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August 15, 2006
It's one out, all out in cyberspace. According to reports, disgruntled eBay sellers in the UK are on strike. The strikers are unhappy with charges introduced by the online auction giant to attract more buyers. And some of them have turned to Google for help.
Other unpopular changes have seen the online auction house reduce the visibility of its 'Shops' listings. To date, such listings have allowed users to open an online shop, displaying a range of wares on a single page.
Some of the striking salespeople have pleaded with Google to set up an online auction house. It seems that the big G retains its 'do no evil' cachet, despite its vast size and recent unpopular adventures in China.
Unhappy shop-based eBay sellers believe the combination of higher charges and reduced visibility is squeezing them from both sides. In response, eBay says it wants to favour its traditional audience of independent buyers and auctioneers. The prevelance of online shops is making things harder for these people under the existing system, according to eBay.
Later this year, eBay is set to launch eBay express, a set-price sales service, on which only approved sellers are allowed to hawk their goods. Some sources speculate that it is in eBay's interests to move online shops from its traditional space and on to the new project.
Posted by: Matt Egan
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Posted by Craig on August 15, 2006 :
Unfortunetley a drop in the ocean to Ebay.
Will They even notice ?
Totally understand though, they got us by the *****
Listing fee's
Final Value Fees
and then a chunk of the payment too if the buyer uses paypal, and most do.
All this and still a huge risk for sellers and naive buyers alike.
They have become a law unto themselves.
No customer service either, how else would one get their point across.
Good luck to those who can afford to strike I say.
Posted by Jamie Oldfield on August 15, 2006 :
Have you seen the 'fee hike' auctions?