eBay announced Monday it will bundle its Selling Manager Pro software with "Featured" and "Anchor" Stores.
eBay sellers who own a Featured Store ($49.95/month) or Anchor Store ($499.95/month) will now receive Selling Manager Pro free with their Store subscription. Selling Manager Pro is an optional auction-management service provided by eBay that would normally cost sellers $15.99/month to use.
eBay selling tools like Selling Manager Pro compete with tools from third-party vendors. This latest move is reminiscent of Microsoft's bundling of the Internet Explorer browser with its Windows operating system. Microsoft competitors argued that allowing Microsoft to integrate its browser with Windows was an unfair advantage and would undermine the position of competitors.
eBay frequently runs promotions to encourage its sellers to use its own listing software and its PayPal online payment service, which are integrated into the eBay system. Recently, eBay vendors complained that eBay's customer service representatives were blaming eBay glitches on third-party tools (http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y04/m07/i30/s02).
eBay also announced on Monday a promotion for users who sign up for eBay listing tools. Through August 31, eBay users will receive a free collectible pin if they register for the promotion and subscribe to any of the following eBay Seller tools: Selling Manager; Selling Manager Pro; Seller's Assistant Basic; or Seller's Assistant Pro (http://www.ebay.com/toolpinsonline).
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