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/.

eBay Expands Returns Resolution Pilot Program

January 29, 2016July 27, 2017 Ina Steiner

eBay has been running a new pilot program that gives sellers additional options when issuing refunds to buyers, and on Thursday announced it would continue the returns resolution pilot. Back in September, eBay spokesperson Karen Crocker Snell told EcommerceBytes that Read more

Etsy Starts Year by Testing Search

January 29, 2016July 27, 2017 Ina Steiner

Etsy initiated some tests of its search feature this month, but it will be difficult to see since some shoppers will be included in the testing and others will not. The tests will tailor search results to individual shoppers based Read more

Amazon Warehouses Burst at the Seams in Q4 2015

January 29, 2016July 27, 2017 Ina Steiner

Amazon reported strong sales in the fourth quarter of 2015, growing 26% year over year, and revealed it’s shouldering the fulfillment tasks of half of the units sold by third-party merchants. “It was a huge FBA quarter,” its Chief Financial Read more

How to Avoid Paying Amazon FBA Long-Term Storage Fees

January 28, 2016July 30, 2017 Ina Steiner

Twice a year, online merchants who use Fulfillment By Amazon face the prospect of paying Long Term Storage fees for products that haven’t moved from Amazon’s warehouse in 6 months. But there are things you can do as an FBA Read more

PayPal Grows Revenue 21 Percent in Fourth Quarter 2015

January 28, 2016July 27, 2017 Ina Steiner

PayPal reported a stronger fourth-quarter performance than its former owner eBay after the breakup last year. It grew revenue 21 percent FX-neutral to $2.6 billion, and it announced a $2 billion stock repurchase program. In a press release, PayPal CEO Read more

eBay Marketplace Revenue Up 1 Percent in Fourth Quarter

January 28, 2016July 27, 2017 Ina Steiner

eBay grew its total Gross Merchandise Volume and revenue by 5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2015, year-over-year. And while its StubHub and Classifieds businesses did well, eBay Marketplace GMV grew 4 percent, while revenue growth was nearly flat Read more

Yahoo Board Dithers over $8 Billion Offer as Merchants Remain in Limbo

January 27, 2016July 27, 2017 Ina Steiner

Yahoo Stores were pushed over to separate servers and rebranded Aabaco in advance of a planned spinoff. New reports do nothing to lessen the uncertainty facing merchants who remain in limbo over their stores’ fate. Yahoo has been under pressure Read more

Amazon Accused of Divulging a Customer’s Account Info

January 27, 2016July 27, 2017 Ina Steiner

An Amazon customer says the company’s customer service reps divulged his information to a hacker who was able to use that data to trick his bank into issuing a new copy of his credit card. Tech publications are running wild Read more

Etsy Does Direct Deal with USPS, Adds Chore for Sellers

January 27, 2016July 27, 2017 Ina Steiner

Online merchants spent last week dealing with postal rate changes that were disruptive, to say the least, and now Etsy sellers are encountering a new wrinkle that could cost them time and energy. Etsy announced on Tuesday it was dealing Read more

Amazon Quashes Idea of Accepting PayPal

January 27, 2016July 27, 2017 Ina Steiner

A few months before eBay split with PayPal, former CEO John Donahoe implied Amazon might be interested in offering PayPal on its marketplace. But 6 months after the eBay-PayPal breakup, Amazon quashed the idea. Amazon Executive Patrick Gauthier told Cneton Monday, Read more