The eBay Gestapo

G

Guyon

New member
I recently got a good deal on some hi-cap mags on eBay, but only because the seller listed them as "early production" mags. If eBay administrators see any reference to "pre-ban," "hi-cap," "15 round," etc., they immediately pull the items off the auction block. On a number of occasions, I have been frustrated because I tried to view hi-cap mags only to find they had been pulled.

So I wrote eBay customer service and pointed out that most states do not have a problem with these mags as long as they were made before 1994. It is not illegal to own or sell them. Here is the answer I received. Sounds like eBay is based in Kalifornia. Is this true? I also wonder what Mr. Baxter Rhodes (see below) means by "appropriate action." It almosts sounds like a threat. Is he going to fly to your home and administer a sound tongue lashing for owning the magazines intended for your pistol in the first place?

Anyway, here's the response I got:

Hello,

I am glad you brought this to our attention.

Legally, you may be right. It may not be illegal to possess or sell these items. That is, unfortunately, not the issue. It is our policy not to permit the listing of these items on the site.

There are several guidelines that are in place because eBay has deemed them necessary for the safety and welfare of our users. At times, these policies may be more stringent than that of the law which may also govern their use.

eBay strives to obey and follow federal or state laws, and sometimes incorporates these in our own policies. Although these may seem like one in the same, we do have our own regulations that are entirely separate from government laws and were created by eBay specifically for our site. These are, however, guidelines that members are required to follow to be able to list gun magazines on eBay. When these guidelines are not adhered to by sellers, we will remove the auction from the site and take appropriate action.

Don't hesitate to contact us with any other questions or concerns!

Regards,

Baxter Rhodes
eBay Community Watch
 
sounds like Ebay alright...ever go by their Q&A board where their admin answers questions....sounds like a 3rd grade teacher talking to a simple student...

"Hiiiiiiii!!!! It's so goody-goody to SEE you today!!! ~big sweet smile~ About your question as to whether you can list magazines from DANGEROUS gun. Oh, so sad but no....you should take them right out and bury them under some flowers! Then come back and spend the day painting your TOENAILS in subjegation! :) ~kisses for all~!"

Yup....most of the sellers on Ebay are decent folks just making some money and having fun...get an occaisional jerk-but don't try to ask the Admin anything...waste of brain matter. :)
 
ebay is rabid anti-gun..... This is only a gut feeling, but I believe the reason why is that they got a call from the feds with some heavy threats. They used to sell everything including guns, until after the colorado shooting. When they changed their policy to not allowing guns to be sold, they would not give a straight answer as to why.

I dropped my account with them at this time and have not been back. I will not be back until such time as they once again sell guns. I now use gunbroker.com and auctionarms.com with an occasional visit to gunsamerica.com.



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Richard

The debate is not about guns,
but rather who has the ultimate power to rule,
the People or Government.
RKBA!
 
Yes. I believe that eBay is located in the "Bay" area. Thusly the name "eBAY".

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John/az
"When freedom is at stake, your silence is not golden, it's yellow..." RKBA!

See The Legacy of Gun Control film at: www.cphv.com

Do it for the children...
 
Guyon,

I know this would have been hard in your post, but in the future for all concerned, let's not use the anti-gunners buzz words like "hi-cap" magazines. Using their concocted terms just gives them credibility that they don't deserve.

As you know so-called hi-caps are actually "standard" capacity magazines. Anything less than that is a "restricted" capacity magazine. :)

Okay?

Joe

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NRA Joe's Second Amendment Discussion Forum

http://Second.Amendment.Homepage.com
 
Seems to me that because of the eBay policy on guns, it would not be a good place to try to sell gun parts and pieces, anyway.

I certainly agree about "pre-ban" vs. "hi-cap". 95% of our problems stem from letting the anti create oddball definitions which we then use.

Art
 
E-Bay has the nerve to preach this crapola . If it is legal in some places to have these things then they can require their sellers to ship only there . Sound far fetched ? Try clicking on search word NAZI on E-Bay . You will find all sorts of stuff from the very group that defined cruel . The only disclaimer you will see is that these items may not be shipped to France or Germany .
Don't take my word for it . Go to E-Bay and click on NAZI . They must have a million things from the Nazi Era for sale .
Then E-Mail your new friend and ask why is this . Please post their enlightened answer .

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TOM
SASS AMERICAN LEGION NRA GOA
 
I humbly stand corrected on my choice of vocabulary. You're absolutely right. My 9mm was designed to take 15 rounds, so that magazine capacity ought to be "standard." Anything else is "restricted." I'll use these terms and begin to correct other misguided souls who are using the pc newspeak. Since I'm new to semi-autos, I was really echoing the language that's ought there right now. It's a bit frightening that this politically correct diction has taken such a hold. George Orwell's 1984 exhibits just how powerful diction can be in shaping public perception. I'll do my best from now on to stop Big Brother from brainwashing others.

Thanks.

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Guyon
NRA & GOA Member
Vote for your rights!!!
 
eBay made noises and put restrictions on firearms auctions in Sept of 98, then bout March of 99 dumped them altogether. As justification they quoted non existant federal law. When called on the mis quote many times they finaly admitted that it was their policy. Couldn't argue with that. The elimination of firearms on eBay got auctionarms.com off the ground.

Last year when they were having massive access problems and thousands of irate customers, the official excuse was that they were at the cutting edge and handling many times more interactive traffic than anybody else in the world. I countered with a post on one of their monitered boards a direct quote from an executive at IBM who could furnish off the shelf equipment, programmed, that could handle traffic at a hundred times eBay's load. eBay is trying to run a computer based major busines with PC technology.

I have been suspended from eBay three times and each time have been reinstated when I took action. They love it when I can show transcripts of conversations with their staff.

It used to be a neat "venue" for buying and selling......now it is big business and screw the users.

Sam....sorry, the title got me rewound.
 
Interesting! ... eBay still sells porn and sexually-related "toys" (according to their contents page.

And get this!

"... eBay, recently listed autographs, hand prints, artwork and other personal collectibles from living or executed killers. ... There's a burgeoning Internet trade in so-called murderabilia, and at times nearly 200 such items have been listed on eBay. They include locks of hair from Arthur Shawcross, who killed at least 11 women in New York; and dirt from the crawl space under the suburban-Chicago home of serial killer John Wayne Gacy, where he buried 27 of the young men and boys he killed. ... 'We don't draw any moral value judgment on items,' said eBay spokesman Kevin Pursglove. 'The marketplace will determine whether an item can be sold.'" (Reader's Digest, Sept. 2000; pg 65)

Clintonitis spreads rapidly, it seems. And I truly fear the only preventative or cure may no longer be the ballot box....
 
Bottom line, guys, is that it is a private company. They can set any rules that they wish. It's called freedom. If we don't like it (and I don't) then that's our problem, not theirs, unless we can get all the millions of their customers to agree with us.
They took the advice of their lawyers about this so you can't really blame them in these days of sue anybody within 20 miles of the actual or imagined damage.

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Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club
68-70
true story, a Union Gen. once said "Don't worry about those Rebs. They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..SPLAT.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by paratrooper:
E-Bay has the nerve to preach this crapola . If it is legal in some places to have these things then they can require their sellers to ship only there . Sound far fetched ? Try clicking on search word NAZI on E-Bay . You will find all sorts of stuff from the very group that defined cruel . The only disclaimer you will see is that these items may not be shipped to France or Germany .[/quote]

Actually, if you read their policy, they explain that -- actual Nazi era items are for sale "for historical value," but no modern Nazi type paraphernalia -- i.e. Neo-Nazi, White Supremacist or Aryan Nation -- merchandise is allowed on Ebay.

Guys, Ebay is private, just like the Boy Scouts, remember? Five minutes ago everyone here was championing the BSA and saying no one had a right to tell a private organization who to let in. Same goes for E-Bay -- and at least they're not taking public funds! It works two ways.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a 1954 Munson pin-up calendar to bid on.



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*quack*
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by duck hunt:
Actually, if you read their policy, they explain that -- actual Nazi era items are for sale "for historical value," but no modern Nazi type paraphernalia -- i.e. Neo-Nazi, White Supremacist or Aryan Nation -- merchandise is allowed on Ebay.
[/quote]

The point I was trying to make is that they will sell some items with a caveat . They exclude shipments to Germany and France and require that policy be posted . They could do the same things with other items .
It's a good thing that they exclude items from today . Who wants a wannabee item when the real butcher knife can be had .



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TOM
SASS AMERICAN LEGION NRA GOA
 
For the record, I was not disputing eBay's right to pick and choose what they will offer for sale.

However, they refuse to help us buy and sell guns legally (both parties usually must go thru an FFL) - apparently because "guns promote violence".

Yet they aggrandize violent crime by supporting "murderabilia".

I find their hypocrisy (or stupidity) offensive.

[This message has been edited by Dennis (edited September 05, 2000).]
 
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