Do New eBay Rules Sell Out Sellers?

Changes are meant to reward big auctioneers, but may hurt others
By Jonas Oransky,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 30, 2008 4:24 PM CST
Do New eBay Rules Sell Out Sellers?
PayPal lanyards on display at are seen at eBay Inc. headquarters in San Jose, Calif., Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2007. EBay Inc. said Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2007, it will cut by up to 50 percent the fees it charges sellers to list their goods online, in an effort to boost listings and keep pace with other burgeoning...   (Associated Press)

Newly announced changes to eBay sellers’ fees do not always benefit auctioneers—and the backlash among them has already begun. “This is clearly not a straight fee decrease,” says the editor of AuctionBytes. Indeed, in some cases, sellers wind up paying as much s 33% more.

The move by the company's new CEO is meant to reward sellers with high satisfaction and low shipping fees; notably, chief competitor Amazon doesn’t charge any listing fees. Sellers may also be upset that they will be barred from leaving negative feedback about their buyers. The Times notes that eBay barely regulates disputes—unlike Amazon—leaving players to duel out their differences. (More eBay stories.)

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