At least 10 people are expected to protest eBay policies by picketing outside the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans where eBay is holding its third annual eBay Live Community Conference.

eBay seller Nancy Spaulding said she will be picketing to protest billing and accounting issues that have plagued her account since March of this year. Nancy is making the 15-hour trek from Ohio because, she said, "I am being ripped off. eBay is getting no more money from me in fees."

Spaulding began selling fulltime on eBay in January after she got laid off from her job. She has had medical problems, and found selling online was perfect. But at the end of March, she noticed her account balance went from about $250 to $760 overnight.

Spaulding said, "I started emailing eBay and they told me it would be fixed in a few days." She spent over 18 hours poring over printouts of her billing records, which she says changes everytime she logs on. She went from listing 241 items in February to 229 items in March to 152 items in April. She stopped listing items for good in May.

She feels eBay has overcharged her over $70 up to this point. When asked why she would go to so much effort to protest at the eBay Live convention for this amount of money, Spaulding replied, "If it's $70 for me, how many thousands and thousands of dollars are out there? $70 isn't a lot for some people, but they are overcharging people and not letting them know there is a problem." Spaulding also says some sellers are claiming that eBay has suspended their accounts over the confusion caused by the billing problems.

Spaulding said others will be joining her in the picket line taking place Thursday and Friday morning from 10:30 – 12, including some who have had billing problems and others who object to extensive changes going on in certain categories on eBay, particularly in the media and entertainment areas.

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