According to eBay, poor shipping and delivery service problems across Europe are a major problem facing SMBs in Europe, even though they are “at the heart of the European economy”.

eBay’s European Chief, Paul Todd has published a blog on LinkedIn and eBay’s newsboard on Tuesday that said, “There’s no question that the internet has led to an explosion of economic opportunity and reinvention in Europe, and around the globe.

“But I also see the problems and the frustrations which European small and medium sized businesses (SMB) encounter on a daily basis.”

Todd wrote about two online sellers that operate on eBay, German textile specialist Garnwelt and the UK’s Spice Kitchen as examples of the “millions of European entrepreneurs who rely on the internet to thrive and prosper”, but who are “continually frustrated by poor shipping and delivery service”. Legislation, regulation and online trade barriers are causing the two companies major issues and are holding back e-commerce across Europe.

Todd suggested that these challenges faced by the two companies illustrate “why the work being done by the EU Commission and the EU Parliament to build a real Digital Single Market is so important”.

The blog explained that eBay is helping its sellers champion the need for “an efficient parcel delivery market in Europe; the lifting of online sales restrictions (including platform bans); and the simplification of the VAT regime and consumer protection laws”.

The European Commission is making noises about these issues at present through its Digital Single Market Strategy and may well take action to smooth cross border, intra EU trade by forcing delivery companies to improve their act. These may well be seen as ‘barriers to trade’ and as such could well be within the remit of the EC to act on to improve e-commerce within the EU.