According to eBay's Summer Online Business Index, two thirds of firms surveyed expect to submit stock orders up to 30% higher than last Christmas. Only 15% of businesses expect stock orders to be any lower.

The Spring index showed a 127% increase in cross-border online trade in 2008 compared with 2007. During the same period, domestic sales by eBay's top UK sellers increased by 26%.

eBay UK began publishing its quarterly Online Business Index this year and looks at attitudes and performance of hundreds of online businesses operating on eBay.co.uk. eBay said the index provides a voice for entrepreneurial businesses that are forming an increasingly important part of the British economy.

The Online Business Index is compiled using survey responses from 410 of eBay's top sellers, all of which are registered as businesses and have an annual turnover of at least £139,000. The Index also uses sales data from the top 1,000 business sellers on eBay, whose turnover in 2008 totaled an estimated £785m.

The survey component of the Online Business Index was delivered by independent research consultancy FreshMinds using seller information provided by eBay. Survey fieldwork was carried out online between February 6 and March 2 for the Spring survey, and between May 1 - 17 for the Summer survey. A fifth of the businesses covered by the index trade exclusively online, and three quarters get at least some of their income from other websites.

eBay's most recent report also discusses the problem of manufacturers using tactics to prevent retailers from selling their products online (see today's AuctionBytes Blog).

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