Summary
eBay Inc. launched a new service Thursday that encourages small- and medium-sized sellers to build Web stores that operate independent of the e-commerce powerhouse.
Original source:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/24/AR2005062400645.html
Details
The move comes as year-over-year revenue growth slows in the company's core auction format _ particularly in the United States and Germany, where eBay's market penetration is nearing saturation.
The San Jose-based company has been aggressive about expanding into emerging markets such as China and India, but it also has experimented with online classified advertisements, real estate and other new business ventures to try to maintain double-digit revenue increases in the lucrative e-commerce markets of North America and western Europe.
For several years, eBay employees have been charged with expanding the company beyond online auctions _ including creating services that transform eBay into a sort of consulting service for small business owners looking to build their e-commerce presence, said Michael Dearing, eBay senior vice president and general merchandise manager.
About one in three of eBay's largest sellers _ such as people who sell entire lines of discontinued clothes from China and computer vendors who sell millions of dollars worth of equipment each month _ operate their own e-commerce stores.
But more than 100,000 smaller sellers, who hawk everything from handmade sweaters to Pez dispensers, often don't have sites other than their eBay store, Dearing said.
Also on Thursday, CEO Meg Whitman said the company, which ended 2004 with net income of $778.2 million and cash reserves of $1.33 billion, may offer a dividend or repurchase some shares.
"We aren't averse to returning cash to shareholders when we think we have a strategic reserve," Whitman said to about 100 shareholders who gathered in San Jose for an annual meeting.
"But you have to be thoughtful of what you communicate when you do that."
Whitman also brushed aside concerns of one shareholder, who worried about the company's sliding stock price.
About the author: Mike Adams is a consumer health advocate and award-winning journalist with a mission to teach personal and planetary health to the public He has authored and published thousands of articles, interviews, consumers guides, and books on topics like health and the environment, and he has authored and published several downloadable personal preparedness courses including a downloadable course focused on safety and self defense. Adams is an honest, independent journalist and accepts no money or commissions on the third-party products he writes about or the companies he promotes. In mid 2010, Adams produced TV.NaturalNews.com, a natural health video sharing website offering user-generated videos on nutrition, green living, fitness and more. He also launched an online retailer of environmentally-friendly products (BetterLifeGoods.com) and uses a portion of its profits to help fund non-profit endeavors. He's also the founder and CEO of a well known email mail merge software developer whose software, 'Email Marketing Director,' currently runs the NaturalNews email subscriptions. Adams is currently the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit, and pursues hobbies such as martial arts, Capoeira, nature macrophotography and organic gardening. Known by his callsign, the 'Health Ranger,' Adams posts his missions statements, health statistics and health photos at www.HealthRanger.org
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Tuesday, July 05, 2005
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