eBay says "Sorry" but doesn't change policy

UK listings no longer automatically listed on US site

23 April 2007 12:02 GMT / By Stuart Miles

eBay has been forced to say "Sorry" over a policy change that has affected UK businesses.

The changes, which where brought in in February, mean that UK customer listings no longer appear in search results on eBay.com automatically.

While it is still possible for American users to find items listed by UK sellers, they how have to use the "advanced search" option to do so.

The move has meant that some eBay sellers sales have seen heavy declines. Peter Jones, an eBay seller, told the BBC that the move had "decimated" his US sales.

eBay says the move is to try and simplify the search process for localised buyers, citing that American sellers aren't able to list products on ebay.co.uk.

It recommends that customers looking to sell in the US sign up for accounts specific to the territory, however that would mean customers paying separately to list items on both accounts.

Although the company has apologised for the move, it has not as yet reversed the decision.

The company has said that it will allow some items, such as Wedgewood china and coins in the near future.