The California based online marketplace eBay Inc is poised to set up shop in Taiwan and is working on finding local partners and is recruiting staff, an industry insider said yesterday.
"They are looking for local partners and office space to for a Taiwan branch," said a Taipei public relations official tied to eBay that requested anonymity.
Founded in 1995, eBay creates online auction platforms that allow Internet users to buy and sell products on Web.
The venture reported US$90.4 million in net income or 74 percent net revenue growth last year, and forecast sales to hit US$3 billion in 2005.
The proposed Taipei office is expected to follow the business model of several other Asian branches, Chinese-media reported.
Setting up its newest branch office in Singapore in October of last year, currently eBay offers online trading services in 17 markets around the world, including North America, Europe, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand.
An official with eBay Hong Kong declined to confirm or deny the news yesterday.
In addition, the Chinese media also reported eBay was seeking to recruit Raymond Chang (
Giga Media later confirmed the news, saying eBay had held talks with Chang about the appointment.
"But Chang declined eBay's offer and decided to stay with us," said Christine Feng (范家馨), public relations manager at Giga Media.
eBay's recruiting plan is in line with the firm's regional strategy.
"Based on our business models in the Japanese and Korean markets, when eBay comes to a new market, we like to localize our operations," said the eBay Hong Kong official.
One local competitor said it won't be easy for a foreign online auction operator to succeed in Taiwan.
"First, they have to establish good connections with local product suppliers, delivery system operators and payment networks," said David Chuang (莊思凌), deputy manager at Coolbid.com (酷必得), a local e-commerce Web site.
Chuang said the online auction market in Taiwan is not as profitable as in the US.
"A successful auction mechanism relies on a large population [base]. The number of Internet users in America is much more than in Taiwan," Chuang said.
That's why Coolbid.com, got out of the online auction service and decided to instead focus on e-commerce, he explained.
"Now, about 80 percent of our sales come from selling products online. That's where our profits come from," Chuang said.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-Wong tomorrow, which it said would possibly make landfall near central Taiwan. As of 2am yesterday, Fung-Wong was about 1,760km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving west-northwest at 26kph. It is forecast to reach Luzon in the northern Philippines by tomorrow, the CWA said. After entering the South China Sea, Typhoon Fung-Wong is likely to turn northward toward Taiwan, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said, adding that it would likely make landfall near central Taiwan. The CWA expects to issue a land
Taiwan’s exports soared to an all-time high of US$61.8 billion last month, surging 49.7 percent from a year earlier, as the global frenzy for artificial intelligence (AI) applications and new consumer electronics powered shipments of high-tech goods, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. It was the first time exports had exceeded the US$60 billion mark, fueled by the global boom in AI development that has significantly boosted Taiwanese companies across the international supply chain, Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) told a media briefing. “There is a consensus among major AI players that the upcycle is still in its early stage,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it is expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong this afternoon and a land warning tomorrow. As of 1pm, the storm was about 1,070km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving west-northwest at 28 to 32kph, according to CWA data. The storm had a radius of 250km, with maximum sustained winds of 173kph and gusts reaching 209kph, the CWA added. The storm is forecast to pass near Luzon in the Philippines before entering the South China Sea and potentially turning northward toward Taiwan, the CWA said. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said
PREPARATION: Ferry lines and flights were canceled ahead of only the second storm to hit the nation in November, while many areas canceled classes and work Authorities yesterday evacuated more than 3,000 people ahead of approaching Tropical Storm Fung-wong, which is expected to make landfall between Kaohsiung and Pingtung County this evening. Fung-wong was yesterday morning downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm as it approached the nation’s southwest coast, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, as it issued a land alert for the storm. The alert applies to residents in Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Taitung counties, and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春). As of press time last night, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Yilan, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Pingtung and Penghu counties, as well as Chiayi city and county had
RSS