eBay Sues Amazon For Trying to Poach Sellers

eBay has taken legal action against Amazon over 'repeated' attempts to poach sellers using eBay's email system, breaching the eBay user agreement and the California Comprehensive Computer Data Access and Fraud Act.

A cease and desist letter was sent to Amazon last month accusing the retail giant of perpetrating “an unlawful and troubling scheme” to encourage sellers to move away from eBay and sell on Amazon, instead.  

eBay has since opened a lawsuit against Amazon, stating that it has attempted to “infiltrate and exploit eBay’s internal member email system” for many years, adding that it appeared to be part of a “larger pattern of aggressive, unscrupulous conduct.”

The complaint stated: “Amazon’s misuse of Ebay’s M2M system has been coordinated, targeted, and designed to inflict harm on eBay,” 

“Indeed, one of the Amazon sales representatives who participated in this scheme described the team he worked on as a ‘hunter/recruiter team which actively searches for sellers we believe can do well on the (Amazon) platform.’”

In these email communications - of which there are reportedly over 1,000 from 50 different Amazon 'sales representatives' - abbreviations, dots and spaces were used to avoid detection by eBay's monitoring systems. 

Ebay wants financial damages from Amazon, which is undertaking an investigation into the allegations. 

Source : Insight DIY Team

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