eBay Unveils Online ProStores Services

eBay, the World’s Online Marketplace® (www.ebay.com), today kicks off its annual community conference, eBay Live!, by unveiling a number of new services and benefits for members, including a Web storefront solution and a new wholesale product marketplace.

Launching today, eBay’s new ProStores service allows eBay sellers and other small- to medium-sized businesses to create a customized e-commerce storefront, independent of the eBay marketplace.

“eBay sellers are looking to maximize their sales online, and many are interested in doing so through more than one channel,” said Bill Cobb, president of eBay North America.

“Listening to the eBay community, we believe there’s a clear role we can play in helping them scale their businesses. ProStores can be customized to meet sellers’ specific needs, and to keep pace with changing requirements as their businesses grow. It’s the perfect complement to selling on eBay.”

ProStores offers four tiers of e-commerce packages, starting at just $6.95 per month with fees ranging from 0.5% to 1.5% per successful transaction. Each tier enables merchants to set up a complete Web store including shopping carts with secure checkout and shipping integration with major shippers.

New ProStores subscribers will receive a one-month free trial, and those who sign up by October 3, 2005 will not incur successful transaction fees until January 1, 2006. eBay Stores sellers also receive a 30 percent discount on ProStores subscription fees.

ProStores is the result of eBay’s acquisition earlier this year of Kurant Corporation’s technology assets, including its award-winning e-commerce software.

As another way to create new opportunities for its sellers, eBay today launched the Reseller Marketplace, a private online marketplace for eBay PowerSellers to purchase eBay Unveils New Ways to Help Sellers Source and Sell Online.

For eBay PowerSellers, the Reseller Marketplace provides access to discounted inventory from manufacturers, liquidators and wholesalers, without having to maintain ongoing relationships with each individual supplier.

“We listen to the eBay community for ideas on how we can help improve their success and make it easier for them to buy and sell,” said Michael Dearing, eBay senior vice president and general merchandise manager.

eBay is The World's Online Marketplace. Founded in 1995, eBay created a powerful platform for the sale of goods and services by a passionate community of individuals and businesses. On any given day, there are millions of items across thousands of categories for sale on eBay.