Long-standing eBay listing and auction management tool SpoonFeeder has become a victim of the global recession.

On February 5 users received an email from the company stating that "SpoonFeeder will cease business operations immediately... Please take immediate steps to end, revise or relist your item listings with another tool." The website has now ceased to be available, although users should be able to recover listing data and images from data files stored on their own computers.

In an AuctionBytes interview, SpoonFeeder owner Gene Chandler explained that his company had filed for bankruptcy after his bank refused to renew a commercial loan on his building. Although no payments had been missed the bank decided to call in the loan due to its own cash-flow difficulties.

Another popular desktop-based auction management tool, Shooting Star, ceased operations in 2008 - albeit for completely different reasons.