From the Editor – April 14, 2019

Sellers got a rash of bad news this month – the bottom line, costs are going up. PayPal will no longer credit fees for refunds for returns or any other reason. Amazon said it will now collect tax on seller fees and services for states that require it. And Etsy is no longer allowing sellers to use standalone PayPal if they had been grandfathered into it.

However, there was a hint of good news that might be coming. A shipping expert said it’s possible UPS could lower shipping rates. There’s no way to describe how welcome that news would be if it comes true.

eBay sellers are still dealing with the fallout from the “Early” Seller Update, and in today’s issue, we take a look at numerous tools that help sellers deal with the Good Til Cancelled (GTC) mandate.

Also in today’s issue, we’re pleased to welcome back small-business expert and tax guru Barbara Weltman who tackles the issue of incorporating your business, and the factors online sellers should consider before making the leap.

We’re also pleased to announce the relaunch of our new and improved Service Charts, which can help you when you’re looking for alternative marketplaces, inventory listing tools, shipping tools, and other services to help you become more efficient selling online. We’ve had a resources section almost from the beginning of our existence in 1999, and we added the Ratings & Reviews capabilities in 2011. More about what’s changed and why you should use them in today’s issue.

In today’s Collectors Corner, Michele Alice takes a look at the role of government bans on the collectability of drinking straws!

Speaking of collectibles, the US Postal Service released the design of its forthcoming stamp dedicated to President George H.W. Bush, who died Nov. 30, 2018, at the age of 94. The stamp is striking, and it made us take a look at stamps honoring past presidents, via Wikipedia. Remember when stamps used to look very official, almost like currency?

We end today’s issue with the ever-popular Letters to the Editor.

We talk a lot about how to avoid online fraud, but you should also beware scammers reaching victims through the telephone – the Caller ID feature is not only now useless, but can actually be used as a tool by those trying to defraud people.

The IRS is warning that criminals are making phone calls in which they “spoof” the telephone number of the IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service offices. “Calls may be “robo-calls” that request a call back and then request personal information, including a Social Security number or an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN). In other variations of the scam, fraudsters demand immediate payment of taxes by a prepaid debit card or wire transfer.”

Speaking of the IRS, don’t forget to file your taxes tomorrow (April 15th) if you’re based in the US. If you’ve already filed, congratulations!

Thanks for reading.

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/.