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 to Supplement Product Images from Other Sellers

January 25, 2024January 25, 2024 Ina Steiner

Amazon requires three images on each product detail page, and it will begin using images from other sellers to fill in any gaps. The marketplace announced the new policy on Thursday. “Previously, product detail pages displayed images from one selling Read more

PayPal Speeds Checkout, Smart Receipts Will Help Merchants Upsell

January 25, 2024January 25, 2024 Ina Steiner

PayPal’s new CEO Alex Chriss announced new features in a much-hyped video announcement on Thursday that give customers more reasons to shop with PayPal and will help merchants boost conversion and increase post-purchase sales. Chriss, who took over from Dan Read more

The Real Culprit Behind the USPS Mail Jam in Houston?

January 25, 2024May 13, 2024 Ina Steiner

A postal worker claims to know the real culprit behind the severe mail jam in the Houston, Texas area that’s been going on since before Christmas – and it doesn’t jibe with a response from the USPS. As we reported Read more

eBay Layoffs Impact Category Managers, Software Engineers

January 24, 2024January 24, 2024 Ina Steiner

Even the legal and PR departments were not spared in eBay’s current round of layoffs announced on Tuesday. Company-wide, it is laying off 1,000 employees (9% of full-timers). In California alone, where eBay is headquartered, it is laying off 391 Read more

Walmart Closes Innovation Lab, Bets Big on Drone Deliveries

January 23, 2024January 23, 2024 Ina Steiner

Walmart is closing Store No. 8 and laid off some staff, crediting the incubator it had launched in 2017 with innovations that have transformed how customers shop at Walmart. In a statement to EcommerceBytes on Tuesday, a Walmart spokesperson said, Read more

Amazon Warns Sellers Who Use Third-Party Apps

January 22, 2024January 22, 2024 Ina Steiner

Amazon has previously said that over 75% of sellers use third-party apps. On Friday, it reminded them that they should make sure those apps are vetted and approved by Amazon. Formerly known as Amazon Seller Central Partner Network, the Amazon Read more

Etsy’s Big News: Gifting Feature? Fulfillment Service?

January 21, 2024January 21, 2024 Ina Steiner

Could a new gifting feature spotted by an eagle-eyed reader be the “big news” Etsy teased out last Tuesday? We asked Etsy last week, but it did not respond to our inquiry and subsequently turned off the feature. Sellers began Read more

Amazon Lays Off Members of Buy with Prime Team

January 21, 2024January 21, 2024 Ina Steiner

CNBC reported that Amazon is laying off employees in the “Buy with Prime” unit, a program first announced in 2022 that lets merchants offer Prime benefits on their own off-Amazon stores. We asked Amazon if that indicated adoption was less Read more

Could Months-Long Postal Delays Be Coming to a City Near You?

January 21, 2024September 5, 2024 Ina Steiner

Online sellers are being impacted by what has become a months-long problem at a USPS processing facility in Texas. The owner of Upper Room Candle Company told local television station KHOU that her Houston-area customers aren’t getting their packages, but Read more

How Sunday’s USPS Rate Hike Impacts eBay Shipping Label Rates

January 19, 2024January 19, 2024 Ina Steiner

eBay issued a reminder of the USPS rate change going into effect on Sunday (January 21, 2024), providing sellers with information on how the new rates would impact postage purchased through its eBay Shipping Labels program. eBay also noted the Read more