Netsuite adds hosted link to eBay

Retail users of the on-demand ERP software services of NetSuite Inc. will find that selling their products on eBay Inc.'s online auction site just got easier with the unveiling of a new version of the vendor's hosted e-commerce software.

The San Mateo, Calif.-based hosted applications vendor yesterday announced that its NetSuite ERP applications can now be linked directly to eBay's system, which will allow the users of NetSuite to more easily and efficiently conduct seamless transactions on eBay. NetSuite said that the updated system will let retailers take the product listings they have placed on the NetSuite catalog service and publish them directly on the eBay Web site, along with pricing and other information. NetSuite users could previously only manage their eBay business on the eBay site.

The updated e-commerce service will also let NetSuite customers place items up for bid on the eBay site and watch the bidding process through to its conclusion, said Mini Peiris, vice president of product management at NetSuite. Customers can also get status updates during the auction, such as the latest bid and the amount of time left for the auction, without logging on to eBay, she said. When the auction is completed, over, the retailer can take the order directly from a successful bidder and process the transaction through the NetSuite ERP service, she added.

TonerZone Inc., which began using the new features a week ago, has already conducted a live auction on eBay, said Ilan Douek, president of the supplier of printing products. TonerZone.com plans to  use the NetSuite integration to sell 500 ink and toner cartridges on eBay, he said. The Bell, Calif.-based company has been using NetSuite's hosted ERP and CRM applications since 2003. Douek said TonerZone also uses NetSuite's hosted ecommerce application to process 1,000 orders a day. He projected that adding links to eBay will increase the transaction volume by 8%.

The updated NetSuite products also adds a tool that can guide users in creating Internet sites and listing products for sale on them with relevant information, such as the size or color of an item. The updated application also offers customers a single interface for managing multiple international Web sites and online stores.

The NetSuite eBay integration feature is available in the U.S. immediately; NetSuite will charge a fee based on the number of transactions-up to 100 transactions will cost $99, or 99 cents per transaction. All the other e-commerce enhancements will be available by the second quarter of 2007. The NetSuite service starts at $499 for the first user per month and $99 for each additional user per month.