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 Grows Net Sales 15 Percent in Q4

January 30, 2015August 25, 2017 Ina Steiner

Amazon grew net sales by 15% to $29.33 billion in the fourth quarter of 2014 compared to the Q4-2013, or 18% excluding the impact of foreign exchange. Net sales were up 22% in North America. While Amazon experienced a net loss in Read more

Online Shopping Data to Help Revolutionize China’s Economy

January 29, 2015August 25, 2017 Ina Steiner

In the U.S., 85% of consumers have credit ratings, but less than a quarter of China’s population have credit records, according to Alibaba. Ant Financial Services Group, the parent company of Alipay which was founded by Alibaba, has established the Read more

Yahoo Japan an Opportunity for an Ecommerce Player?

January 29, 2015August 25, 2017 Ina Steiner

Yahoo announced it will spin off its large stake in Chinese ecommerce firm Alibaba tax-free into a newly formed independent registered investment company (“SpinCo”). The stock of the new company will be distributed pro rata to Yahoo shareholders. According to Read more

eBay Adds Another Classifieds Site to Its Portfolio

January 29, 2015August 25, 2017 Ina Steiner

eBay has acquired Vivanuncios, a Spanish-language classifieds site in Mexico owned by W3 Ltd. Vivanuncios, founded in 2006, receives 15 million visits per month and had more than half a million published ads in the fourth quarter, 2014. eBay Classifieds Read more

No Bidding Allowed on Rare Beatles Photos on eBay

January 29, 2015August 25, 2017 Ina Steiner

It’s not surprising that the owners of some rare, “never before seen” photographs of the Beatles and Rolling Stones chose to sell them on eBay, but their selling strategy is unusual. Instead of listing them in auction format, the owners Read more

Amazon Rewards Sellers Who Offer Free Shipping

January 28, 2015August 25, 2017 Ina Steiner

Amazon is making a major policy change that benefits sellers who offer free shipping. Amazon spokesperson Erik Fairleigh said as of Tuesday, all Amazon seller-fulfilled items with free shipping are eligible to contribute to Amazon’s minimum order of $35 to Read more

Blizzard Brings Mail to a Standstill in Northeast

January 28, 2015August 25, 2017 Ina Steiner

USPS, UPS, and FedEx suspended delivery and pickup in large areas of the Northeast due to “Winter Storm Juno,” aka the Blizzard of 2015, while online marketplaces warned users of the possible impact of the storm on their transactions. eBay Read more

USPS Priority Mail Rate Filing Impacts Merchants

January 27, 2015August 25, 2017 Ina Steiner

The USPS filed a notice about its rate plans for Priority Mail, a popular service among online sellers. But the filing with the Postal Regulatory Commission included some good news – the Postal Service wants to keep domestic Priority Mail Read more

eBay Engineer Says He Helped Code Drug Marketplace

January 27, 2015August 25, 2017 Ina Steiner

One online marketplace you haven’t seen featured on EcommerceBytes is Silk Road. That’s because it’s an online bazaar for buying and selling illegal drugs, according to government prosecutors. That’s what makes it surprising to learn an eBay software engineer was Read more

eBay Sellers Stymied When Shipping before Storm

January 27, 2015August 25, 2017 Ina Steiner

eBay sellers were scurrying to ship packages before the snow storm Monday, but were stymied due to technical issues on the site. “Is eBay Monday mean no shipping again? Got the first items out and now nothing will process on Read more