Will eBay boycott bring boatloads of sellers to Amazon?

The week-long eBay boycott set to begin tomorrow is getting huge play in the media. Sellers are outraged about a series of changes to feedback, fees, and search results. Here's a good rundown of the changes at CNN/Money:

• Fee hike sparks seller rebellion

• Backlash: Rival sites court eBay sellers

• Outraged sellers plot strike

• PayPal funds freeze draws fire

• Talk back: eBay forum discussion

• 5 sellers who ditched eBay

And here's a YouTube video that states the grievances of sellers devastatingly well.




In part, it says:

New CEO John Donahoe] called eBay sellers and buyers "nothing more than noise." He then proceeded to call eBay buyers and sellers "a flea market" and implied that he is ashamed to be a part of it.

In his very next breath, Mr. Donahoe then announced yet another eBay fee increase. This increase raises fees by up to 66 percent higher for some sellers. eBay management had the bright idea to market this increase as a "fee decrease," blatantly insulting the intelligence of millions of buyers and sellers worldwide."

True enough. But as noted by Ina Steiner on AuctionBytes, the impact of the week-long boycott will be hard to measure. eBay has coyly scheduled a temporary listing fee reduction to coincide with the boycott.

Meanwhile, Amazon is doing all it can to attract eBay refugees. "We want all sellers on our site," Amazon's business solutions chief, Matt Williams, told Steiner.

eBay 101: Selling on eBay For Part-time or Full-time Income, Beginner to PowerSeller in 90 Days

Q&A: Is it safe to sell books on Amazon and eBay?

QUESTION: I'm interested in selling used books on Amazon and eBay to supplement my retirement income. But I'm worried about giving my credit card to Amazon and PayPal, even though I buy books from online booksellers through Amazon all the time. I cannot jeopardize my life savings in any way.

ANSWER: I can understand the concern, and I felt exactly the same way when I started bookselling. However, I've earned my living from deposits to a regular checking account from Amazon and PayPal thanks to my bookselling during the past six years. I've never had an unauthorized deduction to my account from PayPal or Amazon, and I've never heard a story of this happening to anyone else. Sure, there is a customer every now and then who might try to cheat you. But looking at the big picture, there are U.S. consumer-protection laws against unauthorized charges to bank accounts and credit cards. So you can report any bad transactions to your bank, if it ever comes to that.

You could probably gain some peace of mind by setting up a separate bank account to collect your deposits from the bookselling, and transfer the funds periodically to your personal account. This is a worthwhile thing to do anyway, so you can keep your business and personal funds separate.

The biggest danger to online sellers, I think, is with hackers and "phishing" e-mails that ask you to "update" your account information, and give a Web link for you to follow. These are always fraudulent, and a scammer can gain access to your accounts if you give your password. The only thing you have to remember is, never follow a link in an e-mail that supposedly takes you to eBay, Amazon, a bank, or anywhere else you need a password. Instead of following links, open your Web browser and type in the address yourself.

Phishing isn't unique to online selling, of course -- everyone with an e-mail account receives this junk. But some of it can appear legitimate, so keep your guard up. Here is more information on fraud prevention from Amazon and eBay.