You may have heard that PayPal is now accepting rubles which will open up the Russian market. So, this has started some speculation as to whether eBay are eyeing up Russia. If the rumours are to be believed, we could soon see the launch of eBay Russia.
UK and European sellers could soon have access to Russian buyers
This would mean Russian sellers and buyers. Not just within the country itself, but citizens would also be able to buy and sell internationally. This would inevitably open up opportunities for sellers in the UK and Europe. Retailers would be able to sell to Russian consumers and buyers would also have access to goods from Russia.
Russian deliveries an issue: parcels sent to remote locations can take months to arrive!
There’s one issue to be conquered however, and that’s deliveries. Although Russia is a huge country, completing deliveries to major cities isn’t a problem. However, with so many towns in far flung places, it can literally take months for some parcels to arrive.
eBay and Russian couriers working on solutions
According to the Moscow Times, eBay is currently looking at how to solve this particular dilemma. It has been exploring the possibilities of entering into partnerships with Russian courier services such as Dostami Express. The company claims that consignments could be delivered in seven to 10 days from the United States to destinations within Russia.
So far, the rumours are yet to be confirmed or denied. Nevertheless, the fact that PayPal is accepting rubles could pave the way nicely for eBay Russia. Russians have already been able to browse eBay in their own language and make purchases since 2010. We could see more Russian consumers buying from Western sellers if eBay Russia was launched.
