eBay UK puts staff on notice as the US mothership cuts jobs and spends big

eBay UK has today put three quarters of their UK staff on notice for redundancy, according to my sources. Although a spokesperson for eBay UK, which employs around 100 people, told The Times that “some people’s roles are at risk of redundancy” and would not say how many jobs or which departments are most at risk, my sources paint a black picture of what’s going on inside the UK office.

The move came today as eBay layed off 1,000 staff globally, 10% of its workforce. The restructuring will cost around $70 million to $80 million. At the same time it is buying Denmark’s DBA for $380 million and Amazon-funded BillMeLater for $820 million in cash and approximately $125 million in outstanding options.

dba.dk is Denmarks’ leading classifieds site and considered the “eBay of Denmark” for 2.1 billion Kroner, or about $383 million. The site is owned by Blue Avis, a free newspaper with a circulation of around 500,000 per week. The company has 225 employees. eBay has also bought BillMeLater, a service that let’s ecommerce partners issue instant credit to buyers.