PayPal announced that it is opening an API to developers to allow them to embed PayPal’s payment system into their own apps and platforms. The company, a subsidiary of eBay, says this is the first global payment platform to open to third-party developers.

eBay announced its second quarter results yesterday, and claims to have had a strong second quarter, slightly higher than expectations. Here are some of the numbers:

- Second quarter revenue was $2.10 Billion (a $97.7 million decrease year-over-year)

- Net income on a GAAP basis was $327.3 million ($0.25 per diluted share)

- Non-GAAP net income was $478.6 million ($0.37 per diluted share)

- eBay generated $730.7 million of operating cash flow during Q2 and free cash flow during the quarter was $602.3 million

eBay’s traffic appears to be on the way down. This doesn’t come as a huge surprise if you pay attention to the commentary on message boards and comment sections on eBay articles.

The majority of online retailers (79%) say improving the checkout process is one of their top priorities for the remainder of the year, according to a new Forrester Research report.

Amazon has launched a new site catering specifically to cell phones and their service plans. The online store located at wireless.amazon.com lets users shop for phones by model, service, color, etc. 

You may be able to shop by carrier at AmazonWireless, but that only includes AT&T and Verizon. On top of that, they don’t even carry the iPhone, which is available through AT&T. Here is a look at the site’s bestselling phones:

SeeWhy shared some interesting findings from a survey of over 150 Google Analytics about website abandonment. They discussed "post session remarketing" and say it is going to grow rapidly.

Post session remarketing is basically going after individual users who have abandoned your site. "Of all the techniques out there, remarketing in real-time (thru e-mail specifically) is set to grow 152 percent," a representative for SeeWhy tells WebProNews.

Amazon.com is continuing with its policy to abandon its affiliates program in any state that even considers legislation that would force the online retailer to collect and pay sales tax.

Amazon.com has killed another affiliates program due to proposed legislation that would force the company to collect and pay sales tax in Rhode Island.

The move comes less than a week after Amazon notified its affiliates in North Carolina it would be ending its program there due to similar proposed legislation.

Back in May, it was reported that Facebook was going to begin testing a payments system. This inevitably led to discussion about how Facebook might be preparing to take on products like PayPal and Google Checkout.

North Carolina residents who are Amazon Affiliates recently received an email telling them the company would be ending its relationships with them due to the North Carolina state legislature getting ready to, as Amazon puts it, "enact an unconstitutional tax collection scheme."

What the North Carolina government is proposing would apply sales tax to purchases made through online affiliates based in NC. It has not yet passed.

Online ticket vendor Fandango had a big day courtesy of the US release of Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen. The movie came out today, technically starting at midnight last night.

PayPal has launched a new site called "Do Stuff For Money," which the company describes as a way to get people to do stuff…for money. Mind blowing isn’t it?

Today eBay announced the completion of a tender offer for all outstanding common shares and American Depositary Shares (ADSs) of Gmarket. Back in April, eBay announced that it was spending $1.2 billion to acquire those shares.

Gmarket is known as Korea’s leading eCommerce business, and it will apparently be combined with eBay’s existing online marketplace in Korea, Internet Auction Company.

Users of the Sitepoint Marketplace are getting a new home for their community. Sitepoint announced that it is moving to Flippa.com, which is currently in beta, and boasts an updated web 2.0-style design. Do you like the new destination? Tell us your thoughts.

If there’s one thing that’s sure to turn the heads of bargain-seekers, it’s the word "free," and a new eBay program capitalizes on this fact by waiving some insertion fees.  Unfortunately, there is a catch or two, and the auction company doesn’t seem likely to win over many of its critics with this move.

A while back, I wrote a piece on a company called IMShopping, which was using Twitter for a fresh approach to eCommerce. Essentially what the company was doing was using a Twitter account to answer questions consumers have about products they are seeking, aiming to bring a human element often lacking in the online retail world.

eBay aims to "spark the entrepreneurial spirit" among its sellers with today’s launch of the eBay Sellers Challenge. The challenge is for sellers to answer the question: "How would you use $25,000 go grow – or start – an eBay business?"

PayPal requires reserves for a percentage of sellers. That percentage is less than 1% according to the company. PayPal likens the reserves to a security deposit to cover future chargebacks and reversals.

Since PayPal began this practice, they have had a lot of questions about it from sellers, and hoping to clear up some confusion, Bill Clark, an analyst with PayPal’s risk team offered the following explanation on the PayPal Blog:

On Friday, eBay released a revised version of its user agreement. The changes deal with situations where a buyer has alleged receipt of a counterfeit item.

eBay Senior Counsel Scot Shipman discusses the changes in a company blog post. He says that under the changes:

Walt Disney Co. has launched a new websites offering select merchandise from Disney’s domestic theme parks and resorts.

The new site, DisneyStore.com replaces the former site DisneyShopping.com. Visitors to DisneyStore.com can browse and buy more than 100 products previously available only at Disney theme parks.

Offerings include customizable novelty ears, birthday gifts, exclusive art, collectibles, toys and plush items. Disney says it will continue to expand its selection throughout the year.

Sometimes one has to state the obvious: You’re in business to make money. You make money by convincing lots of people to give you some of their money. Success depends on making this process as painless as possible*.

But many online businesses may be making it too difficult for customers to hand over the cash, which is a bad business practice by any account.

Here’s what people (especially men) are used to: