EBay cuts listing fee for sellers at online auction website

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) — EBay said on Tuesday it is cutting fees it charges people to offer items for sale and raising standards at the online auction website.

In a move aimed at staving off increasing competition from the likes of Google and Craigslist, eBay is trimming fees it charges aspiring sellers by as much as half.

"Consumers have more choices than ever, and they expect more when they shop online today," said John Donahoe, who takes over for Meg Whitman as eBay chief executive at the end of March.

"We're serious about making eBay easier and safer to shop."

This is the first time eBay has offered incentives and discounts to sellers since it was founded in 1995 by French-born Iranian computer programmer Pierre Omidyar.

EBay said fee changes will be rolled out globally and vary from country to country but are essentially intended to encourage more ...