eBay Takes on Craigslist

Auction site drops search giant's marketing tools after weeklong spat

(NEWSER) - Online auction powerhouse eBay broke a multi-million-dollar "keyword" advertising deal with Google, ostensibly after the search engine threw a party in Boston that crowded an eBay conference. But the boycott on search-driven spots also comes as Google's online payment feature Checkout elbows in on eBay-owned PayPal's territory. More»

Guidelines for safe e-shopping are necessary even on eBay

(NEWSER) - If it looks too good to be true, it might be. Counterfeit goods are no stranger to sites as mainstream as eBay, so you'll want to take a few precautions to avoid forking it over for a fake. Forbes outlines tips for a safe and reliable e-shopping spree.

• Know what to look for: Before purchasing a pricey purse item, read a corresponding authenticity guide. Written by legitimate sellers, you'll learn what to look for, from genuine monogram placement to label fonts.

Most popular sites visited by mobile users don't track with hits from home, office PCs

(NEWSER) - Mobile web surfers are turning conventional wisdom on its head by traveling to a different constellation of sites than those visited from workday PCs, BusinessWeek reports. The “Weekend Web” relies not on Google, Yahoo, and MySpace, but rather on Craigslist, eBay, the Weather Channel and MapQuest—and don't think tech-industry and marketing giants aren't noticing. More»

Fires back with unfair competition

(NEWSER) - The battle between Craigslist and eBay heated up yesterday after Craigslist filed a countersuit charging the auction giant—which holds a 28.4% stake in Craigslist—with offenses ranging from unfair competition to trademark infringement, the New York Times reports. The action is in response to eBay’s lawsuit filed last month, and is being driven by eBay’s launch of its own classified listings, Kijiji.com. More»

It diluted auction giant's shares, triggering last week's lawsuit

(NEWSER) - Why did eBay sue Craigslist last week? Craiglist's fear of a hostile takeover played a role, the New York Times reports. The relationship between the classified ads site and minority shareholder eBay began to sour after eBay launched rival site Kijiji. Craigslist’s directors smelled a takeover in the offing and reorganized their stock to reduce the auction giant’s holding from 28.04% to 24.85%. EBay lost its right to elect a director—and sued. More»