E-Commerce: Ebay übernimmt Gebühren und Bürokratie: Wie die Plattform ihr Europageschäft stärken will

Ebay aims to expand its European business and reclaim market share from competitors like Amazon by simplifying cross-border trade within the EU. The online marketplace's Germany chief, Saskia Meier-Andrae, told Handelsblatt that it sees "insane opportunities" in the intra-European market and aims to remove most hurdles for sellers when exporting. The goal is to align offerings, searches, and shipping across borders and strengthen customer confidence in buying from abroad.

To achieve this, Meier-Andrae has transferred overall leadership of all her company's EU marketplaces to herself and plans to develop ideas with her management team on how trade across EU borders can become simpler for both sellers and buyers. The company has already taken initial steps towards this goal, such as introducing live auctions via video and focusing on the resale of used goods and collector items, especially in the crucial German market.

Despite its European market losses and declining revenue, eBay has not yet capitalized on the temporary online boom during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In terms of logistics, eBay plans to offer a service called "Managed Shipping" to private sellers and small businesses, negotiating shipping costs centrally with courier companies and collecting fees directly from buyers. The company has also established an international shipping center in Duisburg to help sellers with regulations like import documents and customs clearance when selling outside the EU.

Additionally, eBay has set up a certification center in Germany for authenticating used luxury goods, which is now available for sales in France and Italy to ensure customers' purchases are genuine. Mark Steier, a market analyst, believes the new strategy will make it easier for German sellers to sell internationally through eBay rather than Amazon, allowing them to focus on selling without additional burdens.