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/.

Rakuten to Replace Play.com in Global Consolidation

August 1, 2014September 2, 2017 Ina Steiner

Japanese ecommerce giant Rakuten is consolidating its international marketplaces, which will impact sellers on certain platforms in Europe. The company will move all of its ecommerce marketplaces into one global platform, a spokesperson told EcommerceBytes. “The global ecommerce marketplace platform Read more

Etsy Canada Kicks Off Summertime Road Trip

August 1, 2014September 2, 2017 Ina Steiner

Etsy Canada is spreading its message in person through a 9-day road trip in two provinces that kicks off in Montreal today (August 1st). Staff at the Toronto headquarters have prepared a 30-foot custom AirStream trailer with vintage and handmade Read more

eBay Surveys Users on Changed Perceptions after Security Breach

August 1, 2014September 2, 2017 Ina Steiner

eBay is conducting a series of focus groups in August and September, EcommerceBytes has learned. It appears one area of interest is how users’ perceptions of the site have changed over the past 6 months – an indication eBay wants Read more

PayPal Expands Consumer and Business Lending

July 31, 2014September 3, 2017 Ina Steiner

There is no more Bill Me Later – not officially, that is. In what is bound to be a little confusing at first, eBay’s payments unit is rebranding the consumer-financing service Bill Me Later to “PayPal Credit.” The company is Read more

Amazon Wallet: Everywhere You Want to Shop

July 31, 2014September 3, 2017 Ina Steiner

Hosting the largest online marketplace and offering tablets and a smartphone on which to shop for digital and physical goods, Amazon now has a digital wallet to organize payment methods, whether you’re shopping online, via mobile, or in-store. Amazon spokesperson Read more

eBay Tinkers with Returns and Claims Process

July 31, 2014September 3, 2017 Ina Steiner

eBay sent a survey to sellers asking them for information about returns and claims and telling them it was considering changing the way it processes such requests from buyers. Specifically, it is looking for the best words to present to Read more

eBay Psychologist Works on Human Aspects of Ecommerce

July 30, 2014September 3, 2017 Ina Steiner

eBay hired a psychologist and research scientist 2 years ago to work in the eBay Research Labs to bring a human face to projects. Elizabeth Churchill, previously a Research Scientist at Yahoo, said eBay hired her to put a sharper Read more

Etsy Rolls Out New Marked-As-Shipped Feature

July 30, 2014September 3, 2017 Ina Steiner

Etsy is rolling out a new process for marking orders as shipped, an important feature for marketplaces so they know when the seller has shipped an order. One major change – the new marked-as-shipped feature will now send a notice Read more

USPS’s Aging Delivery Fleet to Conk Out in 4 Years

July 29, 2014September 3, 2017 Ina Steiner

The U.S. Postal service has a big problem: aging delivery trucks and no money for capital expenditures. The aging fleet of delivery trucks is a major concern – some vehicles are 27 years old. The USPS Office of Inspector General Read more

eBay to Tinker with Offering Local Services Again

July 29, 2014September 3, 2017 Ina Steiner

eBay Marketplaces President Devin Wenig told a Bloomberg financial reporter on Monday the company was planning to experiment with offering services from auto mechanics alongside car parts. “”eBay will start a small test this fall in a couple of U.S. Read more