From today, Australian consumers will benefit from easier access to the wide selection of products from around the globe on eBay.com.au. The change gives increased prominence to search results from the U.S. (eBay.com) and the UK (eBay.co.uk) in a number of categories, providing consumers with easier access to the widest selection of goods at the most competitive price.
Deborah Sharkey, eBay Vice President, said: “Australian consumers are continuing to buy more and more online, yet local eCommerce businesses don’t yet offer the full range of products and brands they are looking for.
“We believe that making it easier for consumers to access eBay’s global product selection will improve their shopping experience and ultimately benefit local businesses selling on eBay.com.au by retaining Australian customers who might otherwise look elsewhere.”
While consumers will be able to more easily access products from international sellers, eBay believes Australian-based sellers maintain a number of competitive advantages.
According to Forrester research commissioned by PayPal, Australians prefer to buy from local websites and almost one third only buy from overseas because the products they want are not offered or easily accessible here in Australia[1]. In addition, local sellers have geographic advantages that allow them to offer greater customer service and compete against global players.
[1] eCommerce Secure Insight report, commissioned by PayPal, Nov 2010