eBay Encourages Romanian Sellers To Sell Globally Through New Partnership With Poșta Română

The Romanian Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitalization, Poșta Română, and eBay are launching a new e-export nation platform, an initiative that aims to support the growth of online exports of products from Romanian businesses.

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E-export nation is a platform that simplifies online export to more than 190 nations eBay reaches and aims to contribute to the cross-border development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Romania.

Global buyers on eBay now will have the opportunity to purchase directly from Romanian merchants, enjoying the benefits of optimal cost and timely delivery using the services of the Romanian postal service.

Buyers on eBay globally who chose to buy from Romanian merchants directly can receive their products at optimal costs and at the best delivery time, using the services of Poșta Română (Romanian Postal Service).

“Romanian online commerce is one of the national industries that registers exponential growth from year to year. Between 2018 and 2022, statistics show an increase of over 80% in this segment, currently reaching a nominal value of over 6.3 billion euros,” said Sebastian Burduja, Minister of Research, Innovation and Digitalization.

“We believe that the e-export nation program has a potential catalyst for the continuation and even acceleration of this growth rate. Also, by opening the market to cross-border ecommerce, we aim to support the increase in the performance of SMEs in Romania and the creation of new income streams for them.”

Romanian SMEs have the opportunity to participate in this program by visiting this link. In addition, SMEs can enjoy various benefits, including complimentary product listings on eBay for the initial three months, tailored training, and discounted rates.

“Romania is one of the fastest growing countries in our emerging markets portfolio. Through the e-export nation program, we are helping Romanian SMEs to be visible to the 133 million active buyers that eBay has in 190 markets around the world,” said Michael Sokolovsky, Head of Communications & Marketing eBay EMEA emerging markets.

“We offer them practical advice to be able to efficiently use export services and opportunities, as well as many other cost-saving benefits. In essence, we show them how they can grow their business and expand globally.”

Romanian sellers will also receive discounted shipping fees for three specific service categories, complimentary pick-up service, expedited 2-3 day deliveries through EMS (Express Mail Service), and reduced costs for large shipment volumes.

“We want to make it easier for Romanian traders to start on the global market through the facilities that the Company offers through this program, so that they can focus more on their entrepreneurial vision and on how they can develop their businesses in the long term,” said Valentin Ștefan, General Manager of Poșta Română.

“This initiative is only a first step in bringing Romanian entrepreneurship among the priorities of the Poșta Română. We believe in the partnership launched today and in the fact that by educating SMEs towards ecommerce, we contribute to stimulating Romanian production and export.”

eBay Continues to Promote Cross-Border Trade From Low-Wage Countries

While Romania is an EU country, it also has some of the lowest labor costs in the EU, ranking nearly at the bottom with an average hourly wage of about 1/3 of the EU’s average wage.

In essence, Romania is a low-cost country producer in relative terms to the major EU and North America markets and is frequently used by European manufacturers as a production location.

This new initiative by eBay with Poșta Română appears similar to another program eBay has championed in India, offering discounts and incentives for SMEs to promote products for export on the global marketplace. And eBay has been active in supporting export trade from China as well for years now, a thorn in the side for some sellers on the platform already.

While fundamentally, there is nothing wrong with promoting cross-border trade. But when offering incentives in low-wage countries to sell on a global marketplace, these sellers can offer prices well below similarly produced items in top European markets and North America.

Especially, sellers who sell New In Box items may get squeezed out in some categories as eBay attracts more sellers from these lower-wage countries.

It’s a bit of a dichotomy by eBay wanting sellers in the U.S., Canada, UK, Australia, and other top ecommerce economies to upscale while also forming programs and partnerships in low-wage countries to promote lower-priced goods on a global scale.