Trouble seems to be following eBay, even as far as China

[mandy]

Late last month, the chief executive of eBay's Chinese unit, Eachnet, resigned abruptly. EBay also is in talks to sell part or all of its Chinese operations to Hutchison Whampoa's media flagship, Tom Group,..

A deal would foster the perception among stock-market investors of "how difficult and challenging the China market has been for them,".... "It would be perceived as a negative."...

China is just the latest woe for eBay, once a star of e-commerce. Over the past few years, the San Jose, Calif., company's growth has slowed and new competitors have emerged. Today, the Internet company is working to stabilize its flagship U.S. auction business -- its largest sales generator -- which has matured and is now producing less revenue per listing. EBay says listings by on-site "stores," which generate less in fees, were rising faster than auction listings and notes that merchants were selling too much look-alike or commodity items such as DVDs or CDs, which make the buying experience less unique and enticing...

full article: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06285/729734-28.stm