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Welcome to Ecommerce Weekly, SellerExpress' review of the top ecommerce, Amazon and eBay news from around the Web this week. Google, Facebook, Amazon join forces on future of AI: Jane Wakefield at BBC News reports that Amazon, Google's DeepMind, Facebook, IBM and Microsoft are joining forces to consider the future of artificial intelligence (AI). The companies will join forces on issues such as privacy, safety and the collaboration between people and AI, and will include external experts. Continue reading... Amazon to launch in Australia? Chris Dawson at Tamebay reports that Amazon is being tipped to launch in Australia. Amazon.com.au already exists but only sells Kindle and Audible books. Analysts suggest that Amazon could generate sales of up to $4 billion in Australia which could have a devastating impact on local retailers. Australians already love Amazon—it’s estimated that they spend somewhere in the region of $500 million to $700 million on Amazon sites. Continue reading... A secret deal means Amazon's Jeremy Clarkson show 'The Grand Tour' could one day air on TV: Jake Kanter at Business Insider UK reports that ITV is among a host of [...]

Welcome to Ecommerce Weekly, SellerExpress' review of the top ecommerce, Amazon and eBay news from around the Web this week. Handmade at Amazon travels abroad: Ben Fox Rubin at CNET reports that Amazon's hub for handcrafted, artisanal ware is making its first move outside the US, in time for the holiday season. The site, called Handmade at Amazon, expanded on Thursday to the e-retailer's five European marketplaces: UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Now, calligraphy invitations and chunky-cable knit hats can be purchased by Amazon customers across Europe, not just in those five countries. Continue reading... Amazon undercuts rivals with launch of new photo printing service, Amazon Prints: Sarah Perez at TechCrunch reports that Amazon has quietly launched a new service called Amazon Prints, which allows consumers to print photos and custom photo books, and soon, other photo products like stationery and calendars, at prices significantly cheaper than rivals. Though the company made no formal announcement, Amazon Prints debuted last week and is being made available to customers who use the Amazon Drive cloud storage service. Continue reading... UK Retail Report 2016 celebrates 21 years [...]

Welcome to Ecommerce Weekly, SellerExpress' review of the top ecommerce, Amazon and eBay news from around the Web this week. Amazon launches Echo voice-controlled speaker and Alexa assistant in the UK: Samuel Gibbs at The Guardian reports that Amazon is releasing its wireless, voice-controlled speaker, the Echo, in the UK and Germany, along with its Alexa personal assistant. The Echo is a Wi-Fi speaker that users speak questions, commands and playback requests to, with Alexa – Amazon’s challenger to Apple’s Siri, Google’s Now and Microsoft’s Cortana – replying in kind, only now in a British accent. Continue reading... Morrisons to install over 1,000 Amazon collection lockers: John Glenday at The Drum reports that Morrisons and Amazon have agreed an ambitious collaboration programme which will see the supermarket chain install over 1,000 Amazon pick-up lockers in locations such as shopping centres, convenience stores, airports, train stations, and universities. Each secure drop off point will provide online purchasers with a convenient point to pick up their goods, saving the need to wait in on the postman during the working day. Continue reading... Lucid launch FeedbackExpress for Amazon [...]

Welcome to Ecommerce Weekly, SellerExpress' review of the top ecommerce, Amazon and eBay news from around the Web this week. eBay.com set more stringent shipping expectations: Chris Dawson at Tamebay reports eBay sellers in the US are getting a little upset, as eBay have upped the delivery expectations for First Class and Priority Mail Express sent via USPS. USPS say that Priority Mail Express is usually “Overnight scheduled delivery by 10:30 am” and First Class Mail is “Delivery in 1 to 3 business days”. eBay have said that they’ll be updating the estimated delivery date for seller on-time shipping performance in line with USPS expectations. Continue reading... Amazon brand gating, what does it mean for your business? Leah McHugh via WebRetailer reports on Amazon's decision to charge sellers to sell certain branded goods on its marketplace. In order to sell those brands you must now submit three official invoices and/or a letter from the brand owner, and new sellers to the brand must pay a non-refundable “approval fee” as part of the approval process. The good news is that it won't affect current sellers of [...]

Welcome to Ecommerce Weekly, SellerExpress' review of the top ecommerce, Amazon and eBay news from around the Web this week. eBay Seller Release – A new partnership approach with sellers: Chris Dawson at Tamebay reports that eBay have started listening to its sellers, following its autumn seller release. eBay are giving sellers three months grace if standards slip, meaning a one-off emergency will no longer kill your entire business. eBay have also created a new seller hub to replace all your offline Turbolister, online SMP and other seller pages.  Continue reading… Amazon’s plan to fight counterfeiters will cost legit sellers a ton: Ari Levy at CNBC reports Amazon is taking steps to protect big brands after a recent surge in counterfeiting, and many rule-abiding sellers are paying the price. Online stores wanting to sell brands like Nike and Adidas are being told they have to pay a one-time non-refundable fee of up to $1,500 per brand. That’s after being asked to provide invoices from manufacturers or distributors that show the purchase of 30 items within the last 90 days. The process which started rolling out [...]

Welcome to Ecommerce Weekly, SellerExpress' review of the top ecommerce, Amazon and eBay news from around the Web this week. eBay adds 6 new countries to Global Shipping Program: Chris Dawson at Tamebay reports that eBay has added six new countries to its Global Shipping Program (GSP)—South Africa, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, Estonia and Latvia. With this expansion into new markets, sellers will gain access to millions of additional buyers without having to deal with the hassle of international postage and customs. Continue reading... Amazon just bought a company that's like Skype for gaming: Ben Gilbert at Business Insider UK reports that Amazon just bought another video-game company, Curse Inc. The company's biggest success in recent years is a service called Curse Voice, which lets players chat with each other while playing online games like "League of Legends", one of the world's most popular and heavily played games. Continue reading... eBay UK launches eBay Local: Chris Dawson at Tamebay reports eBay have just launched eBay Local, a peer to peer selling experience across the country. eBay says they know that buyers love to [...]