Anne Hathaway was seen wearing the toggle necklace three times while filming scenes for “The Devil Wears Prada 2.”
EBay Goes After ‘Unscrupulous’ Amazon in Lawsuit
It alleges Amazon representatives opened eBay accounts for the sole purpose of poaching the site’s sellers.
Santa Clara, California—Ebay is suing rival Amazon, claiming representatives of the retail giant opened eBay accounts for the sole purpose of poaching the site’s sellers.
In the lawsuit, filed Wednesday in California Supreme Court, eBay Inc. alleges that since 2015, dozens of Amazon representatives have become eBay members but with no intent of selling anything on the online marketplace.
Instead, they used their membership status to access eBay’s member-to-member (M2M) email system and use it to try to convince hundreds of eBay sellers to move to Amazon’s third-party marketplace.
According to the lawsuit, the representatives would send solicitation emails to eBay sellers within minutes of opening their accounts, all the while writing email addresses and phone numbers in ways that could escape detection, i.e., jdoe AT amazon DOT com or 2.0.6.-5.5.5.-5.5.5.5. (This email address and phone number are both generic and merely used as examples in the complaint.)
Amazon’s alleged scheme violated the user agreement and policies that parties agrees to when they sign up to sell on eBay, the company said in its suit.
The policies dictate that sellers cannot use M2M to solicit people to sell off the platform and cannot use the platform to exchange personal information. The company has automated programs in place that are designed to detect if people are swapping email addresses and/or phone numbers.
EBay specifically cites a handful of eBay sellers’ accounts that it said were found to be linked to Amazon IP addresses and that began sending solicitation emails to sellers almost immediately upon creation.
One individual appears to have opened up three accounts tied to two different addresses in Seattle and all containing the word “savvy” within the span of a few weeks in 2016. These accounts, the lawsuit states, “sent more than 120 solicitation emails while making zero bids, zero purchases, zero listings, and zero sales on the eBay platform.”
Ebay and Amazon are rivals, and competition between the two West Coast companies has only intensified in recent years as Amazon has begun to eat into eBay’s business by expanding its third-party marketplace. According to the suit, items sold by third-party sellers accounted for half of Amazon’s total unit sales in 2017.
RELATED CONTENT: Amazon Launches ‘Storefronts’ to Promote Small BusinessesIn its lawsuit, eBay points to Amazon’s alleged seller poaching as being one in a series of ethically questionable incidences, citing media coverage of Amazon’s
“Amazon’s illegal efforts to lure eBay sellers appear to be part of a larger pattern of aggressive, unscrupulous conduct,” the suit states.
Amazon did not respond to National Jeweler’s request for comment on eBay’s allegations by deadline.
Ebay’s suit brings a total of five counts against Amazon: intentional interference with contractual relations; intentional interference with prospective economic relations; fraud; violation of the California penal code (eBay is based in San Jose); and violation of the California business and professions code.
The company is asking for an unspecified amount in damages as well as a permanent injunction on Amazon representatives using M2M or the eBay platform to solicit sellers.
A PDF of the full lawsuit can be accessed here.
The Latest

Jewellery & Gem World Hong Kong is scheduled for Sept. 15 to 21, and buyer pre-registration will be available until Sept. 7.

Renovations at Tiffany & Co. stores ate into profits in the company’s watch and jewelry division.

As a leading global jewelry supplier, Rio Grande is rapidly expanding and developing new solutions to meet the needs of jewelers worldwide.

Mark and Candy Udell of London Jewelers will receive the honor at the 24th annual Gem Awards next March.


While struggles continue at the mining and trading end of the pipeline, consumer demand for diamond jewelry is holding steady.

The “Fantasia” jewelry collection turns the intaglio animals from her “Close Encounters” collection into 3D characters.

The Seymour & Evelyn Holtzman Bench Scholarship from Jewelers of America returns for a second year.

The special Classic Avi Chronograph 42 with an Eagles-green dial is limited to 59 pieces, a nod to the Super Bowl Philadelphia just won.

JSA has received reports of mobs swarming jewelry stores, driving cars into the storefront or smashing through the windows.

The “Kashmir” collection features centuries-old craft techniques made in collaboration with the region’s master papier-mâché artisans.

Creative Director Erica Bianchini shared why the jeweler is looking to expand into the U.S. and how it’s putting Canadian craftsmanship on the map.

Two Los Angeles Fire Department stations plan to use the donations to upgrade their equipment and tools.

Next week, the auction house will kick off a selling exhibition of jewelry by British artist Hannah Martin and Coldplay’s Guy Berryman.

“Stolen: Heist of the Century” is based on “Flawless,” the book about the middle-of-the-night theft, and will debut on Netflix in August.

Emmanuel Raheb shares the top five gifting moments outside of major holidays that jewelers should build marketing campaigns around.

The wholesale trade show’s Luxury Lifestyle section will showcase established and emerging jewelry designers.

As demand for custom jewelry grows, the company is expanding its services to support retailers.

The mid-year conference for jewelry and watch appraisers is slated for Aug. 9 to 10 on Zoom.

Graduated stones make for elevated tennis-style pieces and dramatic statement necklaces.

Nominations in the categories of Jewelry Design, Media Excellence, and Retail Innovation will be accepted through July 30.

He retired last month after 28 years traveling the world to source the very best gemstones for his family’s jewelry business, Oscar Heyman.

The charm necklace features six nautical charms of shells and coral that founder Christina Puchi collected on Florida’s beaches.

The organization elected its youngest vice president as it looks to draw in fresh talent.

The medals feature a split-texture design highlighting the Games’ first time being hosted by two cities and the athletes’ journeys.

Sponsored by The INSTORE Jewelry Show 2025

Globally, travel and transportation brands reigned, while in the U.S., alcoholic beverage companies and a lingerie brand took the top spots.