Originally published 7 March 2018 by Prinitha Govender, Power Retail.

eBay Australia Draws a Line on Third-Party Fulfilment

eBay Australia banned sellers from using Amazon FBA services to ship items sold on its marketplace - a move that coincided with Amazon's launch of its logistics business, Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA), in Australia.

The policy states that third-party fulfilment is not permitted where it could create confusion for eBay customers, particularly when orders appear to be sent by another retailer or marketplace. While eBay Australia did not name Amazon directly, the timing and context were clear.

This was the first time such a restriction had been formalised into eBay's policies globally, despite longstanding concerns about cross-platform fulfilment in the US and UK markets.

Retailers Weigh Trust Against Opportunity

In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, eBay Australia's chief Tim McKinnon acknowledged the concern among Australian retailers.

"What I hear from Australian retailers, and I talk to a lot of Australian sellers, is they worry about the effect that Amazon might have on their business. While some of them are considering selling on Amazon, they don't completely trust Amazon - they worry about the way that Amazon might use their sales history and buy items themselves." - Tim McKinnon, CEO, eBay Australia

Amazon's practice of leveraging seller data to inform its own retail operations in other markets added weight to those concerns.

Speedmaster's Approach: Build Protection, Stay Forward

Speedmaster CEO Jason Kencevski reinforced the need for strategic awareness - and action.

"There is no doubt there will be the similar rebound effect in Australia as there was in the USA, which was a gradual but sharp effect, unlike a new brand or company, which takes time to gain momentum. In the end, companies and brands must learn to coexist by finding a strong competitive advantage. I would highly recommend not falling asleep at the wheel and if you are looking back in the rear-vision mirror for old answers to new problems then you're obviously not looking forward." - Jason Kencevski, CEO, Speedmaster

Kencevski noted that Speedmaster had already implemented systems to protect both its brand and its reseller network.

"At Speedmaster, we put many pillars in place not only to protect our brand but all our resellers of the products. Work out a strategy, as one thing we learnt the hard way is that: Amazon do not play fair." - Jason Kencevski, CEO, Speedmaster

The position reflects Speedmaster's broader approach to operating independently: build the infrastructure, control the brand, and stay ahead of shifts rather than reacting to them.