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Tag: ebay

  • eBay fined $3M for harassment involving sending live cockroaches to Massachusetts couple

    eBay fined $3M for harassment involving sending live cockroaches to Massachusetts couple

    eBay has agreed to pay a $3 million penalty following a harassment campaign conducted by its employees involving the sending of live cockroaches to a Massachusetts couple.

    The U.S. Justice Department announced the fine last Thursday, attributing responsibility to eBay for the harassment campaign its employees executed against David and Ina Steiner, in 2019.

    This involved stalking the Steiners and sending them various disturbing items, including live cockroaches, a pig mask covered in fake blood, and a funeral wreath.

    It started with Ina Steiner publishing an article about eBay suing Amazon for poaching their sellers in 2019, which prompted Devin Wenig, then CEO of eBay, to express his desire to “take down” Ina Steiner in text messages to some company executives.

    Subsequently, Jim Baugh, who was eBay’s Senior Director of Safety and Security at the time, together with six other security employees, initiated a campaign of harassment against the couple.

    In addition to the $3 million fine, eBay must organize staff training and improve its corporate culture to prevent similar incidents.

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  • Ebay secures focus on sneaker market with authenticator acquisition

    Ebay secures focus on sneaker market with authenticator acquisition

    eBay Inc. and Sneaker Con Digital have entered into a definitive agreement under which eBay has acquired Sneaker Con’s authentication business, a sneaker authenticator with operations in the U.S., U.K, Canada, Australia and Germany.

    The company said in a statement that this acquisition is an extension of the ongoing collaboration between eBay and Sneaker Con, which has been critical to powering eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee. The service, which eBay launched in October 2020, offers full vetting and verification of select sneakers bought on the marketplace by a team of Sneaker Con’s industry experts. In just over a year, more than 1.55 million sneakers have been authenticated globally on eBay.

    “We partnered with Sneaker Con to launch sneaker authentication on eBay last year because the team shared our passion for the category. The response to our authentication offering has been overwhelming, and this acquisition allows us to continue to transform eBay and bring a higher level of trust and confidence to every transaction,” said Jordan Sweetnam, SVP and general manager of eBay North America.

    The company added that eBay will continue to build upon its offerings to accommodate resale market trends and ensure a seamless user experience that provides the community with a trusted marketplace.

    “We respect eBay’s commitment to the sneaker culture and are honored that Sneaker Con’s authentication business will be incorporated into their platform,” added Brad Fried, the company’s co-founder.

    Conceived in 2009, Sneaker Con has cultivated a global community of sneaker enthusiasts through its industry-leading events, where people gather to buy, sell and trade sought-after footwear. Sneaker Con launched its authentication business in 2018 to complement the events business and provide authentication services to further support the sneaker community.

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  • Shinsegae, Naver win bidding battle for EBay South Korea

    Shinsegae, Naver win bidding battle for EBay South Korea

    South Korean retail giants Lotte Shopping and Shinsegae Group have submitted separate letters of intent for online marketplace eBay Korea, the retailers’ spokesmen confirmed on Monday.

    It is a deal that will almost certainly shake up the country’s e-commerce retail segment, potentially propelling one of the country’s largest retailers into becoming the leading omnichannel operator in South Korea.

    SK Telecom, South Korea’s biggest mobile carrier, and private equity firm MBK Partners, the largest shareholder of discount store chain Homeplus, reportedly dropped out of the race to acquire eBay Korea, which has been up for sale since last year.

    This week’s formal bidding marks the second attempt to divest its interests by eBay Korea – which represents about 11% of global sales within the U.S.-based eBay corporation – and it wants at least $4.43 billion, a price that is looking increasingly attainable.

    South Korea’s total e-commerce transactions jumped 25% last year according to Trade Ministry estimates and eBay Korea represents about 12.8% of South Korea’s e-commerce market, just trailing Coupang at 13% and market leader Naver with 18%. Its revenue is estimated at $1.17 billion, with an operating income of $76 million.

    Coupang listed on the New York Stock Exchange in March, becoming the largest Asian company since Alibaba to go public in New York and raising $4.6 billion. Founded by billionaire Bom Kim, a Harvard business school dropout, Coupang is now the country’s most valuable start-up with a market capitalization of more than $60 billion, backed by Softbank’s Vision Fund.

    By contrast, Lotte and Shinsegae’s market shares in the country’s e-commerce sector are estimated at just 5% and 3% respectively and the takeover of eBay Korea by either could reshape the country’s online retail segment and fast-track the winning bidder into a market-leading position. Both have struggled to catch up with the major online competitors, especially after the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

    However, the picture is complicated. Naver could be one of the biggest beneficiaries if Shinsegae is successful as it is believed to be offering support in financing any acquisition. The retailer and portal established a strategic alliance in March and Shinsegae could switch to Naver Pay as the payment platform for three e-commerce websites operated by eBay Korea: Gmarket, Auction and G9. At present, eBay Korea uses its own online payment system called Smile Pay.

    Top South Korean cellphone carrier SK Telecom and retail group E-Mart were still among the remaining suitors as the preliminary round of bids sought by the U.S. parent closed 16 March.

    Indeed, SK Telecom had been the leading candidate. The group also operates the online platform 11Street through a subsidiary, making SK Telecom the fourth-biggest e-commerce provider. But 11Street has struggled to grow, leading SK Telecom to partner with Amazon AMZN 0.0% in November in a collaboration initially limited to 11Street hosting Amazon products, but likely to expand in scope.

    Meanwhile, Lotte will no doubt view the purchase of eBay Korea as a springboard for rebuilding the group’s online business. In April 2020, the group merged the e-commerce sites of its department stores, supermarkets, electronics shops and other physical retail affiliates under one shopping platform called LotteON but it has failed to make much headway.

    While all the potential suitors have refused to give much away, Kang Hee-tae, CEO of Lotte Shopping, admitted during a spring shareholder meeting: “We’re certainly interested.”

    Launching in 2000, eBay Korea quickly grew and last year earned around $75 million in operating profit. But eBay Korea has been squeezed by rivals in recent years, while activist investors like Elliott Management have urged eBay to shed assets with poor growth prospects.

    The U.S. parent’s hope of securing a lucrative deal initially looked ambitious but then Coupang went public successfully, boosting its hopes.

    Whoever wins the battle for eBay Korea, the fact that the rivals are both major retail players should heat up the market and could lead to an array of collaborations and partnerships to fight scale with scale. South Korea is on the brink of the biggest online shake-up since eBay announced its arrival over two decades ago.

  • South Korean retail firms Lotte and Shinsegae bid for EBay Korea

    South Korean retail firms Lotte and Shinsegae bid for EBay Korea

    South Korean retailers Lotte Shopping and Shinsegae Group entered separate binding bids for eBay’s South Korean business, the retailers’ spokesmen said on Monday.

    eBay Korea – South Korea’s third-largest e-commerce firm with a 12.8% market share in 2020, according to Euromonitor – is on sale for what eBay hopes could be up to 5 trillion won ($4.5 billion), analysts said.

    The retailers’ spokesmen declined to comment on the terms of their bids. An eBay Korea spokeswoman also declined to comment.

    Local retail giants Lotte and Shinsegae have struggled to catch up to leading competitors like South Korea’s No. 1 e-commerce firm Coupang in the fast-growing online shopping sector, especially after the onset of COVID-19.

    South Korea’s online shopping transactions were worth 161 trillion won in 2020, accounting for a record 27.2% of total retail transactions, up from 21.4% in 2019.

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  • EBay close to selling Korean unit

    EBay close to selling Korean unit

    Global e-commerce business eBay is reportedly selling off its Korean businesses G-Market, Auction, and G9, in a deal worth $4.5 billion (5 trillion won).

    eBay is exploring a number of “strategic alternatives” for its Korean business and is looking for options that will maximize value for shareholders and create growth for the wider business.

    “From last week, we heard there is going to be an announcement made by our headquarters in the United States. Given that it said it was considering a variety of options, it seems to be in the process of selling the platforms,” an eBay Korea official said.

    EBay’s Korean platforms provide around 11 percent of its annual sales, and it’s expected any player that acquires the three businesses could become one of the top three e-commerce platforms in Korea.

    Rival marketplace Coupang, which is considered South Korea’s most popular online retailer, is reportedly looking to go public in the first half of 2021.

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  • Ebay struggling to sell South Korea division

    Ebay struggling to sell South Korea division

    US online shopping giant eBay is struggling to offload its South Korean unit.

    Sources within the e-commerce industry believe there are a few large retail companies that could potentially buy the Ebay South Korea business due to its large size.

    They estimate the business could potentially be worth 5 trillion won (US$4.18 billion), based on about one-third of the company’s 16 trillion won in annual transactions.

    Ebay Korea is the country’s largest e-commerce company, with major online shopping malls such as Gmarket, Auction and G9 under its arm. Their share is estimated to account for around 12 percent of the local market.

    The acquisition of Ebay Korea, which is one of the few profitable e-commerce businesses in South Korea which is profitable, would quickly make the purchaser one of the nation’s top players.

    There are few large retail companies that could afford such a large-scale acquisition, thus Lotte and Shinsegae have emerged as potential buyers.

    Lotte, which has yet to start its e-commerce business in earnest, was mentioned as the most prominent suitor. However, the company has reportedly ruled out a bid.

    “When Lotte was considering acquiring TMON Inc for 2 trillion won, it was said that negotiations broke down over the price,” an industry source said. “The valuation of Ebay Korea at 5 trillion won is too much.

    “Ebay has a structure that makes profits by acting as a bridge between consumers and sellers through online market brokerage,” said Nam Sung-hyun, a researcher at Hanwha Investment & Securities Co.

    “However, Ebay needed to invest in related infrastructure in the process of transforming the purchasing product group into food, but the company failed to implement it properly, losing its competitive edge,” Nam added.

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  • Reebonz starts selling on Ebay

    Reebonz starts selling on Ebay

    Online luxury marketplace and Asia-Pacific platform Reebonz has launched a store on Ebay.

    The new store stocks more than 5000 new and pre-owned products, including bags, shoes, accessories, and apparel. Customers from the US, Canada, Mexico, the UK, Australia, and the European Union can purchase products and receive free shipping from the store.

    The firm has built back-end infrastructure to localise services in each country it operates to make it easy for customers to shop. The listings are localised for currency and language in their respective countries.

    To date, Reebonz has sold products from brands such as Burberry, Fendi, and Prada through its Ebay store, amongst others, and the highest-valued item sold is a pre-owned Hermes handbag worth more than US$15,000.

    “While we continue to focus primarily on Asia, it is very encouraging to be able to partner with Ebay to provide a unique collection of products to their users, and expand our customer base globally,” said Reebonz co-founder and chief marketing officer Benjamin Han.

    “They are focused on providing authentic luxury products, which complements well with our core business. Expansion into regions such as North America and other non-Asian regions will allow us to better understand user buying preferences in other parts of the world, which will allow us to create a robust database of trends globally. Insights from this data will help in many ways, including driving our pricing and margin optimisation strategy, merchandising, and others.”

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  • Toys ‘R’ Us Start Selling on eBay

    Toys ‘R’ Us Start Selling on eBay

    Less than a month after returning to Australian shores with a more focused, digital offering, Toys ‘R’ Us has launched on eBay, adding more than 4,000 items to the marketplace.

    According to Toys ‘R’ Us, the move represents an important facet of its omnichannel approach moving forward. It believes it will benefit from exposure to eBay’s more than 11 million unique monthly visitors.

    “Toys ‘R’ Us is an icon known and loved by Aussies of all ages, so we’re thrilled to welcome the retailer to eBay as it builds its online offering,” eBay’s senior director B2C of advertising and commercial partnerships Kristian Haigh said.

    “This partnership is a natural evolution and we’re proud to help Australian retailers by making it easier for shoppers to access their favorite brands, wherever and however they choose to shop.”

    The launch follows an eight-year partnership between eBay and Hobby Warehouse, which is partnering with TRU Kids, the US-based owner of Toys ‘R’ Us, on the toy store’s relaunch in Australia and New Zealand.

    Toys ‘R’ Us chairman Kevin Moore noted that some retailers see up to 40 percent of their total sales volume driven by the combination of marketplaces they partner with.

    “Online marketplaces are an important part of all online retailers’ service to shoppers,” Moore said.

    “Toys ‘R’ Us will continue to partner closely with eBay on toy sales and promotions, and other relevant marketplaces in the future.”

    Moore said the brand will explore and embrace new partnership opportunities as they arise.

    “We have been amazed at the positive reactions of the Toys ‘R’ Us digital re-launch… Hobby Warehouse has benefited from toy buyers looking for adult hobby items too.

    “We have had over 70 new suppliers contact us to list their range of toy and hobby brands on both sites.”

    Last month, the two companies announced a new format of Toys ‘R’ Us ‘experience centers’ will open across Australia and New Zealand in 2020.

    “Our mission is to encourage children to engage with as many forms of play as we possibly can,” Hobby Warehouse chief executive and Toys ‘R’ Us Australia director Louis Mittoni said.

    “Hobby Warehouse is a digital native with a keen understanding of how to accelerate and match the requirements of the modern shopper.”

    According to IBISWorld data, the toy and game retailing industry is expected to see a revenue drop of almost 16 percent over 2019, with the market expecting to generate around $740 million – down from the $880.2 million seen in the prior year.

    IBISWorld senior industry analyst Kim Do said the business’ shift away from physical retail and toward a more online-centric offer would make its re-entry to the Australian market smoother.

    At this point in time, it is unclear if Babies ‘R’ Us products will feature on eBay.

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  • Two million Shoppers to receive first eBay catalogue

    Two million Shoppers to receive first eBay catalogue

    EBay Australia is mailing its first-ever printed catalog to two million Australian households on Tuesday to remind customers that 90 percent of the products on its platform is brand new.

    The 16-page catalog contains over 100 items from the 40,000 Australian retailers that sell on the online marketplace, which is by far the most visited e-commerce site in the country.

    It features items from a range of categories, including electronics and technology, men’s and women’s fashion, heating, bedding, kitchen and cleaning, appliances, liquor, glassware, toys and gaming, entertainment, backyard, and garage.

    EBay selected items to reflect the range and value it offers compared to bricks-and-mortar retailers.

    “We partnered with our sellers to get the best deals on a variety of items including brands like Dyson, KitchenAid, and Apple – reflecting the unbeatable range and value on eBay,” Julie Nestor, chief marketing officer at eBay Australia said.

    “The product selection is also seasonal, showcasing our top picks for the winter months,” she said, hinting at the possibility of more seasonal catalogs to come.

    The catalog provides a way for eBay to reach customers offline. It’s another example of the growing trend of pure-play retailers branching out into the physical world, as they come to understand that shoppers don’t stick to a single channel.

    “We’re adopting a similar strategy many traditional bricks-and-mortar retailers have – by having both a physical and online presence,” Nestor said in an email announcing the catalog.

    EBay is also launching a shoppable digital catalog from May 21.

    Nestor declined to say whether the printed catalog is a precursor to other offline initiatives, such as a pop-up or bricks-and-mortar store, in future.

    “As Australia’s number one online shopping destination, eBay is always looking for new ways to engage with buyers and empower its seller community,” she said.

    “Both online and physical channels will continue to be important. “

    The two million households receiving the catalog are located across metro Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth and include existing buyers as well as those who may not have considered eBay before, Nestor said.

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  • EBay orders Shipped Faster

    EBay orders Shipped Faster

    New data from Juniper Research predicts consumer interaction with chatbots in retail will reach 22 billion by 2023.

    The figure represents a sharp increase over an estimated 2.6 billion interactions this year.

    According to the new research report “AI in Retail: Segment Analysis, Vendor Positioning & Market Forecasts 2019-2023”, chatbots in retail will enable effectively automated customer interactions for both online and offline vendors.

    A crucial enabler of this development will be improvements in NLP (Natural Language Processing), which will dramatically reduce the failure rate of chatbot interactions, by making them more natural and valuable for customers.

    Juniper anticipates that retailers who do not adopt chatbots will face strong challenges from more technologically-adept disruptors, who will use chatbots as an extension to the crucial omnichannel retail experience.

    The research also found that chatbots used for customer service have a strong potential to reduce costs; with deployments realizing annual savings for retailers of US$439 million globally by 2023, up from just $7 million this year.

    These potential savings will act as a key “pull” factor, given the margin pressure that many retailers are presently feeling.

    “By embracing automated customer service with chatbots, retailers can act in a more flexible and efficient way,” explained research author Nick Maynard. “The wider retail market means that chatbots are no longer a luxury, they are essential.”

    Meanwhile, sales resulting from interaction with chatbots in retail will reach $112 billion by 2023, up from $7.3 billion this year; representing an annual growth rate of 98 percent.

    The research found these sales will largely be a result of migration from other channels, rather than a new revenue stream. Accordingly, the research emphasized that while retailers must adopt chatbots for ease of use (and to reduce consumer churn), their return on investment will come from efficiencies, rather than net income.

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  • Ebay launches e-commerce training program in Singapore

    Ebay launches e-commerce training program in Singapore

    Ebay Singapore and the Institute of Retail Studies have partnered in an e-commerce training program.

    Called “Let’s Ebay with SIRS”, the full-day workshop aims to help aspiring entrepreneurs kickstart their e-commerce business and connect with the global marketplace of active buyers.

    The program was designed for small businesses and entrepreneurs who have little or no e-commerce experience but want to learn directly from the source.

    Singapore’s e-commerce market is expected to grow by 48 per cent to S$10.04 billion by 2022.

    “Singapore’s cross-border trade continues to grow and there is a huge opportunity for more small businesses to join the ranks of Ebay sellers,” said Wong Mei Inn, Ebay‘s head of Southeast Asia seller growth.

    “By listing their products on Ebay’s global marketplace, Singaporean businesses can reach 180 million active buyers all around the world.”

    SMEs contribute to 72 per cent of Singapore’s employment, and added a nominal value of $213.6 billion, or 48 per cent to the economy last year.

    “E-commerce has been recognised as one of the key growth opportunities under the 2020 vision of the Retail Industry Transformation Map launched by Spring Singapore (now Enterprise Singapore),” said Megan Ong, Nanyang Polytechnic’s Singapore Institute of Retail Studies director.

    “By partnering with Ebay, we will be able to encourage retailers in Singapore to adopt e-commerce and omnichannel strategies to succeed in today’s digital context.”

    Following the workshop, the two parties launched an Ebay onboarding program which further enables SMEs to optimise cross-border selling and manage operations.

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  • eBay and Singapore Institute of Retail Studies come together to deliver eCommerce training

    eBay and Singapore Institute of Retail Studies come together to deliver eCommerce training

    eBay and the Singapore Institute of Retail Studies (SIRS) joined forces to deliver training to small businesses and entrepreneurs seeking new and global sales channels in the fast-growing eCommerce sector. Titled “Let’s eBay with SIRS”, the full-day workshop was held at the Lifelong Learning Institute, one of two Continuing Education and Training (CET) campuses by SkillsFuture Singapore. To offer SMEs in Singapore a holistic support system to grow their businesses globally and sustainably, eBay and SIRS signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) focused on Global e-Commerce Onboarding & Education Programs.

    Singapore’s eCommerce market is expected to grow by 48% to S$10.04 billion by 2022, and a rising number of entrepreneurial Singaporeans are capitalising on the opportunity to sell their products directly to customers all around the world on eBay.

    According to eBay Head of Southeast Asia Seller Growth Wong Mei Inn, “Singapore’s cross border trade (CBT) exports continue to grow and there is huge opportunity for more small businesses to join the ranks of eBay sellers. By listing their products on eBay’s global marketplace, Singaporean businesses can reach 180 million active buyers all around the world.”

    “Let’s eBay with SIRS was designed for the small business and entrepreneur who has little or no ecommerce experience but wants to learn directly from the source,” said Wong.

    “eBay has thousands of sellers here in Singapore and over 80% of them sell to customers overseas. eBay’s focus in Singapore this year is to enable even more SMEs to sell worldwide”, said Jenny Hui, General Manager, Cross Border Trade, eBay Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southeast Asia.

    “eCommerce has been recognised as one of the key growth opportunities under the 2020 vision of the Retail Industry Transformation Map launched by SPRING Singapore (now Enterprise Singapore),” said Nanyang Polytechnic’s Singapore Institute of Retail Studies Director Megan Ong. “By partnering eBay, we will be able to encourage retailers in Singapore to adopt eCommerce and omni-channel strategies to succeed in today’s digital context.”

    Small medium enterprises (SMEs) contribute to 72% of Singapore’s employment, and in 2018, added a nominal value of S$213.6 billion, or 48% to the economy. The government has acknowledged the importance of SMEs plugging into the digital economy as it would make a noticeable impact on Singapore’s economic growth.

    During the workshop, Let’s eBay with SIRS featured speakers from eBay, SIRS, WorldFirst, Watcheszon International, JTBC Global and DHL Express Singapore. The speakers shared case studies, advice on getting started, and introductions to payments and logistics service providers to help small businesses begin their global ecommerce journey.

    Following the workshop, eBay has launched the “eBay Onboarding Program”, a series of courses with SIRS to further enable SMEs to optimise cross-border selling and manage operations. Each course will be charged at $160, and subsidies range from 70-95%. For more information on the courses and available subsidies, visit https://www.sirsdigitalcommerce.com/ebay.html or email SIRS at [email protected]

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  • Ebay Buying in India’s Paytm Mall

    Ebay Buying in India’s Paytm Mall

    International e-commerce platform Ebay is preparing to head a US$160–170 million investment in e-tailer Paytm Mall.

    In a report last Monday, the move was interpreted as a grab at O2O commerce and payments opportunities in India. It will be the third major e-commerce investment in the territory for the firm following its minors stakes in Flipkart and Snapdeal.

    Paytm Mall raised about US$215 million from Japan’s SoftBank and existing investor Alibaba mid last year, at a valuation of $1.6–2 billion. It has raised roughly $645 million in funding to date.

    The firm has a minority segment of the Indian market, which is largely dominated by its two biggest competitors Amazon and Flipkart.

  • Google Pay is catching up with Apple Pay

    Google Pay is catching up with Apple Pay

    Google’s proprietary digital wallet service has done a pretty good job of keeping up with Apple Pay over the last year or so in terms of both US availability and international expansions, frequently spreading its wings to new banks, as well as major retailers like Target.

    Before long, Google Pay will also catch up with its arch-rival as far as eBay support is concerned, according to an official announcement issued earlier today. After relying almost entirely on PayPal for payment processing on its extensive e-commerce platform, eBay started a transition in 2018 that’s scheduled to be completed by 2021. The eventual goal is to manage transactions on its own with the help of a lesser-known company called Adyen.

    From customers’ perspective, this gradual move seems to be improving the flexibility of the shopping experience, which is certainly a welcomed change. Apple Pay already joined eBay’s list of PayPal alternatives several months back, with Google Pay availability set to be offered to Android users “starting in early April.” To complete an eBay purchase using the search giant’s digital wallet app, you’ll need to shop from a seller enrolled in this new “payments experience”, and something tells us that will only include a small piece of the huge marketplace to begin with.

    But rest assured, as eBay plans to make both Google Pay and Apple Pay “increasingly available to shoppers as the program grows to process more volume in additional geographies.” And if you prefer the “classic” e-shopping experience, you have no reason to fret either, as PayPal is not going anywhere. Not today and not in 2021. eBay is simply branching out, offering customers more payment options on their end, from Android and iOS devices, as well as computers running all sorts of operating systems.

  • Coles starts selling food on eBay

    Coles starts selling food on eBay

    Coles on Wednesday started selling a range of ‘everyday essentials’ on eBay, in a bid to reach some of the marketplace’s 11 million unique monthly visitors. The offering includes perishable and non-perishable items in Coles’ everyday essentials range across several categories, including select pre-packaged fresh food, pantry, personal care and household items. The items at launch are available to eBay shoppers in metro Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Shoppers will initially have just one delivery option, though more will be added throughout the year, according to a statement from eBay and Coles. 

    Alister Jordan, chief executive of Coles Online, described the partnership as being all about convenience.

    “By partnering with eBay, we are providing our customers another convenient way to access our products and have them delivered straight to their door,” he said in a statement.

    The idea is that consumers who are already buying fashion, homewares and electronics on eBay can also complete their food shopping on the online marketplace, rather than having to make a second – virtual – trip to Coles’ e-commerce site.

    “It really comes down to convenience and being able to choose from a great range of groceries as well as those bigger ticket items you can’t get from a supermarket,” Julie Nestor, eBay’s CMO told.

    “Think about planning for a dinner party and being able to purchase everything from the table setting to the meal ingredients on the one site – it’s a more convenient, seamless way to shop online.”

    There is also the fact that more and more brands stocked on supermarket shelves are increasing their direct-to-consumer sales through their own websites or marketplaces like Amazon, which expanded into the pantry category last October, though it doesn’t yet offer fresh food in Australia. For eBay, the partnership seems to be about growing its eBay Plus membership program, which it launched in May 2018 in what many saw as a response to Amazon Prime. The program, which costs $49 a year, includes unlimited delivery and returns on new items bought on eBay, discounts on the Stan streaming service and opportunities to earn points through Coles’ flybuys loyalty program.

    Nestor confirmed that launching Coles’ food offering on eBay has been in the works for some time.

    “After we successfully launched our partnership with flybuys last year, this is a natural extension of our relationship with Coles,” she said.

    Nestor declined to say how many members are currently signed up to the eBay Plus program, but she described the uptake so far as “really positive” and said the company expects it to continue to grow with the launch of Coles on eBay. EBay Plus members get free delivery on orders that are $49 and over, and they earn double the number of flybuys points on all orders.