EBay Inc. is remaking its e-commerce marketplace to combat declining sales. In the process, it has pitted merchants such as Jack Sheng and Walt Kolenda against each other.Mr. Sheng describes his company, eForCity Corp., as a “mini Wal-Mart.” It buys electronics accessories from China and sells 4.3 million of them each year to people looking for deals online. After eBay made it cheaper and easier to list products in large quantities for sale last year, his eBay sales in April were up 46% from a year before. The site’s changes have “helped good sellers come out ahead,” he says.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124329254255652425.htmlAlso see:YouGov study finds struggling British companies turning to eBay to raise funds
Cash-strapped British consumers are raiding their attics for items to sell on eBay, while businesses are increasingly using the online auction site to offload office equipment no longer needed as they cut staff in the recession.Charity shops are seeing some benefit as the global downturn takes its toll, with one in 10 British people buying more from charity outlets than before the recession and one in five donating more goods, according to a survey released today.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/may/25/online-shopping-recession
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