eBay users may soon notice changes when they purchase items on eBay, as the marketplace moves toward a unified checkout process and phases out third-party checkout systems.
By June 30, 2011, buyers will only be able to make purchases using eBay Checkout, and not third-party checkout systems such as those from Auctiva, ChannelAdvisor or Vendio. This change will simplify checkout on eBay, give all users the same checkout experience and reassure shoppers their purchases were processed properly, according to eBay.
"A consistent and familiar checkout experience is key to completing their purchases quickly and easily and to coming away from the transaction with a sense of confidence and satisfaction," eBay states in a Special Seller Update.
While most eBay shoppers already use eBay Checkout when they buy, about 10 percent opt for third-party checkout services since these have provided more payment options in the past. However, eBay says it will enhance its checkout over the next year to provide the features third-parties currently do. In fact, eBay is already working with third-party developers to make the transition as easy as possible on users.
Auctiva will begin migrating customers to eBay Checkout soon to best serve them
Shoppers will notice changes beginning next month, when eBay will add more payment gateway choices to enhance its credit and debit card services. It will also display shipping services and estimated delivery times more prominently on Item pages and in checkout. Sellers will be able to elect to exclude buyers from Hawaii, Alaska and other areas. High-volume sellers will also get a sales tax calculator.
While eBay is giving developers a year to migrate customers over to eBay Checkout, Auctiva will begin migrating customers to eBay Checkout soon to best serve them, says Senior Product Manager Tony Maxey.
"We want to make this change as painless and error-free for our sellers as possible," Maxey says. "We will be communicating with all sellers who use Checkout, giving them details in advance as to exactly what we will be doing and when, and what they need to do—if anything—to make this changeover from Auctiva Checkout to eBay Checkout happen."
For Auctiva Checkout users who are not using the Authorize.net gateway to offer credit card payments, eBay is making the switch very easy, he says.
"Sellers who use Auctiva Checkout but do not use Authorize.net as a payment gateway will, literally, not need to do anything; working with eBay, we can switch their listings over automatically," Maxey says. "For those using Authorize.net, we will be providing instructions on how to set up their payment gateway information as soon as eBay has worked out the details for doing that."
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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