eBay have announced that as of the 30th June 2011 they will be closing all 3rd party checkouts and the only checkout available on eBay will be eBay’s own checkout.
This will impact 3rd party solution provides such as ChannelAdvisor, eSellerPro and 4Sellers and the companies will have to rejig their software solutions to use eBay Checkout. The biggest impact will be on stock control as they’ll need to find an alternative way to deplete seller’s available inventory, especially when that inventory is being sold across multiple marketplaces. eBay say that “the change will not affect any of the inventory management and listing features that you currently use through that provider and we will continue to work closely with them to support these”, although doubtless some service providers will need to rejig their software if they’ve not already done so.
Other benefits of 3rd party checkouts include advanced shipping calculations and discounts for multiple purchases and the ability to offer multiple payment options such as the sellers own credit card merchant account. It’ll also remove options for sellers to allow buyers to add themselves to mailing lists which will impact the ability for merchants to market to previous customers off eBay.
Many buyers are likely to welcome the move as 3rd party checkouts aren’t universally popular despite their advantages to merchants.
The changes will only impact you directly if you use a service provider who offers a 3rd party checkout and they have all been briefed on the changes and will be able to work with you to migrate your solutions well before the deadline of June next year.
12 Responses
A very good move for eBay buyers.
Ebay need to put money into a blackthorne type product that allows sellers to manage inventory on multiple ebay shops on one desktop piece of software.
I looked at these 3rd party solutions, and found them to be too complex, too expensive and this latest change is a nail in their coffin?
Now all we need is for eBay to intergrate direct card payments into the check out so people don’t need a paypal account to make payment and so that the customer can have full control of how he/she funds the payment.
Those pesky third party providers let eBayers pay outside of the eBay/Paypal empire. How dare they! Serves them right for providing access to better alternatives….
better alternatives….
…I must have missed those, a great move. Shame we have to wait until next year.
I expect there’ll be a few “upgrade/update” fees being charged… 😉
We have used a 3rd party solution for the past 7 years, (we switched 2 years ago to our current provider) We can keep track of inventory while using the ebay checkout and having the checkout import orders into the backend of our website system for processing along with our regular website orders.
**JIMBO** Ebay has allowed payment directly to your merchant account for a year + now using MC, Visa, Dsicover, and AMEX.
Ebay needs one checkout, but they need to give sellers more options to add specific steps during checkout or remove the steps as needed.
ChannelAdvisor Takes Action as eBay Announces Sunset of Third-Party Checkout
ChannelAdvisor Provides Next Steps and Advice for Customers Using Third-Party Checkout
August 24, 2010 11:48 AM Eastern Daylight Time
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.–(EON: Enhanced Online News)–In response to eBay’s announcement today that it will terminate third-party checkout next year, ChannelAdvisor, a solution provider that enables online retailers to improve efficiency and increase revenue, announces steps to guide its customers through this transition in advance of the official termination on June 30, 2011.
“A consistent, familiar checkout experience benefits eBay sellers and buyers alike, so over the coming months we will transition to a single eBay Checkout process on the site,” said Dinesh Lathi, vice president of Buyer and Seller Experience at eBay. “Service providers like ChannelAdvisor offer invaluable solutions beyond checkout to help retailers take full advantage of the eBay marketplace, and we will continue to collaborate closely with ChannelAdvisor to support these contributions to eBay sellers’ success.”
“We agree that it is important for eBay shoppers to have a predictable experience each time they shop on eBay,” said Scot Wingo, CEO of ChannelAdvisor. “However, our online retailer customers are currently in overdrive ramping up for the fourth quarter and the holiday season, so the main message we want to impart is that they can continue to use ChannelAdvisor’s checkout throughout the holiday season, with plenty of time to transition in 2011.”
EBay is still refining its checkout and has not yet released the full-featured version. As Lathi stated at ChannelAdvisors’ annual Catalyst event, ChannelAdvisor has been working with eBay on enhancements to the company’s existing checkout regarding tax and shipping. ChannelAdvisor will continue to work with eBay and will offer complete support for eBay Checkout for all customers as it becomes available.
Even though the termination of third-party checkout will not take place until June 30, 2011, ChannelAdvisor does support eBay Immediate Payment Checkout now, and can assist any retailer that would like to transition.
I don’t understand why this perception continues. You don’t need 3rd party checkout to keep track of stock. As far as I know this has never been necessary.