Yahoo Closes Australian Auction Site
By Ina Steiner
AuctionBytes.com
August 07, 2003

Members of Yahoo's Australian auction site SOLD.com.au received word
that the site is shutting down on August 20. The announcement
directed
users to eBay.com.au. Current auctions will continue to run, but SOLD
stopped accepting the submission of new auction items. Members will
be
able to use their IDs for all other Yahoo services, such as Mail and
Shopping. No reason was given for the closure.

Yahoo had purchased SOLD.com.au from F2, the online interactive
network
of John Fairfax Holdings, in April 2001. Later that year, eBay
Australia took over auction site goFish from News Ltd.

In related news, sources say eBay is consolidating customer service
into three locations worldwide: Germany; Vancouver, Canada; and a
planned
site near Dublin, Ireland; leading to layoffs in some global offices,
including Australia.