eBay Takes Affiliates To Court Over Unauthorized Cookies

August 28, 2008 · Filed Under Internet Marketing, eBay, ecommerce · Comment 

 Gamimg The System

 Earlier this week it had been reported that several eBay Partner (affiliates) had been booted out of the program. There were posts on the eBay discussion boards regarding these removals as well reports from several sources such as Auctionbytes that the ousted Partners might consider retaliation against eBay in some form.

eBay Pushes Back

While some of those that had been ousted from the Partners program complained on the discussion boards that eBay was angry because these Partners had beat them in the in the search engine rankings enabling these Partners to reap large Partner payments it seems there may be more to the story.

Posted on the Charles G Mullen blog late last night is a report that eBay is suing 3 of it’s former Partners for devising software that clandestinely place cookies on visitors computers to redirect them to eBay without the visitors knowledge.

While many popular websites do very well as eBay Partners driving traffic to the eBay site, it seems that some may have found a way to do it underhandedly. An eBay moderator posted an explanation for the actions taken on the discussion board explaining eBay was attempting to provide the higest quality traffic to the site.

The Right Thing To Do

While I can find no evidence that the users posting on the discussion boards are those indicated in the lawsuit I have to believe there is definetly a connection.

While I am often at odds with eBay over management decisions, I believe this is the right thing for eBay to do. Gaming the system to reap large payments from the Partner program is wrong. Placing cookies on a visitors computer that basically hijacks the user is unethical and I dare say illegal.

I believe this may also have an affect on the eBay visitor numbers though in the scheme of things it may be a small number it is a number.

   

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eBay Reported To Make Major Changes But Nothing Posted On Site

August 20, 2008 · Filed Under News, eBay · 1 Comment 

eBay Reportedly Making Major Changes

It is being reported by Ina Steiner editor of Auctionbytes.com that eBay announced major site changes overnight. The reported changes include major fee changes to Buy It Now (BIN) and Fixed Price listings, Finding (Search or Best Match) Payments allowed, Shipping, and Seller Standards. While these changes are being reported by Auctionbytes, there is NOTHING posted on the eBay announcement board as of 7:30 AM ET.

No Cash, Checks or Money Orders

In the vast list of changes noted in the article, the one that hits at the core of business is payment options. eBay (as expected) has apparently decided in their wisdom that US currency is no longer acceptable (Wow, I knew the dollar was in trouble) as a form of payment. Neither are checks or money orders. As eBay attempted and failed to institute a PayPal only payment policy in Austrailia, this is not an unexpected move.

Seller Standards Set

In the article Auctionbytes reports that eBay Seller Standards will be set to a minimum 4.3 Detailed Seller Rating (DSR) across the board beginning November 1, 2008.

Shipping Charges

eBay is reportedly setting shipping fee limits.

Select Notification?

While it has long been anticipated that these changes were forthcoming, I for one wonder why there is nothing posted on the eBay General Announcement Board? Ina says she was briefed yesterday regarding the upcoming announcement, and that the news was set to be released at 12 midnight. Reuters and other outlets were also apparently briefed.

As eBay sellers awake to their computers this morning, checking the Announcement Boards as they should every morning (yeah right) they will see nothing of these upcoming major changes unless they read Auctionbytes or receive Google Alerts.

 

 

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