A global movement of disgruntled eBay customers has decided to rebel against the internet auction site, claiming that the company has failed to address users' concerns on security, fraud and service.

The rebels, led by Vicente Font, a Spanish eBay user, have opted to "strike" against the company. Any action could cost the company, which has made has made profits of $715 million on revenues of $3 billion over the past year, tens of millions of dollars in sales in a matter of hours.

Señor Font began his action by writing on an eBay user's forum, calling for users to boycott the site in protest against "all of the company's current inadequacies that they do nothing to resolve and that we are sick and tired of reading about in forums."

Read Señor Font's original messages here. And other eBay threads - in English - here.

"They pay no attention to the forums or to our complaints. A strike will surely grab their attention. I hope to get your support for the good of all of us," he added.

In reply eBay's Spanish arm posted a message seeking to calm the angry users but only managed to stir up more anger.

"EBay Spain is awash with fraud and piracy," one user wrote.

The wave of customer anger has spread across Europe, spilling into Britain, Italy, Germany and France and has now reached America and Australia.

"I wish you the best in your strike," one US user wrote. "In the US customers are also unhappy and many are moving their business to their own web sites or moving to other auction sites because of all the problems and eBay's complete lack of response to them."

EBay a message yesterday saying that it "did not believe that a forum was the best way to conduct this dialogue and formulate proposals in a democratic and serious manner, and for that reason we have invited two of you to our offices.

"We ask that you respect the suggested solution and assure you that, once the meeting has taken place, we will reopen the debate to include ideas to improve eBay, without getting into non-constructive criticisms," it added.

However, it is not the first time eBay has been criticised for failing to protect its customers.

Forgeries are regularly offered on eBay. Last summer the publication of the fifth Harry Potter book drew much interest and the number of "signed copies" of J. K. Rowling's books offered on eBay soared. The amount of obvious forgeries bought by unsuspecting fans astounded James Allen, owner of Red Snapper Books, a rare book dealer. "Of the fifty or sixty items you expected to see at any one time, perhaps two or three were genuine," he said.

Seeing people spending hundreds of pounds on fakes, Mr Allen wrote to buyers and sellers. "You can imagine the sort of replies I received from the vendors," he said. "But many buyers thought that I was competing to buy a defaced book, they were so eager to own a signed Potter."

Harry Potter fans would do well to be cautious. "There's no magic about this. A signed Harry Potter first edition offered on eBay for Pounds 30 is not likely to be authentic", said Neil Blair, a lawyer at Christopher Little, J.K. Rowling's press agent. So how does eBay police its site and what responsibility does it take for forgeries?

A conventional auction house would soon go out of business if it regularly offered fakes. But eBay operates on the basis that there are so many lots it cannot vet them all. The site says that it employs 800 people tackling fraud. But in practice, it relies on users to spot suspicious activity. "The eBay community effectively monitors the site," it said. Scams are constantly being dreamt up and there is no substitute for common sense. But there are basic rules to remember when surfing eBay.

Be aware that certificates of authenticity are often worthless. It may be wise to go to a reputable dealer to check. Also insist on digital pictures of items and ask questions until you are satisfied.

Sellers who receive cheques for far too much money for the items they have sold should be wary. These are often followed by a request to cash the cheque and repay the balance, and are a source of income for conmen. For eBay's guide on how to trade safely, visit www.ebay.co.uk/safetycentre.

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