22, 2017 Ina Steiner

Etsy launched a new shipping tool for its sellers in Canada. The Price Your Shipping a tool allows Canadian sellers to look up shipping costs for items going to a specific destination in Canada, the United States and other countries Read more

End of an Era: eBay Training Program Shuts Down

May 19, 2016September 4, 2017 Ina Steiner

Some eBay sellers found they could supplement their income by training others on how to sell on eBay. But as of June 30, 2016, there will be no such thing as an eBay Education Specialist. Not only is eBay is Read more

eBay Launches First Virtual Reality Department Store

May 19, 2016July 22, 2017 Ina Steiner

eBay has created what it is calling the world’s first Virtual Reality Department Store with Australia’s Myer chain. Using a special virtual reality (VR) headset, eBay shoppers can browse over 12,000 products from the Myer Department Store, select them, and Read more

Walmart’s New Payment Method and 2-Day Shipping Program

May 18, 2016July 22, 2017 Ina Steiner

Walmart launched a new payment method designed to make paying for items in Walmart stores easier. Customers in Arkansas and Texas can now use their smartphones to pay at checkout. The retailer explained the new feature: “Walmart Pay is like Read more

Amazon CEO Pumps Prime at Shareholder Meeting

May 18, 2016July 22, 2017 Ina Steiner

Amazon chose once again not to webcast its annual shareholder meeting, which was held on Tuesday, but Seattle area publications had journalists on hand to cover the event. The Seattle Times newspaper said Amazon’s CEO told shareholders it was the fastest company Read more

Amazon Ban on Used Electronics Proves to Be False Alarm

May 18, 2016July 22, 2017 Ina Steiner

Online sellers got a scare over the weekend when they were unable to list used electronics on Amazon. The boards lit up with questions and theories about why they couldn’t list used Sony and Nikon products. Amazon spokesperson Erik Fairleigh Read more