Wave bye bye to eBay

[Maj.Striker]

I find this news saddening. Has anyone thought to contact the Better Business Bureau? I'd be interested in following up with them as this in my mind constitutes inappropriate corporate behaviour. People have pointed out that ebay is a private company but it is not, it is a publicly traded company. Those ebay members that own company stock should definitely have a strong voice in complaint.

Beyond that, ebay is not a company providing goods and services, ebay doesn't sell anything of its own. I.e a company like walmart can decide what it choose to purchase and then sell in its stores but in the case of ebay, its constituents are deciding what they want to sell. There's no legal requirements saying that ebay CANNOT list firearm related items on their website so by doing so arbitrarily they are unfairly discriminating against a market section that they had previously allowed.

Hey, it's worth a chance, at least if ebay gets a letter of complaint from the BBB they have to actually do something other than just a canned letter.

 

[Jim Diver]

I will still use Ebay. In fact I just got a great deal on a HAM radio I wanted.

For guns and stuff I will go elsewhere. They are not the only party in town. Ebay's loss is someone else's opportunity.

 

[ramptester]

For those of you who say that Ebay can do whatever it wants just because it's a private company, why don't you go talk with some Denny's managers. They are a private company, but they got their ass handed to them over deciding who eats at their table and who does not.

I also think that the push by Ebay to promote people establishing their own "business" has left them with at least some responsibility to those who did just that, obtaining most of their income from ebay gun parts sales. Ebay has now given those people less than 16 days to close up shop and find something else to do. yes there are people who were selling full time. Where else would you build a business and be forced out after building a name without at least some legal recourse?

 

[AZAndy]

Thanks for the heads-up on this foolishness, all. I canceled my Ebay account today. They're only making me wait two weeks before it's gone (though it's already locked).

Andy

 

[Jeff F]

Just closed my e bay account.

 

[mach58]

Mine has just been closed as well. PayPal closure is in process.

Thanks all for the heads up!

 

[mp510]

I was going to close my eBay account, but decided against it. There is too much good stuff still on eBay that I can't find elsewhere.

 

[Greywolf]

My response

This is what I told them (and I've been an Ebay power seller for many years, and have used Paypal extensively over the years as well.)

Regarding your new policy on Firearms related items:

http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200707.shtml#2007-07-30094109

Mr. Halprin states:

"As you may know, eBay does not allow the listing of any items which are regulated by individual states or the federal government; however, there are still a large number of firearm-related parts that are legal and are widely available in retail stores. These items have also historically been allowed on eBay.

After learning that some items purchased on eBay may have been used in the tragedy at Virginia Tech in April 2007, we felt that revisiting our policies was not only necessary, but the right thing to do. After much consideration, the Trust & Safety policy team ? along with our executive leaders at eBay Inc. ? have made the decision to further restrict more of these items than federal and state regulations require. "

Is this a joke? Am I reading this correctly? Your company, with whom I've done business with for many years, including over $10,000 worth of transactions (including ebay auctions and Paypal use) is now deciding that just because ONE person bought a LEGAL product on Ebay and then misused it, that Ebay is now going to punish the 99.999999999999999999999% of the law-abiding users and buyers/sellers of those products? What sort of twisted logic is that? Were you aware that Ebay allows people to buy and sell Automobiles, parts of Autos, and items that allow people to make and eat high-fat, high-cholesterol foods? Those things are directly responsible for killing millions of people every year, and yet you aren't banning those items.

I'm sure that many items that are sold on Ebay have been used for nefarious purposes - however, you are choosing to abandon millions of your customers in some vain attempt at a knee-jerk reaction that does no one any good and simply drives customers like me away.

I hope that you will reconsider this irrational and ultimately costly mistake. If you do not, millions of your customers (myself included) will stop using all of your services, including Paypal, and go elsewhere. You may not care about one voice in a sea of many, but eventually the noise we make will be deafening. This is not about guns. This is about rationality and free-market commerce. And you apparently think that you know better than "the people" as to what they should and shouldn't be allowed to buy and sell. Shame on you.

 

[langenc]

Yeh and no bullet TIPS?? What the hexx are they??