eBay sellers received an important legal notice via email on Friday about a "Good 'Til Cancelled" class action settlement. Sellers had filed lawsuits against eBay arguing it did not adequately explain that GTC listings incurred fees every 30 days.
The court preliminarily approved a settlement between the parties in the case of Richard Noll and Rhythm Motor Sports, LLC v. eBay Inc. in January, and Claims Administrators are now giving notice to members of the class.
Sellers can participate in the settlement and receive a credit ("If you have closed your eBay account, or if your contact information with eBay is not current, eBay may not have your address and you MUST follow the instructions at the website by no later than June 1, 2015 to receive a check.").
Sellers also have the choice of opting out or objecting to the settlement.
Sellers can find more information on the
website set up by the administrator, including more information about the lawsuit.
Did eBay hide the GTC recurring fees in the fine print? The court said the plaintiffs failed to provide evidence of fraud - what do you think? And did a lack of detail in eBay invoices contribute to the confusion?
Interestingly, the lawsuit states, "The invoices Noll has ordinarily received simply contain a monthly total, rather than any details on items and fees." Many a seller has complained about difficulty in reconciling invoices.
While eBay set up a $6.4 million settlement fund, typically most individual sellers don't receive big payoffs in such cases.
Let us know what you think and what questions you have.