Longtime ecommerce news site EcommerceBytes has ceased publication after 27 years, ending a run that began when publishers Ina and David Steiner launched AuctionBytes in 1999.
The husband-and-wife publishing operation, which rebranded as EcommerceBytes in 2011, covered eBay, Amazon, Etsy and other marketplaces, with a particular focus on issues affecting online sellers.
The site’s homepage has now been replaced with a farewell notice thanking freelance reporters, advertisers, providers and readers who supported the publication over the years and voicing the Steiners’ support for reporter shield laws like one currently being considered in Massachusetts.
Ina Steiner also sent a final NewsFlash to subscribers on September 14, saying she and David “will stop publishing EcommerceBytes” after 27 years and thanking readers for being part of their selling journey. She said they were proud to have given a voice to sellers who pioneered ecommerce. Neither the newsletter nor the website notice explains why publication is ending.
The message also doesn’t mention the Steiners’ recently settled lawsuit against eBay and several former executives over the 2019 stalking scandal, but the case had clear First Amendment and press freedom implications.
eBay security personnel targeted the Steiners over EcommerceBytes reporting and comments published on their site, while also trying to identify Fidomaster/ unsuckEBAY, an anonymouscutives
Fidomaster/unsuckEBAY submitted news tips to the Steiners and provided subject matter expertise, data analysis and industry context for their coverage of eBay, while also amplifying EcommerceBytes stories and other information on Twitter.
How a data-driven Twitter campaign turned eBay user complaints into investor risk, leveraging free speech & digital advocacy to compel corporate change.
Value Added ResourceLiz Morton
eBay had been monitoring the anonymous account since at least 2018, with efforts to identify the person behind it escalating the following year as executives became increasingly frustrated with EcommerceBytes reporting and the publication’s growing exposure among analysts and investors.
In June 2019, eBay security employee Brian Gilbert traveled to Massachusetts and wrote “Fidomaster” on the Steiners’ fence. Security Director Jim Baugh later used a fake disgruntled employee persona called “Marissa” in an effort to trick Fidomaster/unsuckEBAY into revealing identifying information, while other fake accounts were used to harass both him and the Steiners.
Federal prosecutors said the so-called “White Knight Strategy” was intended to intimidate the Steiners, influence EcommerceBytes coverage and gain their cooperation in identifying the anonymouss
Assistant US Attorney Seth Kosto later singled out the White Knight Strategy in a sentencing memorandum, describing the effort to identify Fidomaster/unsuckEBAY as particularly egregious and “abhorrent to First Amendment values.”
eBay cyberstalking scandal sees renewed interest on free speech & First Amendment implications of the case.
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Questions around In discovery, eBay sought identifying information about people who had communicated with EcommerceBytes while challenging the Steiners’ claims that the harassment campaign had harmed the publication by frightening away readers, sources and advertisers
The Steiners opposed some of those requests under reporter’s privilege, arguing that compelled disclosure could interfere with confidential newsgathering relationships. eBay countered that it needed information about the people whose communications the Steiners were relying on to support their damages claims.
Court filings included communications from people who asked not to be identified because they feared retaliation from eBay, leading to a lengthy discovery dispute over what information the Steiners would be required to disclose.
Seven former eBay employees and contractors pleaded guilty to criminal charges stemming from the campaign. eBay itself admitted responsibility for six felony offenses in 2024 under a deferred prosecution agreement with the Department of Justice, paying a $3 million penalty and agreeing to three years of enhanced compliance monitoring.
The Steiners’ civil case finally ended in July with a $55.7 million settlement involving eBay and several former executives, resolving the lawsuit they filed in 2021.
eBay and former executives settle 2019 EcommerceBytes cyberstalking suit for $55.7 million, ending six years of civil litigation.
Value Added ResourceLiz Morton
At the time, EcommerceBytes said the settlement included no confidentiality restrictions preventing the Steiners from discussing the case or evidence uncovered through the litigation. The settlement agreement itself was not made public, and the EcommerceBytes article detailing the agreement is now among the site’s inaccessible pages.
The shutdown has also taken much of EcommerceBytes’ previous reporting offline. Older article and blog links no longer return the original content, instead redirecting to the farewell page or producing errors. The Steiners’ farewell notice does not say whether the archive will eventually be restored or made available elsewhere.
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Liz Morton is founder and editor of Value Added Resource. She spent 17+ years operating ecommerce businesses before launching VAR. Her reporting focuses on seller experience, marketplace strategy and corporate accountability.
