Investigators from the FTC have begun interviewing merchants selling on Amazon’s third-party marketplace in an attempt to ascertain if the ecommerce giant is using anti-competitive practices, according to a report in Bloomberg. They’re asking merchants how much business they do on Amazon.com vs. other major marketplaces.
Taking a shot at Amazon’s leading position, eBay will launch a fulfillment program next year targeting high-volume sellers and tapping a network of partners to provide end-to-end services including shipping, tracking, warehousing and customer service. This is similar to a move made last month by ecommerce platform Shopify.
Prime Day, running for 48 hours on July 15-16, is expected to generate $5.8 billion in global sales, with an estimated 250 retailers drafting in its wake as more of them realize the huge potential. Also, Prime membership has grown to 105 million in the U.S., and electronics, home goods and apparel are the hot categories.
Marketplace facilitators like Amazon, Etsy, Rakuten, Walmart.com and eBay, are now required in 10 states to collect and remit sales tax resulting from third-party transactions, and several additional states will follow suit. Preparation is the name of the game to be compliant with ever-changing tax legislation.
Amazon is implementing new seller policies this month aimed at making the shopping experience easier on the site, while also protecting consumers. Here are the categories that are most impacted by this change.
Amazon is unquestionably the biggest sales platform in the North American market, and its marketplace alone commanded nearly a third of total online sales in the U.S. in 2018. But there’s also a lot of competition—more than 5 million brands compete for the same customers, with thousands more joining every day.
Alibaba is changing up its fast-growing AliExpress marketplace to attract merchant sellers from nations besides China, a direct challenge to Amazon’s international marketplace, according to the Financial Times. The “local to global” program will initially admit sellers from Russia, Turkey, Italy and Spain, expanding as it goes.
As merchants search for ways to offer shoppers the convenient buying experience they desire, Amazon has reigned as a top choice. But navigating the increasingly complex web of ecommerce can be tricky. There are critical factors to review when choosing the best Amazon distribution model for your business.
eBay has filed a lawsuit against Amazon claiming the ecommerce giant has been using illegal tactics to lure sellers away from the rival marketplace since at least 2015. The lawsuit alleges that Amazon knew it was breaking eBay’s rules and policies, and even communicated these infractions in discussions with eBay sellers.