eBay logo feature

eBay: Equal Protection Between Buyers, Sellers?

| Monica Eaton

eBay Managed Payments is now the method through which all transactions are processed on the platform. The aim was to grant sellers greater control over their online storefront. But what happens when buyers and sellers don’t see eye to eye? Does eBay’s Seller Protection platform protects all stakeholders evenly? What do sellers need to do to protect their business from illegitimate disputes? Read on.

Amazon customer, phone and box feature

Amazon Invites Retailers to Join Anti-Counterfeiting Group

| Mike O'Brien

Amazon is inviting other retailers to join an anti-counterfeiting cooperative, begun as a pilot program in 2021 to help stem the flood of illegitimate goods on its marketplace and across the industry, two weeks after filing three separate lawsuits against counterfeiters. The Anti-Counterfeiting Exchange (ACX) grew out of a 20211 pilot by a division of the Department of Homeland Security.

Wish Does Reverse Stock Split to Avoid Delisting

| Mike O'Brien

Wish, a once-popular online marketplace for a vast array of often bizarre, inexpensive goods that at one juncture proved to be phantom listings, has conducted a 1-for-30 reverse stock split, a move typically associated with distressed companies in danger of being delisted from an exchange. A 2022 expose found the company listed and sold items it knew didn’t exist.

Amazon marketing strategy chick w/tablet

Amazon Files Lawsuits Against Counterfeiters

| Mike O'Brien

In a first, Amazon has filed three separate lawsuits against multiple parties it claims submitted thousands of false copyright infringement claims against legitimate sellers, seeking to have their products removed from the marketplace. It has also joined WWE and Cartier in other legal actions against counterfeiters.

Puracy bottles feature

Branded Group Sued by Acquired Seller for Non-Payment

| Mike O'Brien

Branded Group, a New York-based acquirer of digitally native brands, is being sued by Austin Naturals, a company it purchased in 2021, whose principals allege they are due $1.25M million as part of their agreement. The deferred payment was contingent on Austin Naturals hitting a first-year EBITDA target, which it claims it did.

Shopify bag logo feature

Shopify Touts Expanded Suite of Tools for Merchants

| Mike O'Brien

Shopify is expanding its fulfillment services as part of a package of 100 new items in its toolset for merchants, including app connections to Flexport for supply chain tracking and visibility, to acquired unit Deliverr for inventory positioning and to Loop Returns to improve that experience for shoppers.

Amazon sellers marketplace image feature

Nearly 90% of Amazon Sellers Report Profitability

| Mike O'Brien

Even in a difficult market, Amazon sellers are doing well collectively on the number-one online marketplace, with 89% of them reporting profitability at the start of 2023, while 37% say their net income is up from a year ago, according to an annual report from Jungle Scout. More of them are also diversifying across other sites.

Buy With Prime feature

Buy With Prime Expands Nationally

| Mike O'Brien

Buy With Prime, the program that lets retailers not named Amazon offer shoppers the Prime experience and promise, is rolling out for all U.S. merchants as of Jan. 31, the company announced, ten months after a beta launch by invitation only for select users of Fulfillment By Amazon.

pricing image price tag

Pricing Competitively on Amazon: A Simple Guide

| Arjun Narayan

Having the right price plan for your private label business on Amazon is critical. There is no one-size-fits-all approach since quality, production costs and what your customers want might all differ from those of your rivals. That said, here are a few data-driven methods to help you determine the ideal pricing.

Pitney Bowes Combines Scale, Label Printer for SMBs

| Mike O'Brien

Parcel consolidation and ecommerce firm Pitney Bowes has come with an innovative device that combines a label printer and scale. SMB shippers can process orders from Amazon, eBay and Shopify from their phones using companion software, compare discounted shipping rates, print labels and First Class stamps and track packages.