[LINK] RFS: 'Watchdog to rule on eBay bid'
Roger Clarke
Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au
Thu Apr 17 09:11:25 AEST 2008
[RFS = Request for Submissions
["eBay has written to the Australian Competition and Consumer
Commission asking for immunity from legal action under the Trade
Practices Act [for forcing its users to use PayPal].
"A spokesman for the ACCC said the regulator would invite public
submissions on its website before May 2."
[Watch this space (because they may forget to notify the Link Institute:
http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/2332
[Or plug this in: feed://www.accc.gov.au/rss/ACCCNewsReleasesFeed.xml
Watchdog to rule on eBay bid
Date: April 17 2008
The Sydney Morning Herald
Asher Moses
http://www.smh.com.au/text/articles/2008/04/16/1208025283105.html
THE competition watchdog is examining whether eBay is breaching trade
practice laws by forcing users on to PayPal.
PayPal performs payment processing for online sellers, allowing them
to accept credit card payments and money transfers without having
their own merchant credit card accounts.
The policy, to come into effect on June 17, will mean all items must
be paid for using PayPal - which eBay owns - or cash on delivery or
pick-up. Direct bank deposits, cheques and money orders will be
barred.
The move by the auction site is limited to Australia and will hit
sellers with extra fees because PayPal charges them between 1.1 and
2.4 per cent.
Sellers have already begun a revolt by swamping eBay's discussion
boards and starting a petition, which has more than 3500 signatures.
Sellers are sceptical about eBay's claims that PayPal is far safer
than other methods such as bank deposit, and say some buyers distrust
PayPal.
"If consumers want the additional protection offered by using PayPal,
they can choose to use PayPal," said Dale Clapperton, chairman of the
lobby group Electronic Frontiers Australia. "eBay's proposed conduct
takes away that choice and would likely prevent the emergence of
competitors to PayPal in the online payment market."
Alastair MacGibbon, eBay's trust and safety director, said the
announcement was designed to protect users who were four times less
likely to have a problem on eBay if they paid using PayPal than with
other methods.
eBay has written to the Australian Competition and Consumer
Commission asking for immunity from legal action under the Trade
Practices Act.
A spokesman for the ACCC said the regulator would invite public
submissions on its website before May 2.
--
Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/
Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916
mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/
Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University
Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong
Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW
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