Louisiana might become the first state to require eBay sellers to obtain licenses. The state’s Auctioneers Licensing Board has begun requiring some sellers to fill out paperwork and cough up $300 to become a “certified auctioneer.”
eBayers caught in this regulatory Web might may also be forced to purchase $10,000 surety bonds to protect buyers from unsatisfactory transactions.
This story on MSNBC pokes a number of holes in the state initiative. For example, isn’t eBay itself actually the auctioneer for items sold on its site? And a growing number of eBay transactions are Buy-It-Now fixed price listings, not auctions.
eBay is fighting Louisiana hard on this, because the company knows it would be a terrible precedent. One of the big advantages of selling online is the relative freedom from the excessive regulation and burdensome red tape that plagues brick-and-mortar businesses.
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I just heard on XM yesterday that California was also considering them thing for thier eBay sellers.