The eBay annual shareholder meeting this morning had none of the dramatic flair you'd expect from a company that's under siege from disgruntled users.
Sure, there were a couple nut jobs, including a guy who rattled on about a letter he wrote "Meg" last year and a bunch of other stuff we didn't really understand.
There was also a requisite PETA representative there -- she talked about the sale of live cats and dogs on Tom.com, eBay's partner in China. EBay CEO John Donahoe said he appreciated her concern and that he would communicate them to Tom Online.
It surprised us, though, given the loud complaints from eBay sellers, that there weren't any seller/shareholders who made their voices heard. Earlier this year eBay implemented a number of changes -- including feedback and fee structure modifications -- that prompted several boycott attempts. Perhaps few sellers actually own eBay shares; or maybe they just didn't get any microphone time. In either case, it was quiet. And the vibe on Wall Street about eBay seems fairly positive right now, thanks to decent growth in listings.
"I think we've seen a lot of sellers invest resources in improving shipping, customer service, the clarity of the message on their site," says Steve Weinstein, an analyst with Pacific Crest Securities. "There's still a lot more work to be done, though . . . And I can't say I've seen a significant pickup in buyer activity, but that doesn't mean it won't occur."
Photo: Flickr/liewcf
See Also:
