Trade Me raises fees, means better competition

The New Zealand Herald recently confirmed what members of the Trade Me message boards have been whinging about for days: Trade Me are hiking their fees. The last fee increase was a few years back in 2008. Here's a detailed look at the new fees Trade Me will be charging its users come February 7th.Many online posters are incensed over the move, accusing Trade Me of being unreasonably greedy. According to Trade Me representatives, the reasons behind the price increases have are down to increases in site traffic and the recent GST hike. In all honesty, an increase in site traffic shouldn't justify a price hike, as more traffic means greater opportunities to sell both products and advertising. It appears that Trade Me are simply taking advantage of their huge audience while it lasts, and at the same time converting audience numbers into higher margins.Trade Me is one of the biggest online communities in New Zealand, and personally I think it's the most underrated social network, but that's a topic for another day. This move has the potential to push users to the arms of other services like Sella, whose services up to this point have been overshadowed by Trade Me's dominance. If Sella wants to up its game and become Trade Me's main competitor, the time is now. Sella: the ball is in your court.

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