eBay policy change inspires boycott
A critical change in eBay policy has upset longtime users enough to stage a week-long boycott of the auction site. Lisa Napoli reports buyers and sellers upset that they can no longer rate each other might take business elsewhere.
eBay logo on eBay homepage (eBay / Marketplace)
More on Retail
TEXT OF STORY
Doug Krizner: If you're a packrat or a bargain hunter, listen up: There's trouble at one of the world's largest garage sales. People who sell on eBay have been boycotting the site this week. As Marketplace's Lisa Napoli reports, it's because eBay's introduced new policies.
Lisa Napoli: Protestors say it's not just that eBay's changed the fees the site charges for selling merchandise. They're angry because sellers will no longer be allowed to post online feedback about buyers who flake out or abuse the system.
Online auction expert Ina Steiner of AuctionBytes.com says user input is an essential part of eBay:
Ina Steiner: You know, it's a revolution to the way that eBay works, because it's always relied on that feedback system.
More than 30,000 people have signed an online petition so far to protest the changes. Others have uploaded anti-eBay videos to YouTube:
Anti-eBay Video: Hello eBayers. I want to talk to you about this boycott. Count me in.
It's impossible to tell just how many people have pulled their goods off the auction site in support of the week-long boycott. Some distant competitors are reporting an increase in online traffic. But with 256 million members, eBay remains the Goliath of the auction industry.
In Los Angeles, I'm Lisa Napoli for Marketplace.
