ChannelAdvisor Corporation, the leading provider of small business and online marketplace management solutions, and buySAFE, which offers one of the highest levels of protection from online auction risks through the buySAFE with The Hartford program, today announced the companies have formed an exclusive partnership. The partnership enables ChannelAdvisor sellers, approved by buySAFE, to conveniently post the buySAFE Seal to eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY) auction listings, and to financially protect these transactions with surety bonds from The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. (NYSE: HIG). The agreement includes both co-marketing and software integration.

buySAFE with The Hartford is the only program that enables approved sellers to present a credibility seal on their online auction listings and provides surety bonds, which financially protect the seller’s performance on behalf of buyers. buySAFE performs a rigorous qualification check on sellers and issues the buySAFE Seal only to the most reputable, trustworthy online merchants. The Hartford underwrites and issues the surety bonds, which provide that The Hartford will refund the item’s sale price or replace the item in the event that a bonded seller does not fulfill the terms of the sale. This program protects consumers from certain online transaction risks such as fraud, misrepresentation, refund failure and seller default.

ChannelAdvisor is the first auction management software company to enable its sellers to protect their online auction transactions by using buySAFE with The Hartford. As fraud and misrepresentation are continuing to grow in the auction marketplace, many sellers are seeking tools to help establish their credibility and verify their identity. This partnership enables approved ChannelAdvisor sellers to have a distinct advantage over other sellers in the market, as the buySAFE Seal informs buyers that they are dealing with a reputable and trustworthy seller, and the bond financially protects buyers in the instance the seller did not meet the terms of the sale. This means sellers can experience an increased amount of bids and higher bid prices while buyers can shop with greater confidence.

“We spent a lot of time evaluating online marketplace providers, and we felt ChannelAdvisor best matched buySAFE’s innovative offerings,” says Jeff Grass, CEO, buySAFE. “The scalability and ease of use of ChannelAdvisor’s auction management software combined with the protection of buySAFE with The Hartford offers online auction participants the most powerful solution available to be successful in the auction marketplace. Our goal with this agreement is to offer ChannelAdvisor customers a competitive edge when selling online.”

“We partnered with buySAFE to make it easy for our sellers to protect their transactions. Sellers whose transactions are bonded by a reputable company enjoy the distinct competitive advantage of increased buyer confidence, which translates into more bids, higher prices and greater profitability,” says Scot Wingo, CEO and President of ChannelAdvisor. “This new feature is one more way our sellers can stay ahead of their competition and grow their businesses to the next level.”

http://www.channeladvisor.com

http://www.buysafe.com