eBay supports small and medium-sized businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic

The global e-commerce platform eBay announced this week that it would defer fee payments and stop downgrading performance ratings for small and medium-sized sellers worldwide whose businesses have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

At a time when a coronavirus outbreak has engulfed the entire world, small and medium-sized businesses urgently need support from the government and partners in order to continue trading. In response to the virus’s rapid impact on the global economic situation, eBay has decided that all eBay Store sellers will henceforth be able to defer most of their fee payments for a period of 30 days. More information about the terms of payment deferral is available on the official eBay business customer website, export.ebay.com, as well as in the email sent to all platform users.

eBay also promises to protect sellers from rating downgrades in cases of late delivery and order cancellations during the period from 20 March to 20 June. This initiative will help businesses reduce their losses, given that platform users’ ratings directly affect sales volumes. However, if a seller’s performance improves during this period, it will be upgraded in accordance with the previous rating system.

During this period, eBay will also provide businesses with the opportunity to use an eBay Store subscription free of charge. To receive it, a seller must go through the selection process for the eBay Business Development Programme. Any platform user may submit an application to participate in the selection process and receive a subscription to commercial services on the eBay for Business website.

“eBay’s primary focus in the European, Baltic and global markets is to develop retail exports among small and medium-sized businesses. We realise that many sellers are currently trying to cope with countless orders and fulfil them successfully in the rapidly changing pandemic situation, as countries’ borders are being closed, freight deliveries reduced, and the delivery times for various shipping services also delayed. eBay is trying to support its sellers as much as possible and is therefore launching initiatives designed to ease the pressure businesses are currently facing. We are trying to reduce sellers’ financial losses and doing everything possible to maintain an efficient ecosystem on the platform,” comments Ilya Kretov, eBay’s General Manager for Global Emerging Markets.

eBay’s goal is not only to support small and medium-sized businesses but also to provide an excellent customer service experience. Therefore, the platform strongly recommends that sellers switch their stores to holiday mode and inform potential buyers about this. This step should be taken if a seller is unable to fulfil orders in the coming weeks or months. Sellers are also encouraged to check export.ebay.com regularly to stay informed about the latest changes to eBay’s operating conditions.