eBay now have 6 million including commercial sellers, full-time entrepreneurs as well as part-time consumer sellers in the US and small businesses on eBay.com now employ more than 690,000 people. More than a third of our eBay’s US sellers come from small towns and rural areas. eBay conducted an online survey among their 6 million US sellers to gain more information about the scale and impact of the eBay economy. The US eBay Economy is revealed in a new infographic released by the marketplace.
While many sellers derive revenue through multiple channels the vast majority of sellers eBay surveyed (80%) say that selling on eBay enabled them to start their ecommerce business, and a third operate a local brick and mortar store in addition to their online business. As a global marketplace, eBay enables these sellers to reach customers worldwide (which 63% say they do), while keeping jobs close to home.
“eBay is about people. It’s about small businesses. It’s about using technology to make people competitive and vibrant and to put life into communities, and not take it out. We exist to help small and medium-sized businesses grow and thrive in the global economy. eBay is a partner to those entrepreneurs and our aim is to be a force multiplier for them. The eBay economy is real and thriving, and will continue to be a driver of job growth and economic vitality.”
– Devin Wenig, President and CEO, eBay
International Fulfilment in the eBay Economy
Perhaps the most interesting stat is 63% of sellers sell cross border on eBay, many of whom doubtless make use of the eBay Global Shipping Program to keep things simple – If you’re not already signed up to the eBay Global Shipping program then it’s worth considering as it’s one of the simplest ways to increase visibility of your items and one of the best additions to eBay’s services since they introduced their first mobile app.
Under the eBay Global Shipping Program you’ll hardly notice the difference between a domestic customer and an overseas buyer – you ship your item to eBay’s domestic fulfilment centre and they take care of the International shipping, customs and import duties for the buyers and tracking the item to it’s final destination. They’ll also protect your feedback once they’ve received your item at their fulfilment centre.
You can sign up for eBay Global Shipping for your entire account or item by item.
