You might not think of eBay as a marketplace for eggs, but some sellers who raise poultry rely on it to reach buyers who are looking for hatching eggs. But according to these "chicken sellers," as one described herself, eBay closed down hundreds of auctions on April 3rd because the sellers offered to send the merchandise via Priority Mail rather than Overnight Express.

A seller who wished to remain anonymous called the shipping policy absurd, "because a freshly laid egg is NOT alive until it is incubated. We were not given any warning AT ALL. We have all lost money due to our auctions being cancelled WITHOUT NOTICE," she wrote in an email.

In fact, she said, "Many of us also exchange eggs in this way to add new blood to our flocks and to help multiply endangered species of poultry. You can visit http://www.albc-usa.org/cpl/wtchlist.html#chickens and you'll see some of the poultry that needs help from breeders."

A thread on an eBay discussion board showed just how frustrated sellers became with the policy enforcement (http://forums.ebay.com/db1/thread.jspa?threadID=1000469772). Breeders also educated other members about the issues surrounding hatching eggs. One poster wrote, "The eggs being sold as hatching eggs have been freshly collected from the hens & need 21-28 days in an incubator to hatch. There is no worry about them sitting somewhere without food or water."

The egg-sellers may have educated eBay as well, as the company reversed itself this week. eBay spokesperson Nichola Sharpe said, "Based on community feedback, we have rolled back the requirement and here is the link to the amended policy below."

The link (http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/wildlife.html) points to eBay's policy, "Animals and Wildlife Products." Under the heading, "Some Examples" is "Live Animals," which says, "eBay also permits the sale of hatching eggs provided the seller only offers domestic shipping within the U.S."

Sharpe said eBay would be following up with sellers as they feel is appropriate.