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Oct 14, 2008 -- Should eBay be responsible for stolen goods sold online?
Clark has had a love/hate relationship with eBay over the years. On the one hand, he has gotten a ton of deals on small electronics accessories. But he also believes eBay should shoulder more responsibility for counterfeit goods sold on their site.
Retailers like Target and Wal-Mart have long had to deal with criminals stealing their goods and then using eBay as a modern electronic fencing operation. Some stats suggest 80% of thieves unload stolen merchandise in this way.
This thought has really been nagging at Clark -- is he part of the problem? Have some of the "steals" he's gotten been just that?
Congress is now considering the E-fencing Enforcement Act of 2008, which is backed by…you guessed it…Target and Wal-Mart. The bill would make it a felony to sell stolen items online. It would also charge eBay with a clear responsibility under the law to police its website for stolen merchandise. Therein lays the sticking point that has eBay up in arms. We'll have to wait and see what happens…
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EBAY - the Great Enabler for Careers in Shoplifting
Ebay should be required to reveal more SELLERS INFORMATION.
If I wanted to sell in the real world, here in my hometown, I'd have to go to City Hall and get a "sellers permit". On that permit is my Name, Address, Phone number - VERIFIED.
EBAY should be required to do likewise with its sellers.
Ebay's failure to provide this information is what makes it so easy for Shoplifters to sell their stolen goods on Ebay.
Fencing on Ebay
2 things Ebay should have done long ago:
Require sellers to use their real name and address.
Require sellers to give the serial no. of the software or hardware they are selling.
ebay
That is exactly why shoplifing has skyrocketed.. because of Ebay. And so prices keep going up to offset the people making money off of ebay by stealing from our stores.
Government incompetence at it again!!
This law is just another classic example of politician's votes being bought by the deep pockets of these multi-billion dollar corporations. Why can't the government just leave us alone?
How?
And just how does the law indicate that Ebay will determine whether something is stolen or not? Are we as vendors going to have to provide receipts from our vendors? Reveal our sources? Take pictures at the yard sale we found it at? Show the government what idiots they were at the surplus auction?
