I sometimes wonder how effective boycotts and blog campaigns are at persuading companies to change their ways. Kicking up a fuss worked when Apple reduced iPhone prices a few weeks after the launch. But clever sod GodJobs sent everyone a $200 rebate ticket, which you had to spend on more Apple stuff, so you wonder who benefited the most.
Anyway, the reason for the question is the conflicting stories I am hearing about the week-long boycott of eBay from a semi-organized group of "power sellers" who feel shortchanged over recent pricing changes. Without going in details, these people withdrew their business from eBay for a week. For now, the results of the protest are unclear and of course, disputed.
Online auction trackers such as PowerSellersUnite and Medved indicate eBay's total auction listings dropped as much as 13 per cent over the week — but then again, eBay claims that the site's internal statistics showed the boycott "had no impact" on listings. Doubtless to say, the company does not release those figures publicly. I suppose we'll never know.
George Parker
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