Traders on Amazon platform rebel against massive jump in fees

Amazon customers have vented their fury ahead of a planned rise in fees on the group's marketplace after Easter. The cost of selling goods such as electronic accessories and car parts on the platform is set to rise by up to 70 per cent in the UK, Germany, Spain and Italy.

Having overtaken eBay as the preferred online marketplace, Amazon – whose sales outside North America totalled over £14bn in the last quarter of 2012 – is facing a revolt among sellers, who have taken to the site's discussion forums to show their dissatisfaction.

One seller wrote: "These increases are a big worry for me, given the Royal Mail price increases & dwindling sales," while other sellers indicated that they were considering moving their business to other websites.

Some sellers will benefit from the new fee charges, with the cost of selling video games decreasing from 15 per cent to 8 per cent. Amazon declined to comment.

Meanwhile the company has agreed a deal to buy Goodreads, a social network site for reviewing books, which has 16 million members.