eBay Canada: Waiving Selling Fees and Launching Resources to Support Small Businesses Looking to Expand Online

Up & Running program provides three-months of financial relief and support in wake of COVID-19 crisis

TORONTO, April 15, 2020 /CNW/ - Today, eBay Canada is launching "Up & Running," an accelerator program specifically designed to support retailers without an e-commerce presence transition to selling online. The initiative will also help existing online businesses create a channel to reach millions of customers worldwide. In addition to onboarding resources and tools, eBay Canada is waiving selling feesⁱ and offering a free basic store for a three-month period to assist businesses with cash flow as they navigate COVID-19.

"The majority of eBay Canada sellers are small businesses from across the country. They embody what it means to stay local and sell global," explains Rob Bigler, General Manager, eBay Canada. "Up & Running reflects our sense of responsibility and a commitment to retailers whose physical stores are temporarily closed and who lack an international e-commerce channel. We are putting every resource into making it simple and cost-effective for them to quickly set up on eBay and resume selling."

Small Business Challenges

According to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business's member surveys about the impact of the global pandemic, 62% of businesses would not be able to quickly shift more than 10% of sales to online or telephone options. The research highlights other significant challenges:

• 42% are worried about having to close their business permanently; 
• 32% of those who have had to close are unsure if they will be able to reopen;
• 25% say they can survive less than a month under current conditions;
• 22% have no sales or revenues, and a third have seen declines of 51% to 99% of their gross revenues; and
• The average cost of COVID-19 on small businesses so far is $206,000.

eBay Helping Bring Retailers Online

While 61% of Canadians bought online last yearⁱⁱ, as recently as 2017, almost half of all Canadian small and medium-sized businesses did not have a website, or had minimal e-commerce capabilities.ⁱⁱⁱ eBay Canada believes there is an urgent need to help bring retailers online and is offering the following Up & Running benefits:

• A free Basic eBay Store for 90 days
• No selling fees through June 20 (up to 500 sales)
• A $35 coupon for eBay branded shipping supplies
• Powerful selling tools and insights
• Access to eBay's 180+ million buyers around the world

Retail Revival

The Up & Running program builds on an established eBay curriculum – Retail Revival – that was adopted in cities worldwide, including Halifax, Nova Scotia, and saw participants increase sales and international exports through the platform.

"We specialize in marine and boating supplies. With help from eBay Canada, in one year, we've grown our customer base from serving mostly Canada to accessing the huge U.S. market," says Eric Dempsey, E-commerce Manager, The Binnacle and Retail Revival Halifax participant. "Our ability to sell online during the pandemic has been a lifeline. In the past 30-days, we've seen our eBay sales increase 60% compared to the month prior."

Setting Up an eBay Store

New sellers can follow these simple steps to get started:

1. Register your business account on the Canadian registration page and connect a payment method to your account.
2. Check your My eBay Messages Centre to activate the promotional offer. Once activated, look for a confirmation message in your My eBay Messages Centre within 10 days.
3. Get selling tips and tricks from our Up & Running onboarding materials. 

For the terms and conditions and more information, visit ebay.ca/upandrunning.

Supporting Existing Sellers

The launch of Up & Running follows significant moves to help small and medium-sized businesses that currently sell on eBay Canada. The changes were announced to the seller community directly, and include deferred fee payments, added seller protections and the elimination of insertion fees (up to 50,000 listings per month for March and April).

To make it easier for Canadian shoppers to support local retailers, eBay Canada is also highlighting small business sellers on eBay.ca.

About eBay

eBay Inc (NASDAQ: EBAY) is a global commerce leader including the Marketplace and Classifieds platforms. Collectively, we connect millions of buyers and sellers around the world, empowering people and creating opportunity for all. Founded in 1995 in San Jose, California, eBay is one of the world's largest and most vibrant marketplaces for discovering great value and unique selection. For more information about the company and its global portfolio of online brands, visit www.ebayinc.com.

ⁱ New sellers who sign-up for the promotion, will pay no final value fees for the first 500 sold items that were listed during the promotion listing period. PayPal fees and other fees/charges may be applicable. See terms & conditions at www.ebay.ca/upandrunning.
ⁱⁱ Business Development Bank of Canada Study, Expand Online: Strategies to Boost Sales, Profits and Exports, 2019; pg. 5. https://www.bdc.ca/EN/Documents/analysis_research/expand-online-study.pdf?utm_campaign=Study--Expand-online-2019--download--EN&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua – accessed April 14, 2020.
ⁱⁱⁱ Business Development Bank of Canada Study, Expand Online: Strategies to Boost Sales, Profits and Exports, 2019; pg. 1. https://www.bdc.ca/EN/Documents/analysis_research/expand-online-study.pdf?utm_campaign=Study--Expand-online-2019--download--EN&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua – accessed April 14, 2020.

SOURCE eBay Canada

Media Contact: Nicole Macharacek, [email protected], 416.305.8677