A boycott by angry merchandise sellers on ebay was scheduled to begin today in protest of some changes the online auction company is planning.
Beginning Wed., Feb. 20, eBay will significantly lower the fee to list items on the site for U.S. sellers, in an effort to get sellers to list more items, but the company will charge more once an item is sold. The changes in the fee structure have upset some sellers who believe it could result in them having to pay out more to the company.
In addition, ebay is also planning to change the way feedback is handled, and sellers will not be able to leave comments for buyer, and only feedback for transactions for the last 12 months will be visible. The move has some sellers angry that they may become more vulnerable to scammers.
Wendy Sept, spokesperson for ebay, did not return a message seeking comment, but at an event last month ebay President and CEO-elect John Donahoe said the moves are designed to make the buying experience better.
“It is our intention to reward great sellers. Sellers that describe items accurately, ship on time, and ship at a fair price will enjoy preferential pricing and discounts on eBay. We think this will significantly improve the buyer experience overall,” Donahoe said in a statement.
Whether ticket brokers who list tickets on ebay will join in the boycott remains to be seen. The boycott is scheduled to last until Feb. 25, and two brokers TicketNews spoke to said they had no intention of participating in it.
But one broker, Jerry Raynor, owner of Tickets On Time, said he’s not happy that many of the 1,800-plus comments he’s received in 10 years of selling tickets on ebay will disappear. During that time, he’s only received one negative comment, and he has been honored with “Power Seller” status.
“If everyone has to play by the same rules, so be it, but it’s a shame that a lot of that goodwill that was built up over 10 years will disappear,” Raynor said. “That’s not easy to accomplish, and I wonder whether people will understand what it means that feedback will only go back one year.”
