eBay “Makes It Pink” for October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month
eBay Giving Works is running it’s 8th annual “Make It Pink” campaign, raising money for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The fundraising campaign includes sales of special items and fantasy experiences to benefit breast cancer research and programs, plus basic eBay fee credits to sellers who wish to donate from 1 percent to 100 percent of an item’s sale price to Komen. Also, On October 8, eBay sellers and buyers can donate $1 or more directly to Komen through the Donate Now feature–no purchase necessary. [via eBay Ink]

Further News
+ Retailers are gearing up for the “couch commerce” rush
+ Small business owners get help from Facebook
+ Is social sharing is having an impact on your online shopping?

Looking Back on eBay Ink
October 1, 2010: eBay has announced an agreement to use open source content management system (CMS), Joomla, to launch a community portal as part of eBay’s internal analytics platform. Known as “community analytics,” the initiative will be accessible by all eBay employees, and will incorporate social aspects of active collaboration, including content creation, sharing and open discussion.

eBay Ink Weekend Roundup is a summary of news and updates around eBay, PayPal, Social Media, Technology and E-commerce. Let us know what interests you.

eBay’s New Ad Campaign for 2011 Holidays
It’s been two years since you’ve seen eBay on your television screen, and now eBay is embarking on a major ad campaign aimed at consumers shopping on their smarthphones. The “When it’s on your mind, it’s on eBay” advertising campaign kicked off this week and emphasizes emergence of mobile helping consumers shop anywhere, anytime, whenever they want. In addition to the TV spots, street-level outdoor environments will be created using custom QR codes that can be accessed using eBay’s RedLaser technology, allowing consumers to shop for products on the spot. [via eBay Ink]

PayPal Unveils New Payments Platform For Merchants
PayPal held an event this week in Los Angeles for merchants to get an early look into the company’s new technologies. PayPal’s plan is to make tools available to merchants allowing them to use existing credit card terminals to accept payments through PayPal. Several payment methods will be possible, although they will ultimately depend on the type of terminals merchants have. [via The PayPal Blog]

Further News
+ How large is the role of social media in the lives of consumers?
+ Businesses that are online need to think about mobile.
+ Will socially awkward teens drive mobile payment adoption?
+ Startups show off small-business tools at TC Disrupt

Looking Back on eBay Ink
September 15, 2010: In a video interview, eBay partners with the National Federation of the Blind; Enhanced features for visually impaired. The site includes enhanced features for users to search, browse, buy, bid and sell using the keyboard alone, as well as using assistive technologies such as screen access software. Additional support includes seed funding for promising blind entrepreneurs and a selling training program.

You can visit the website to find out about all the features available to eBay users with special access needs.

eBay Ink Weekend Roundup is a summary of news and updates around eBay, PayPal, Social Media, Technology and E-commerce. Let us know what interests you.

eBay Building New Facility in Utah
eBay is investing $110 million in an expansion of its operations in Draper, Utah. The project, which will receive a $38.2-million tax credit from the state, will create 2,200 jobs in the area. The facility will complement the company’s existing facilities in Draper and also its state-of-the-art data center in South Jordan. Currently, eBay employs about 1,400 in those two cities. [via Newsday]

PayPal Adds Services to Russia
PayPal will begin carrying out money transfers in Russia and Ukraine next month. Previously PayPal restricted money transfers to Russia and Russians were only able receive money from another PayPal customer in special circumstances, such as a refund for an item that was not received from eBay. The new services will allow for easier transactions for Russian customers. [via Russia Times]

Further News
+ Consumers increasingly buying products through their phones
+ Many companies deciding to sell their products directly on Facebook
+ Ticketmaster teaming up with Facebook, buy tickets and see where your friends are sitting

Looking Back on eBay Ink
August 24, 2010: eBay will be moving to a single, consolidated checkout process, and effective June 30, 2011, eBay Checkout will be the only checkout process on eBay.com. What does that actually mean? Checkout is obviously a key part of shopping online – we all want an effective, secure, simple method for making our purchases. A consistent checkout experience helps buyers complete their purchases in confidence. And for sellers, one consistent checkout experience – with business functionality like payment processing and tax collection – can help streamline business operations. A single, familiar checkout experience is key to reducing confusion and improving how people shop on eBay. We’ve been working with sellers and providers for some time and will continue to do so for a seamless transition next year.

eBay Ink Weekend Roundup is a summary of news and updates around eBay, PayPal, Social Media, Technology and E-commerce. Let us know what interests you.

Gold Booming on eBay
For gold sellers on eBay, the recent stock market turmoil has been a boom for business. Gold and silver sales on eBay have been rising steadily over the past several years, so much so that eBay created a special “bullion center” in May to make it easier for buyers to find sellers. Last month eBay Ink published an infographic taking a closer look at buying and selling trends of gold and silver on eBay. [via Newsday]

Further News
+ Benefits of eCommerce for small businesses
+ The more time customers spend in your store, the more they’re likely to buy
+ Small businesses utilizing social media increasingly

Looking Back on eBay Ink
August 16th, 2010: eBay launched a new free Half.com iPhone app and Buying Wizard to help students quickly find great deals on textbooks (and more fun stuff of course) heading into the school year. It’s the second eBay app to integrate barcode scanning technology and allows users to scan the barcodes on items to find the best deals on textbooks, DVDs, video games and more. The app provides Half.com buyers access to over 80 million active listings from more than 700,000 sellers.

Check out the following demo video to learn more:
(More …)

eBay Plans to Open Online Fashion Outlet
eBay Inc. plans to launch eBay Fashion Outlet in the United States next month. eBay Fashion Outlet is an Online DFO (Direct Factory Outlet) where the customer will have access to everyday deals on products. The service, which is currently available to consumers in Germany and in the U.K., will launch on September 19 with prices promoted as being 20 to 60 percent off retail. The majority of the goods will be targeted to women between the ages of 25 and 44. [via Internet Retailer]

PayPal to Create 200 Jobs in Dublin
Two hundred jobs are to be created at the PayPal office in Dublin. The jobs will be in customer service and operations at the company’s European headquarters in Blanchardstown. PayPal, which launched in Ireland in 2003, currently employs more than 1,350 people in Blanchardstown. In 2009, the company secured a €15 million IDA investment to open its European center of excellence in Blanchardstown. The company reported $1.073 billion in its second-quarter net revenue last month, up 31 percent from a year earlier. It is the first time PayPal has generated more than $1 billion in quarterly revenue. [via IrishTimes]

Further News
+ 12 million monthly gamers on Facebook, with 58 percent of them spending $10 – $50 on games.
+ Trendyol.com, an e-commerce site based in Istanbul has raised $26 million.
+ What is the future of social business?
+ U.S. online spending hit $37.5 billion in the second quarter of this year.

Looking Back on eBay Ink
August 10, 2010: The following interview with Steve Yankovich, eBay VP of Mobile Solutions, ran on Fox Business News earlier this morning. In it, Steve discusses the ease of use of mobile applications and the influence they’re ultimately having on ecommerce and online retail.

eBay Ink Weekend Roundup is a summary of news and updates around eBay, PayPal, Social Media, Technology and E-commerce. Let us know what interests you.

eBay’s Instant Sale iOS App Launches
eBay launched an iOS app for Instant Sale this week, allowing users to exchange gadgets for cash on the go. With Instant Sale, users will receive an immediate cash offer for their laptops, phones, tablets, PDAs, cameras, and more. Once the offer is accepted, customers can send their item using a free shipping label sent via email. Within five business days users will receive their cash via Paypal, as an added bonus, the eBay Instant Sale app makes it easy to determine the price of your existing iPhone. [via eBay Ink]

Over 12 Million Monthly Users Pay for Virtual Goods Through PayPal
More than 12 million unique users pay for virtual goods each month, according to data released by PayPal. Carey Kolaja, senior director of emerging opportunities at PayPal, told VentureBeat that the social game sector has been growing dramatically for the past couple of years. More and more are willing to pay for virtual goods and they’re also willing to spend more as well. [via VentureBeat]

Further News
+ Is Facebook the new hub of social commerce?
+ Online sales tax bill recieves harsh reaction.
+ Infographic displaying the evolution of social platforms.
+ Growing number of consumers shop with a mobile phone.

Looking Back on eBay Ink
August 4, 2010: Introducing eBay Classifieds Pets. I saw another eBay mobile app released late last week. This one is targeted at animal lovers for sure. The eBay Classifieds Pets iPhone app was released on iTunes on Friday. Download the app here and be sure to check out the main eBay Classifieds iPhone app too.

eBay Ink Weekend Roundup is a summary of news and updates around eBay, PayPal, Social Media, Technology and E-commerce. Let us know what interests you.

eBay Invests in Shipwire
On Wednesday, eBay Inc invested in logistics provider Shipwire, along with Newell Rubbermaid and existing investor Meakem Becker Venture Capital. eBay Vice President and Head of Corporate Strategy Jean-Francois Van Kerckhove will go on Shipwire’s board of directors. In a statement he said, “Shipwire built a logistics technology platform, that gives any seller access to storage and shipping tools in domestic and international markets, previously only available to the largest merchants”. [via eBay Ink]

eBay’s Fall Seller Update 2011
eBay has released its second and final seller update for 2011 with most changes to go into effect on August 22, 2011. Updates include: 25 extra characters in your title to draw more buyers to your listings, buyer protection cases won’t be included in your count of opened cases unless the buyer contacts you first, policy update for email address and links in listings to keep buyers on eBay, a great return policy and enhanced catalog-based shopping for GPS devices. [via eBay Ink]

PayPal Wireless Money Transfers Now Available on Android
At MobileBeat this week PayPal demonstrated its plans for mobile payments by using two Samsung Nexus S phones to let users exchange money, a solution the company promised will be released later this summer. PayPal’s new widget uses Near-Field Communications technology, which lets you pay for purchases with a wave of your smartphone. “PayPal used to be an online company, but we see the majority of transactions are being substituted for offline transactions,” said Laura Chambers, senior director of PayPal’s mobile division, at the MobileBeat conference. [via PC Magazine]

Further News
+ UK’s e-commerce industries estimated to double its workforce
+ Millennials are becoming leaders of the social commerce movement
+ Mobile commerce era stirs up competition

Looking Back on eBay Ink
July 16, 2010: Today, eBay announced the eBay Fashion app for the Apple iPhone, delivering a personalized shopping experience where shoppers can browse, buy—and virtually “try on”—items from the world’s largest online selection of new, designer, branded and vintage merchandise—virtually anytime, anywhere.

eBay Ink Weekend Roundup is a summary of news and updates around eBay, PayPal, Social Media, Technology and E-commerce. Let us know what interests you.