eBay says it has more than a lakh registered sellers from India 

At any given point, eBay has more than a lakh registered sellers from India engaging in cross-border trade and export, Pavan Ponnappa, Head, Categories, Acquisition & Marketing at eBay India told businessline.

He added that out of these lakh registered sellers, transacting sellers would be in the thousands as many sellers export seasonal products, so they might sell a lot in one quarter and not do many transactions in other months. Hence, the number of transacting sellers keeps varying. 

eBay India has been focusing on cross-border trade, specifically export for the past 3-4 years, as the company exited all other services it used to offer in India. Following the acquisition of eBay India by Flipkart, eBay’s consumer-facing marketplace offering was shut down in 2018.

India’s supply

Commenting on the importance of Indian export for eBay, Ponnappa said, “From a market point of view, the supply that India brings is extremely relevant, along with the opportunity, and scale it brings. It is not just about satisfying the demand that exists on the platform but India also helps create new demand on the platform. This is because India brings in supplies that otherwise do not exist on the platform. eBay’s India business has been growing extremely fast in the last three years and sustainability of this business is extremely high.”

As per eBay’s data, the top in-demand export categories from India include auto parts & accessories, home decor, sporting goods and natural alternative remedies, among others. eBay also plans to increase its focus on various parts of the country this year, for example: in the South for fine jewellery, and Kashmir & Rajasthan for rugs & carpets.

Further, eBay is said to have seen twice the number of sellers showcasing interest to sell on the platform this year as compared to the previous year. Going ahead, the company’s focus is on bringing more high-quality supplies to the platform. For eBay, it is not just about bringing more sellers but bringing more high-quality supply even if it is from fewer sellers. 

“A lot of the sellers are still more focused on the domestic market but as they start experiencing global markets, we have noticed that their appetites are massive. We are trying to leverage various channels to enable this, be it Global Xpansion Program for D2C brands,  our direct outreach, or partnerships with the governments. We work with a couple of state governments to enable supply, which is very specific in those regions,” said Ponnappa.

The focus for the next 2-3 years for the company is toget to a point where they have a vast supply coverage. The Global Xpansion Program is exclusive to D2C brands, aggregators and export manufacturers. Through this, companies can secure more exposure, traffic, higher sales, and sustainable growth in cross-border trade. 

Commenting on the policies around export in India, Ponnappa said,” The Indian government has a high emphasis on exports and I think they have done a fantastic job. In the last two years, we have seen a lot more action on the ground. However, we need faster policy implementation so that sellers are able to ship their product out of India in quick time.”

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