Back in February, we covered the first major seller strike on eBay, in which a large group of eBay's PowerSellers launched a week-long boycott of the site in an effort to have their voices heard. The sellers, who were unhappy with recent changes to listing prices and other policies, claimed some success and even USA Today reported a 13% drop in sales. However, eBay denied the boycott had any impact whatsoever on their business. This time the boycott will involve both eBay buyers and sellers, and, unlike the first, no end date has been set.
The boycotters still have many unresolved issues regarding the changes that have been taking place on the site, the most radical being a change to the feedback system which prevents sellers from being able to leave negative or neutral feedback.
In addition to the feedback changes, the other items being protested include issues with DSRs (Detailed Seller Ratings), the minimum 21-Day PayPal hold for risky sellers and risky categories, fee increases, another other policy changes. A good summary of all the issues can be found here.
On eBay, there are several ongoing discussion threads surrounding the boycott, which began today. Some sellers are saying they won't boycott because they can't lose the business, but others say they won't just boycott, they will just take their business elsewhere for good.
Boycotters continue to use social media to spread their message - the unofficial MySpace page, for example, has 738 friends as of today. New YouTube videos have appeared as well.
It's too soon to tell whether this second boycott will have any impact on eBay either, but it may come down to whether eBay can withstand the loss of these major PowerSellers, rumored to be in the hundreds. With a site as massive as eBay, it's likely that they can.
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: eBay Sellers Relaunch Boycott.
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About time.
With their recent lawsuit going after Craigslist, Ebay has proven its unworthiness. Their greed will shoot them in the foot sooner than later.
Posted by: Sam Newman | May 1, 2008 11:17 AMIt is about time. Very shortly you will start seeing eBay alternatives cropping up and taking some of their business away, FTW!
Posted by: Bob | May 1, 2008 12:52 PMWishing them the worst-- I think eBay's totally right here, and I'm glad the changes have been made. Unfortunately without an organized complaint campaign people assume your side doesn't exist.
I was sick and tired of sellers sending emails like 'leave me feedback and I will leave yours'. I had already paid, they knew exactly the quality of me as a buyer. But they try to hold back and use the unspoken threat of negative feedback to try to force you to leave positive feedback.
I will use eBay more often now than I did before the change.
Posted by: Morgan | May 1, 2008 1:10 PMI think there is more to the seller strike than the feedback issue... although that is a big issue for sure and you can read idea after idea of how it might be fixed. Ultimately I think it is just the straw that broke the seller's back.
eBay has an identity crisis. Who do they want to be? And I think their answer would be the WORLD's online marketplace for ALL things. Unfortunately, buyers and sellers are caught in the middle and really don't know where they fit. Every time eBay does something for one group of its customers it ticks another group of its customers off. While they try to reel in revenue they end up alienating those that generate it.
It is self-destruction waiting to happen. They're going to need some pretty talented leaders (and as we've seen so far they don't have that in place) to survive.
Posted by: Bill | May 1, 2008 8:15 PM@Morgan
I am only an occasional seller, but I always ask my buyers to leave feedback first. This isn't because I am threatening to leave negative if they leave negative, but because I believe that the feedback should reflect the buyers performance throughout the whole transaction (including returns & refunds etc), not just paying.
Posted by: Mike | May 2, 2008 2:18 AMI've had buyers who have been perfectly courteous and paid promptly who then became totally unreasonable when it turned out they hadn't read the listing or whatever.
If I had given them feedback first then I would have had no recourse and no opportunity to complain about their behaviour during the returns stage of a transaction.
As a buyer I am happy to leave feedback first. It indicates to the seller that I am happy with their service and above all have received and am happy with my item. As far as I am concerned the transaction is then over and they are free to leave feedback.
Forcing it to be the other way around leaves sellers open to unscrupulous buyers, which is my main problem with the changes that ebay have introduced.
I would love to see eBay reduce listing fees even more. Items under $25.00 should always be free to list. If the item sells, eBay collects their fees.
Millions of people are reluctant to list a product with a company that charges high up front fees for insertion with no guarantee that the item will be seen, or even sell! eBay wins regardless, not so for the sellers. No wonder their listings are down.
eBay has lost millions of sellers they should have been able to retain over the years.
Holding eBay recruiting seminars within United States Post Offices around the country will not do the trick either! Recruiting newbees to further exploit, will not work for long.
eBay stock is stagnant. Dead in the water. A sign that investors no longer believe in this company!
eBay CEO needs to get his old sellers back on board before it's too late. No sellers-no buyers-no eBay.
eBay can afford to lower listing prices, can afford lower final value. They are hoarding billions of dollars in their coffers.
What do they plan on doing with all that money anyway? They are not sharing it with their investors that's for sure! lol.
Why not share with their sellers and buyers? Give them a break?
eBay needs to lower listing prices further, and lower final value.
Posted by: Mozelle | May 2, 2008 8:41 AMThis is definitely an opportunity.
Posted by: Fabian Schonholz | May 2, 2008 1:47 PM