Amazon sellers should be thinking about Prime Day if they aren’t already. While last year the holiday-shopping event was held in October because of the pandemic, Prime Day is usually held in July.
Working backwards, FBA sellers must get inventory into Fulfillment Center warehouses early in order to get them checked-in and available for sale.
And it means those sellers who participate in Prime Day must have their plans in place, including inventory procurement, pricing, and advertising plans.
eBay seems to be on a cost-cutting jag, but some of the places it is trimming costs are programs that drive traffic and sales to the site.
eBay is eliminating the 1% reward on purchases through the eBay Bucks loyalty program on April 1st and is eliminating it altogether for many sellers. And last year, eBay cut “loyalty” affiliate rates to zero commissions and made some other unpopular changes to the eBay Partner Network program.
eBay is also banking on boosting revenue through its Promoted Listing Ads program and Managed Payments, super-charging the latter by having rolled payment processing fees into Final Value fees. And in April, it’s increasing some commission fees, it announced as part of the Spring Seller Update announced on March 3, 2021.
Today’s issue includes a guide to the eBay spring update. Do not ignore the coming changes – it’s much better to be prepared to take advantage of opportunities offered through programs such as the new coded coupons and more free listings, as well as to prepare for less positive changes such as higher fees. You might wish to print out the guide to study the changes more carefully.
Following our December piece about BigCommerce, today’s issue reports on Shopify, with a sneak peek at a new finance program on the way. Both ecommerce platforms promise to help small sellers and support them as they grow.
As an online seller, unexpected expenses arise. Sometimes it’s a mistake in calculating shipping costs, other times it’s related to buyer fraud. In his column today, the Auction Professor shares his approach to unpleasant surprises.
Collectors Column turns its attention to Funko, and Letters to the Editor tackles eBay and Etsy’s approach to Dr. Seuss books and eBay’s Managed Payments.
It’s daylight savings, hopefully you turned your clocks an hour ahead before you went to sleep last night. Enjoy the sunshine, and thanks for reading.
