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 Compensates Shoppers for Slow Delivery and SNADs

March 19, 2015August 22, 2017 Ina Steiner

Several threads on its discussion boards reveal that eBay is giving away $5 in coupons to shoppers who experience delays in receiving their package, or experienced other problems with their orders. One user who said she mostly sells on eBay Read more

eBay UK Promotion Gives Sellers a Break on Commission Fee

March 18, 2015August 22, 2017 Ina Steiner

eBay UK is running a promotion in which it gives sellers a break on commission fees. However, the sale applies only to one item, with plenty of restrictions. The promotion is by invitation only and applies only to private (casual) Read more

Will Online Sellers Use Facebook’s New Payments Service?

March 18, 2015August 22, 2017 Ina Steiner

Facebook’s brand new payment service has several things going for it that might sound appealing to online sellers – first of all, it’s free. Secondly, there’s no risk of chargebacks since senders cannot use credit cards to fund payments. But Read more

Rakuten to Accept Bitcoin on Global Marketplaces

March 17, 2015August 22, 2017 Ina Steiner

Ecommerce powerhouse Rakuten will allow Bitcoin payments, the company announced. Customers will be able to choose Bitcoin as a payment option on Rakutken.com (formerly Buy.com), to be followed by Rakuten.de in Germany and Rakuten.at in Austria. Rakuten said the advantage Read more

eBay Welcomes Sotheby’s Auction House to Live Bidding

March 17, 2015August 22, 2017 Ina Steiner

Unique art. Live streaming auctions. Exclusive content. That’s what Sotheby’s says it is bringing to the eBay marketplace in a partnership announced last summer that’s now live at eBay.com/sothebys. Why eBay? Bruno Vinciguerra, Sotheby’s COO, said in July, “We are joining Read more

eBay Spring Seller Update 2015: Product Identifiers

March 17, 2015August 22, 2017 Ina Steiner

In last year’s Spring Seller Release, eBay urged sellers to include product identifiers in their listings. With this year’s seller update, to be announced later today, it’s no longer a request – it’s a requirement for certain types of listings. Read more

eBay Spring Seller Update 2015: Revitalizing Auctions

March 17, 2015August 22, 2017 Ina Steiner

As part of its Spring Seller Release to be announced later today, eBay is making changes to fees in an effort to revitalize auctions and bring shoppers back to the site. The timing of the new auction fees coincides with Read more

eBay Runs $10 Coupon Promotion with a Catch

March 16, 2015August 22, 2017 Ina Steiner

One of eBay’s latest promotions eschews the normal free listings, instead giving sellers a coupon – but only if they list an item and it sells. “List an item today and get a $10 coupon to spend on eBay when your item Read more

PayPal Uses Shark Tamer to Promote Its Service

March 16, 2015August 22, 2017 Ina Steiner

Entrepreneur, investor, and and star of ABC’s Shark Tank television program Daymond John appeared in a video promoting PayPal as a safe way to pay for goods and also helped judge a contest for PayPal at the South by Southwest Read more

Facebook Buys TheFind, Sellers Lose Source of Traffic

March 16, 2015August 22, 2017 Ina Steiner

Sellers are losing yet another source of free traffic thanks to Facebook’s acquisition of TheFind. The ecommerce search engine, which provided a source of free and low-cost traffic to online merchants, will go offline in a matter of weeks. “Disappointing Read more