Description :
SAN FRANCISCO -- A weeklong boycott against eBay's revised fee structure ends Monday. But some sellers on the auction site
still may be holding a grudge, and that could have a lasting effect on
the company.
Sellers initiated the boycott in retaliation against eBay's new
fees, which took effect Feb. 20. Late last month, eBay announced that
it would charge a smaller fee for sellers to list their items for
auction. In turn, sellers would have to pay eBay a higher commission if
they made a sale.
eBay touted the change as a benefit to sellers, but not all of
them are happy. Some even claim they are paying more in fees now than
they had before.
Spokesman Jose Mallabo says the company has felt no impact from
the boycott so far. Those participating in the boycott are passionate
sellers, he says, but they represent only a small fraction of eBay
sellers around the globe. No estimates are available on the number of
sellers backing the boycott.
According to David Steiner, president of AuctionBytes, an
independent trade publication for online merchants, eBay's listings
totaled just over 12 million before the fee change. But then the
company offered a listings promotion that helped drive up the number to
just under 16 million on Feb. 13. Now that the promotion has expired,
listings have fallen below 12 million.
Steiner says the drop can be attributed to any number of
factors that might have nothing to do with the boycott. And analysts
agree that the effects of the fee changes beyond the boycott have yet
to play out.
Read the rest of the story here....
|
