Auction site scraps charity fees

ONLINE auction website eBay has scrapped fees on tsunami charity donations following complaints that it was making a profit from the disaster.

The company bowed to pressure after the Evening Standard revealed that it was subtracting more than 5% from gifts intended for aid agencies. Donors responding to a plea on the website for a £100 donation to Oxfam, to feed four families for a month, were not told that eBay would take a £5.86 cut.

Outraged eBay users bombarded the site's discussion boards with complaints. One called the fees a 'greedy corporate scam'. Announcing the U-turn, a spokeswoman said: 'eBay UK is waiving fees for every charity auction organised by the 12 official charities with the Disasters Emergency Committee for a one-month period.'

Last week, banks agreed to hand back £300,000 in credit card fees to relief agencies.