eBay has announced it is beta testing its subscription-based Selling Manager service platform that allows third party developers to embed their applications at My eBay where professional sellers manage their business.
The platform is used by 270,000 online sellers in the U.S. to manage their business. eBay says it will no longer charge for its Selling Manager service in an effort to attract third-party developers.
eBay says more than 87,000 third party developers have already built more than 13,000 live applications that consume its Web services.
“The Selling Manager platform puts useful innovations from trusted developers in front of a large and receptive audience of customers at the point at which they are most inclined to buy,” according to Max Mancini, senior director of the eBay Developer Program.
Developers interested in building application on eBay are required to meet site standards. Once approved their applications will be available to sellers that subscribe to eBay Selling Manager, and they can monetize their applications with subscription-based revenue.
UPS is the first transportation provider for the Selling Manager platform, and it is integrating its shipping software, WorldShip into eBay so sellers can mange shipping within My eBay at no cost.
“We are continuously evaluating ways to enhance our offerings to buyers and sellers,” said Jordan Colletta, Vice President of e-Commerce Marketing, UPS.
“As a result, eBay sellers can now benefit from direct access to UPS from within the new eBay Selling Manager Applications beta. This enhancement streamlines the shipping process by eliminating the re-keying of information between eBay and UPS WorldShip.”
