08.05.12. eBay UK Fashion App Update
eBay has rolled out a key update to its Fashion app for iOS devices within the UK; incorporating a new feature, “image swatch” technology allows shoppers to find fashion items on eBay UK that match the colour and pattern of images in photographs.
The technology was initially rolled out on the US version of the app last year, but the updated UK app is now live and this means that British shoppers can now use their mobile phone to snap a friend’s outfit, a piece of art, or an interesting pattern and find items which have a matching colour and pattern on eBay.
eBay is one of the UK’s biggest online marketplace for Fashion and top brands have taken to selling on the auction site, including the likes of French Connection, Dune and house of Fraser.
Melanie Smallwood, UK Head of Fashion has said, “The latest eBay Fashion app takes shopping one step further by allowing people to search for designer, branded and vintage merchandise at the moment of inspiration whenever and wherever they are.”
eBay believes that in the UK, an item is purchased every second on eBay via a mobile device, and Fashion is the most popular category for mobile shoppers. Its mobile apps are available in more than 190 Countries in eight languages, and have been downloaded over 78 million times globally.
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02.05.12. eBay Traders in HMRC Tax Spotlight
HMRC’s ongoing crackdown on tax dodgers is targeting regular eBay traders and those who buy items to sell them on at a profit.
If you are a regular eBay trader and haven’t been declaring your income it may lead to a very unpleasant surprise. It is believed that HMRC have written to 32,500 people who haven’t paid all the tax they owe.
From May 3rd letters should land on doormats which will allow eBay traders the chance to pay up now and benefit from reduced penalties. If sellers fail to come forward and HMRC has evidence they have not paid the right amount of tax, they will be hit with a much higher tax penalty and could face potential criminal proceedings.
Those who fail to come forward by the 14th June deadline outlined in the letter face a penalty of between 40% and 100% of the tax due, as opposed to just 10% or 20% if they put things right now.
eBay traders are the latest group to be targeted by HMRC, which has previously had in its sights plumbers, doctors, dentists, home tutors, market stall holders, car sales people and those with money offshore.
Marian Wilson, head of HMRC Campaigns, said: “This campaign is part of a wider HMRC initiative to provide support and guidance to the public on tax evasion and is aimed at people using online marketplaces to buy and sell goods as a trade or business and who fail to pay the tax owed.
28.04.12. Diamond Jubilee Medals Sold on eBay
eBay is being flooded with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medals, just days after the Queen awarded them to frontline services as a personal thank you.
The limited edition medals were given out to members of the Forces, the Royal Household, Emergency Services personnel, prison officers and holders of the Victoria Cross and George Cross.
Many people, however, have been cashing in on these special mementos from the Queen by listing them on eBay. Some listings have included comments such as; “Genuine full-sized medal issued to me” and “Issued this week in a very nice presentation box.”
Former Chief Superintendent Geoff Ogden who once led Humberside CID fumed;
“I’m appalled by it and I think 99.9 per cent of officers will be appalled by it. If I was still serving I would use disciplinary procedures to deal with this matter.”
The medals are being listed for sale, with prices starting from £50 and the final sale being nearly double or more.
One member of the Metropolitan Police said; “It is very disappointing to think that some of those so honoured have decided to take this action.”
22.04.12. eBay Reacts to Royal Mail Price Increases
The Royal Mail announced their most significant price increase in decades, with a First Class stamp increasing from 46p to 60p. The increases have been brought about largely due to a 25% decrease in posted items since 2006.
With the Royal Mail increasing the prices of the Second Class stamp, The Royal Mail price increase has proven unfortunate for eBay, as their maximum postage limits on items have been exceeded. eBay will look to increase their postage and packaging limits accordingly.
Full Details can be found on the eBay policy page. For readers who require an example of the new charges; the maximum postage rate for a CD was £1.25. After 30th April, it will be revised to £2.25.
The Categories that will be affected are: Books, comics & magazines, Computing, DVD, film & TV, Consumer electronics, Music, Photography, Video games, Mobile & home phones, Clothes shoes & accessories.
In some cases it seems that the new limits have been put in place and have been valid since the 11th April.
eBay’s UK Retail Director – Angus McCarey said ““While we generally support Ofcom’s desire to give Royal Mail more commercial freedom and make the Universal Service Obligation more affordable, it is important that these new freedoms are used carefully.”
If you’re ever confused about the price of postage Royal Mail has a postage calculator which allows you to fill in details about your parcel and list prices and details of the delivery.
16.04.12. PayPal to go offline for 2 hours on 19th April 2012
PayPal are set to undergo a planned maintenance cycle to upgrade their services and will happen between 4am and 6am.
This meaning if you a buyer or seller you will not be able to access your PayPal account during the downtown. If you offer PayPal as a payment gateway on your website or using the PayPal Api for an app its likely it will simply time out or a error message will appear.
With PayPal being a worldwide payment gate way no matter what the schedule will happen with some countries experiencing the outage during the day when shopping online is at its peak.
Once the system update is complete business should be up and running again as normal, but rest assured during the update all funds will be secured as usual by PayPal’s powerful security and fraud protection
PayPal will continually make improvements to help the system and platform and help 100 million customers and launch innovative new products and services to create the future of money.
PayPal’s Anuj Nayar, senior director of PayPal Global Corporate Communications has said
“We wanted to let you know in advance so you can make plans to accommodate the downtime, and we appreciate your patience as we work to improve PayPal.”
04.04.12. Nissan Launches Official eBay Store
Nissan Launches Official eBay Store Nissan have launched an official merchandise and accessories shop on eBay. Nissan are the second car manufacture to work with a e-commerce provider on an eBay marketplace; this following the success of BMW Direct.
Nissan Motors, GB afters ales product Manager Omobola Dada said that when the company decided to sell on eBay, it was conscious that the skills required to make it successful would have meant building a team within the business.
“Working with a partner offered a much faster route to market, an attractive commercial model and, most importantly, an understanding of our brand and how to protect it in such a dynamic, consumer driven environment.”
The move from Nissan is another signal that the automotive industry is pushing forward testing new platforms and innovating in areas that other industries that are yet to grasp.
The eBay route to market might come as a surprise but the ‘Motors’ category is one the Auction Giant’s biggest sources of revenue. eBay itself has also expanded its automotive offering by acquiring WHI Solutions, a provider of software and digital catalogue solutions for auto parts distributors and retailers. With Nissan and BMW moving in the direction of an eBay store, Ford have recently launched a new a tool that allows it’s US Franchises to show real time vehicle inventory through their own social media profiles.
eBay’s Clare Moore Bridger says , “it’s the most popular site for online car sales in the UK, largely due to motor enthusiasts and those renovating cars, searching for deals or spare parts. 2,800 sales are made via mobile every week.”
25.03.12. eBay Store Design
In an ever increasingly competitive multi channel environment, retailers are looking at methods of standing out from the crowd- and they’re looking to Visualsoft to supply the solution. eBay has long been the birthplace of major online businesses, with companies ‘testing the water’ with the online marketplace giant, before expanding their multi channel offering to their clients.
Visualsoft who have until recently remained on the sidelines of eBay Store design, instead preferring to develop its eCommerce Website offering have now applied their design and technology skills to eBay.
Tim Johnson, Sales Director of Visualsoft commented;
“We have traditionally focused upon eCommerce Websites as part of our client’s long term business strategies. eBay and Amazon can be a fantastic avenue for sales, however, competition could drive a company out of this space overnight. However, when we applied our eCommerce Design skills to eBay, the results were startling.”
“We’ve seen 20% of client sales being achieved through eBay and our eBay Store designs have seen sales leap as much as 30% for established businesses.”
The Visualsoft eBay Store Design portfolio can be viewed at: http://www.visualsoft.co.uk/ebay-store-portfolio.html
23.03.12. eBay to Launch Ticketing Site StubHub in the UK
StubHub will allow buyers and sellers to connect via the site and will take on the established big guns of the industry such as Seatwave and Viagogo. Stubhub was acquired in 2007 by eBay in a deal estimated to be around £197million. StubHub estimated the secondary ticket marketplace to be worth more than £300milion.
Other players already in the U.K. ticket resale market include Viagogo Inc. and Ticketmaster’s Getmein Ltd. Each of these sites is currently offering tickets for football matches between teams in the U.K.’s Premier League.
“They have first-mover advantage, but we’re not unduly worried,” Ms. Chow Head of Stubhub’s UK Communications commented.
eBay’s StubHub plans to open high-street stores in central London and close to major venues to allow the last minute ticket sales to take place. They have promised, “unlike current UK competitors, the company doesn’t buy or sell tickets for profit”, rather it facilitates sales between third parties from which it would take a percentage for commission.
StubHub Chief executive Chris Tsakalakis has been quoted saying, “We See a huge opportunity for a muchhigher level of customer service in the UK market.”
18.03.12. Cheap iPads on eBay
eBay has announced that one of its online retailers is selling the new iPad via its marketplace £20 cheaper than any other apple retailer.
Apple’s third computer tablet was released on 16/03/2012 and was priced at £399 at many stores including apple’s own store. However eBay’s eBuyers express outlet has undercut all apple resellers by £20 making it on sale at £379.99.
The new iPad comes brand new, in its original box with a full one year warranty, but has an added option for a 2 year warranty and also the most surprising part is the iPad comes with free postage and packaging.
The quantity of iPads that eBuyer has have not yet been confirmed but the iPads are currently in stock, and it would be a mistake to miss out on such a sale especially when it’s the cheapest iPad in the UK – Cheap iPad 3.
Apple’s new iPad has gained a great reputation with fans, improved battery life and new HD retina display. So before buying at any other store, don’t forget to check out eBay for any iPad deals that might be on offer.
21.01.12. eBay Lead the Way as UK eCommerce Sales Hit £50bn
UK eCommerce sales realised a 14% increase in 2011, with online giants eBay and ASOS posting fantastic results for the year. Kelkoo, who announced the findings also expect the same level of growth in 2012; music to the ears of those businesses who have focused on establishing themselves online.
The high street again took a battering in 2011 with a number of established shops falling by the wayside; the most recent being Peacocks which filed for liquidation in January. Thorntons and TJ Hughes were amongst the others who ran into trouble in the last year.
eBay’s vision of being able to shop anywhere and at anytime is fast becoming a reality, with the future of the high street again being called into question.
eBay saw fantastic growth all of the way through 2011, however, it will have been buoyed significantly by $8.5bn being cleared in their bank in October – the final instalment from their sale of Skype to Microsoft. eBay relinquishing their final stake in Skype saw a 354% hike in profits compared with the final quarter of 2010; even with this apart, it’s difficult to argue with their success in 2011.
eBay has not been the only significant success story on the web. Many independents have enjoyed huge growth in 2011, as shopping online is better facilitated. Fashion giant ASOS saw profits rise 10% in the final quarter of 2011, with an astonishing overseas growth of 93%. Christmas is naturally a busy time for online retailers and consumer confidence will have been increased by the lack of extreme weather conditions which played havoc with deliveries in the run up to Christmas 2010.
Surveys have shown that UK shoppers are leading the rest of Europe in online shopping, with internet sales responsible for 12% of average expenditure. Each person in the UK spent on average £1,500 online last year on 39 items.
