eBay Canada today launched Up & Running, an accelerator program it said is designed to support retailers without an e-commerce presence transition to selling online.
The initiative, eBay said in a release, will also help existing online businesses create a channel to reach millions of customers worldwide.
In addition to onboarding resources and tools, eBay Canada said it is waiving selling fees and offering a free basic store for a three-month period to assist businesses with cash flow as they navigate COVID-19.
“The majority of eBay Canada sellers are small businesses from across the country,” said Rob Bigler, the firm’s general manager. “They embody what it means to stay local and sell global.
“Up & Running reflects our … commitment to retailers whose physical stores are temporarily closed and who lack an international e-commerce channel. We are putting every resource into making it simple and cost-effective for them to quickly set up on eBay and resume selling.”
According to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business’s member surveys about the impact of the global pandemic, 62% of businesses would not be able to quickly shift more than 10% of sales to online or telephone options.
The research highlights other significant challenges:
- 42% are worried about having to close their business permanently
- 32% of those who have had to close are unsure if they will be able to reopen
- 25% say they can survive less than a month under current conditions
- 22% have no sales or revenues, and a third have seen declines of 51% to 99% of their gross revenues; and
- The average cost of COVID-19 on small businesses so far is $206,000.
While 61% of Canadians bought online last year, as recently as 2017, almost half of all Canadian small and medium-sized businesses did not have a website or had minimal e-commerce capabilities.
The new program includes:
- A free Basic eBay Store for 90 days
- No selling fees through June 20 (up to 500 sales)
- A $35 coupon for eBay branded shipping supplies
- Selling tools and insights
- Access to eBay’s buyers around the world
Additional information about terms and conditions is available at ebay.ca/upandrunning
