This, of course, is their corporate right. They could, if they wished, demand that only pink flamingo garden statuary be sold on their site. So be it.
What is REALLY cheap, downright loathsome, about their action is their stated reason. They say they feel it's the 'right thing to do' since something sold on E-bay was used in the Virginian Tech school murders.
E-bay has never in the past cared about right and wrong, and very little about legal and illegal for that matter. They care only about profits and business.
I have no problem with that attitude, but their two faced approach is pretty low.
Ebay's statement:
July 30, 2007 | 10:00AM PST/PT
 |
Matt Halprin |
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.
This new update continues to encourage safety among our community members and brings our policies in the U.S. and Canada in closer alignment with our existing policies in other markets around the globe.
Sincerely,
Matt Halprin
Vice President, Trust & Safety
2 comments:
What's a bullet tip?
I can only guess he's speaking of 'bullets', as in the part of he cartridge that leaves the muzzle.
Reading the statement, I get the impression of someone who is utterly clueless about the technology.
E-bay's financial branch, Paypal, has had such a restriction on how people can spend their money for some time now. It's been very randomly enforced, and anecdotal evidence suggests it's only enforced when Paypal can confiscate a fair chunk of change from someone.
All their marketplace choice of course, but along with that choice comes vulnerability to consumer choice and competition.
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