eBay's Product Roadmap reveals eBay's intention to make it easier for large merchants to conduct business on the site. At its recent Developer's Conference in Chicago, eBay announced its Web Services would provide better API and business process support for large sellers. Merchants will be able to manage their entire business without going to My eBay and will be able to organize information by SKU instead of ItemID. eBay also promised faster processing and fewer timeouts with asynchronous bulk interface.

eBay's Director of Product Management for Platform & Service Adam Trachtenberg, who presented the roadmap, said eBay would provide the ability to compress multiple listings into one listing, e.g., with a base item with differences such as size, color, material, etc. In addition, eBay would allow for feedback automation to include rules to automatically provide positive feedback for "a better buying experience."

eBay's perceived special treatment of large sellers has long been a sore spot with its smaller sellers. Things have gotten more tense after it was revealed that the company had made a special pricing deal with Buy.com. Sellers have accused eBay of allowing Buy.com to violate policies, with sellers making a sport out of flagging alleged Buy.com violations.

In response to concerns about the Buy.com deal, eBay created a new level of PowerSeller called "Diamond" for sellers with DSRs of 4.8 or higher and who have $500,000 in monthly sales (or 50,000 items sold/month). Diamond PowerSellers are eligible to negotiate with eBay over pricing and terms.