Alibaba rival JD.com launched a new platform that includes a pilot program with eBay. eBay’s channel on JD Worldwide, called “Best of eBay Deals,” will showcase a variety of top categories and popular brands at attractive prices from select, trusted eBay sellers from the US, according to the companies.
eBay spokesperson Johnna Hoff confirmed that the agreement will mean that sellers will get exposure to buyers in China. “Showcasing deals and inventory from eBay U.S. sellers on JD lets us leverage a known brand and operational expert in China, and in turn, JD Worldwide benefits from increased selection of popular categories from trusted merchants.”
JD Worldwide is said to be similar to Alibaba’s Tmall, the B2C site that works with Western brands – not to be confused with Alibaba’s C2C site Taobao.
Hoff said eBay has seen increasing demand from Chinese consumers in recent years to buy from eBay sellers’ selection of global inventory. “The new eBay presence on JD Worldwide offers Chinese shoppers more access to popular brands and products from the U.S., while expanding the global reach of eBay sellers.”
It’s a compelling proposition for online sellers considering the sales opportunity in domestic China and the challenge individual businesses face in making inroads there, she said.
“eBay is pursuing a variety of options to expand our sellers’ addressable market, and surface the inventory that Chinese consumers are looking abroad to find.”
