eBay sellers can tap into several third-party seller tools directly on the auction site now that eBay's Selling Manager Applications directory is up and running.
The directory went live in mid-August to give sellers access to a variety of tools and help merchants of all sizes grow their businesses on eBay, the company announced.
According to Dinesh Lathi, eBay's vice president of Seller Experience, Selling Manager Applications are "designed to make your business easier to run."
So far, 19 companies offer tools through eBay's Selling Manager Applications, including Terapeak, UPS and ahTEXT. eBay will add more providers in the coming months to give buyers a wider range of options for their shipping, inventory, management sales tracking and support needs, eBay notes. Sellers should also be on the lookout for tools from Auctiva.
"Selling Manager Applications gives us a great way to integrate our software directly on eBay," says Auctiva Vice President Kevin Kinell. "Our first application, targeted for release in late-October, will allow sellers to revise their live listings in a quick and convenient fashion.
"With eBay's recently announced changes beginning to roll out, sellers, more than ever, need a way to revise their active and Good 'Til Cancelled listings," Kinell continues. "We hope to deliver the means to do that with our first SMA app."
Third-party developers have developed more than 13,000 active applications for eBay
Several applications offer free trials—some up to 30 days—so sellers can try applications before subscribing to them. If they decide to continue with the services, merchants can subscribe by going into their My eBay page. eBay will be in charge of billing.
"eBay's Selling Manager Applications Platform is an app store for eBay sellers that makes it easy to find and subscribe to tools that can help our customers increase the efficiency and velocity of their businesses on eBay," notes Lathi.
Terapeak's co-founder, Andrew E.R. Sukow, says the new venue will help his company find new users and stay in touch with existing customers.
"The ability to embed our application inside My eBay gives us an opportunity to both reach in an entirely new, more personalized way and also capture revenue streams," he says. "We'll also get a much better sense of the needs of sellers as we think about creating new applications."
eBay says third-party developers have already developed more than 13,000 active applications for eBay.
"Selling Manager Applications addresses the need of developers to more readily connect with eBay sellers who are seeking useful tools for their eBay business," notes Kumar Kandaswamy, senior manager of eBay Platform.
For more information on eBay's Selling Manager Applications, click here.
Auctiva staff writers constantly monitor trends and best practices of those selling on eBay and elsewhere online. They attend relevant training seminars and trade shows and regularly discuss the market with PowerSellers and other market experts.
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