After Taobao mall decided to raise the annual fees for technical services and the amounts it charges as penalties, tens of thousands of small shop owners formed a league to "attack" top Taobao sellers by buying goods and applying for refunds in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, says an article in Jiefang Daily. Excerpts:

The Internet used to be a boon for people from the grassroots to start their own business. But the development of the Internet has helped mature commercial patterns and made competition fiercer, so much so that its original spirit of "free of charge and sharing" has become a shattered dream.

Taobao has chosen to increase its profits by suffocating small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the mall and is legally forcing small- and medium-sized shops out of Taobao Mall.

But owners of small- and medium-sized shops who have contributed to the prosperity of Taobao Mall deserve better treatment.

They have rightly decided to "break their silence" by "declaring war" against Taobao Mall by attacking popular tycoons.

There is no winner in this conflict. Worse, it has even harmed innocent consumers and other shops. In fact, many innovative small companies across the world have experienced a moral crisis similar to Taobao.

The Internet has been playing an increasingly important role in business and social fields.

And it is the common responsibility of all parties involved in market transactions and the important obligation of supervision department to create a friendly consumer environment, safeguard fair competition and establish a system for commercial credibility.

(China Daily 10/19/2011 page9)