Alan De Smet ([info]alan_de_smet) wrote,
@ 2008-09-22 18:06:00
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Entry tags:ebay, evil, monopoly

eBay still needs to be regulated

Since I wrote my original call for the regulation of eBay, I've occasionally looked back on it and wondered if I was too harsh. eBay has now helpfully assured me that they'll keep abusing their monopoly position given the opportunity. (Backup link.) As of next month, sellers can't accept payments by check or money order. It's cash-on-pickup or online only. Want, say, Google Checkout? "Google's and Amazon's products and services compete with eBay on a number of levels, so we are not going to allow them on eBay." That's a surprisingly honest statement that they're using their monopoly in running auction to leverage and advantage in the unrelated area of payment handling. eBay are scum. At this point my primary hope is that they screw up badly enough that they implode, creating a vacuum for real competition. Unfortunately their monopoly power is so great that the screw up would need to be mind-bogglingly large.

(Via Slashdot.)


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[info]haversian
2008-09-23 01:22 am UTC (link)
That was exactly my reaction: "Wow, somebody's spin machine needs lube badly".

Ebay doesn't seem particularly concerned that they're being taken to task, with varying degrees of ferociousness, throughout the world, for their bundling practices.

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[info]valleyviolet
2008-09-23 04:17 pm UTC (link)
If it makes you feel any better, most folks who are doing original arts and crafts are moving to Etsy, who are not at all evil so far. Ebay doesn't seem likely to lose their yard sale market, but they've taken a serious hit in the niche that Etsy has claimed.

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