Auctionbytes-NewsFlash, Number 676 - January 07, 2004 - ISSN 1539-5065     

By Ina Steiner
AuctionBytes.com
January 07, 2004
Reading AuctionBytes: eBay Outage Strikes Site Day after Rate Hike Announcement

One day after eBay announced a rate hike on many of its listing fees, the site experienced a half-hour outage that prevented users from viewing items while browsing or searching the site. An announcement on eBay read, "From 14:51 to 15:20 PST, some members were unable to access the eBay site or specific features. We have resolved this problem, and we appreciate your patience."

AuctionBytes documented seller dissatisfaction over other eBay glitches occurring during the recent important holiday-shopping period. After Monday's announcement, many sellers complained it was unfair of eBay to increase fees while ignoring so many problems on the site, including glitches. While some sellers said they would cut back on auction listings and others talked of alternative venues, a mood of resignation permeated the boards, in contrast to coordinated protests of eBay's earlier days. Meanwhile, French sellers threaten a week-long strike beginning January 14 to protest fee increases on eBay.fr.