AUSTRALIAN consumers are easy targets for famous US emporiums, with a healthy appetite for importing, a love of brand names and a strong dollar, according to the global head of eBay.

The online shopping company is helping US retailers sell to Australian consumers without establishing any operations here, while domestic retailers struggle to get shoppers to spend money in stores.

"The Australian consumers are very open to imports and they're looking for brands."... eBay's global chief executive, John Donahoe. Credit:Reuters

Ebay's global chief executive, John Donahoe, said big US retailers such as Macy's were using eBay as an ''incremental distribution channel'' for global growth, after announcing last week a $US8.2 billion ($7.8 billion) annual profit for eBay, well up from the $US6.6 billion for 2010.

''Macy's saw … the Australian dollar was very strong,'' Mr Donohoe said. ''The Australian consumers are very open to imports and they're looking for brands. And Macy's opened up a store in eBay Australia.