Software Bug Trashes 10,000 eBay Seller Listings

It's doubtful that anyone needs another reminder that even the largest companies out there can still make fatal mistakes, but eBay has given us one anyway. Late last week, a bug caused at least 10,000 sellers to have their account information disappear - sales history, current listings... poof. For someone who might just list the odd item through the service, such an occurrence wouldn't be the end of the world, but for those who make their living off of it, that's another story.

eBay has stated: We continue to make progress in restoring these listings, a process that is rolling out in stages and is expected to be completed for the majority of listings within 24 hours of the incident.. It's not clear if seller histories are included in this, and in a note to The Register, a spokesperson simply couldn't confirm it either way.

Perhaps even more than a retail store, eBay sellers rely on their sale history in order to bolster their profile and become known as a reputable seller. It can take many years to reach a point where any passer-by can take a simple look at the store and feel confident that it's trust-worthy. Obviously, the effect would not be great if that information were to simply disappear.

We'd have to imagine that even if that were the case, eBay would remedy the situation somehow, but at best, all it could do is restore the actual numbers and not the feedback. Even then, it's hard to say, because it's been confirmed that the company will not be compensating affected sellers, which to me is a little appalling. It'd be one thing if eBay was a free service, but it's not. Those who make their living off of it pay hundreds or even thousands to the company each year - so to have the company simply brush the situation under the rug is a little disconcerting. And this, just hot on the heels of the company lowering its rates to help appease its customers.