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/.

Online Merchants Gobble up PayPal Loans

March 24, 2014September 20, 2017 Ina Steiner

Online merchants have collectively borrowed and repaid tens of millions of dollars from eBay’s PayPal unit, which now plans to extend its merchant-financing program to more businesses in the U.S. and abroad. Taking a hint from a startup called Kabbage Read more

eBay Uploads YouTube Buyer Guides to Grab Eyeballs

March 24, 2014September 20, 2017 Ina Steiner

eBay loaded 97 how-to guides on YouTube in a 3-day period last week as part of its Social Media and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. The videos look like other YouTube user-generated content that offer tips on buying or collecting, Read more

eBay Revises Animal, Weapons and Used Clothing Policies in Australia

March 21, 2014September 20, 2017 Ina Steiner

eBay Australia has updated policies in three main categories that deal with items that are prohibited or restricted on eBay. The three policy revisions impact the animals and wildlife products policy; the firearms, weapons and knives policy; and the used Read more

eBay Runs Free Listing Promotion in Australia

March 21, 2014September 20, 2017 Ina Steiner

eBay is running a free listing promotion in Australia, but it is by invitation only. Sellers who receive the invitation to participate can list up to 100 auction and fixed price listings and pay no insertion fees. The promotion runs Read more

eBay Runs List and Sell Coupon Promotion

March 21, 2014September 20, 2017 Ina Steiner

eBay is giving out coupons to users who list and successfully sell on its website – once. The offer is not a free listing promotion. Rather, the recipient of the special promotion invitation must list auction or fixed-price listings, and for the first item Read more

eBay Partnership Worth Its Weight in Gold – and Silver

March 21, 2014September 20, 2017 Ina Steiner

Exclusive eBay partnerships are worth their weight in gold – and silver. eBay sent an email to buyers on Thursday promoting a single listing of silver bars for sale by its exclusive partner in the APMEX Bullion Center. “More silver Read more

Amazon Lets Merchants Integrate 3P Solutions on Webstores

March 20, 2014September 20, 2017 Ina Steiner

Amazon is giving merchants who use its Webstore hosted ecommerce platform to power their online stores greater flexibility thanks to a new set of APIs. The Website Customization APIs allow merchants to integrate with third-party solutions on their Amazon Webstores. Read more

Etsy Institutes Feedback Reminder Emails

March 20, 2014September 20, 2017 Ina Steiner

Etsy has officially launched a new policy in which it will send emails to buyers to remind them to leave feedback (called reviews). Etsy will send the email to shoppers who have made a purchase but haven’t yet left a Read more

eBay Responds to New Icahn Proposal

March 20, 2014September 20, 2017 Ina Steiner

Carl Icahn has been pressuring eBay to spin off PayPal into a separate company since January, and for the first time eBay faces a contested proxy (the issues on which shareholders vote, such as board nominations). eBay said its board has considered Read more

eBay Search Algorithm Punishes Canadian Sellers

March 20, 2014September 20, 2017 Ina Steiner

eBay confirmed Canadian sellers’ concerns about exposure on eBay.com search results. An eBay seller asked during a weekly chat session on the Canadian boards whether eBay favored U.S. sellers for searches conducted by U.S. buyers for Best Match searches. (Best Read more