eBay Partner centre for deals and offers
5/08/2008 at 00:06
eBay have launched their new Partner Centre which promises to bring “great deals and offers from trusted partners” to eBay users.
Currently it’s little more than a collection of eBay’s biggest advertisers and you’ve probably seen all of the “offers” in the sidebar of My eBay at some time or another.
The deals and offers currently are simply plugs for the companies advertising. I could find only one with an offer, and that’s Parcel2Go who give a discount if you insert their logo into your eBay auctions. There aren’t any other deals or offers that you couldn’t get by going to the companies direct.
To build value (for both advertisers and eBay users) the companies featured in the eBay Partner Center need to have some real deals on offer.
Discounts, incentives or promotions specifically for eBay users may entice them to browse the Partner Center. A collection of adverts for off eBay products and services probably won’t.
You can let eBay know your thoughts on Partner Center by emailing them at servicecentrefeedback@ebay.com or clicking the link at the bottom of the Partner Center home page.
vzaar Jamie says
11:47 am on 05/08/2008
In part its how you define partner? Is it a partnership that eBay has developed with a 3rd party that gives that 3rd party access to eBay’s huge community (e.g. Sky TV packages, Axa Insurance Rates) or is it partnership in the sense that offers, in this case sellers, opportunities to try or buy services that will help their business?
In the case of the latter, eBay UK has taken its time to realise the value inherent with acknowledging 3rd party solutions. Now I would say this (in my current role at vzaar) but the more eBay can do to encourage engagement with the myriad of 3rd party solutions that are out there in the marketplace the better the long term chances of seller retention.
The goal of most of these solutions (from Channel Advisor, to Frooition through to BlingIt) is to help sellers increase sales. Either way an increase in GMV, Average Selling Price (ASP) or even Feedback (DSRs) plays to eBay’s need for sustained seller activity. With acquisition was the key, eBay could afford to not work with 3rd parties. But now that activity is also so important and that there is only so much headroom left, eBay has the clout, the marketing arm and the reach to offer to its users some really smart and appropriate solutions.
I’d love to see eBay open up more the of their platform to the likes of us. Project Echo (US applications for Selling Manager Pro) is a huge and welcome step in that direction and we’d welcome more ways to publicise partner offers.
AuctionChex says
12:32 pm on 05/08/2008
I have my doubts if or not the Parcel2Go link is allowed in listings ?
It is not a service directly related to the listing as such, like an image host or template design service – a third-party solution or service to perform key functions in the listing
http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/policies/listing-links-credits.html
northumbrian says
1:58 pm on 05/08/2008
ebay needs to be careful that they dont poison there own watering hole
with 3rd party solutions that dont deliver on quality and service