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One of a Series of April Fools' Day Articles Posted on bonsaiTALK eBay Bans Bonsai as "Cruel to Trees"
eBay Bans Dwarfed Plants and Animals as "Inhumane and Cruel" The auction site's existing policy -- adopted last year in response to public sentiment to stop the trade in animal cruelty -- bans listings that "promote or glorify the artificial miniaturization of plants and animals, or items that promote organizations with such practices," the company said. But the policy has permitted trading in naturally dwarfed objects from those organizations if the objects are at least 50 years old.
The new policy closes that loophole.
"As the eBay community expands around the globe, we are encountering different laws and different points of view as to what constitutes illegal, offensive or inappropriate items," said Jacob Michelsen, eBay General Counsel. "Given our expansion, as well as feedback we've received from our users, we reviewed our policy and concluded that these changes are appropriate."
eBay is not the only auction site to suffer from public ire raised over the trade in artificially dwarfed miniatures. Yahoo!'s Yahoo Auction site was sued in a French court over "alleged glorification of bonsai kittens."
eBay has gone a step further. Its expanded policy extends beyond potted plants to dwarfed living organisms of all kinds. It also prohibits novelty items bearing their names or images.
"Out of respect for living organisms, we've decided to set an even stricter guideline," Michelsen said.
Under the new policy, items that will no longer be allowed include:
However, the policy does not forbid the listing of all miniatures. Items that may still be listed under the new policy include:
The new policy will go into effect on May 17, in order to give eBay users the chance to complete current transactions. Separately, eBay is refuting a study that found typical consumer collectibles are going for an average of about 25 percent less than they were a year ago on its site.
There has been a corresponding increase in the number of items for sale on the giant auction site, according to AuctionBites.com, which puts out two free e-mail newsletters for the online auction community and operates an auction information site.
"Sellers have been telling us for some time that while the cost of selling on auction sites like eBay is increasing, they are realizing lower sales prices for their items," said Saul Stein, president of AuctionBites.com. "This study backs up the anecdotal evidence."
"There is not a shred of truth to this report," said eBay spokesman Stephen Grove. "eBay's marketplace is thriving -- you can't single out an item like collectibles, since we have 4,500 or 4,600 categories, with 6 million items listed on any given day. In the scheme of things, losing out on a small market of dwarfed plants is not a big deal." This article is a bogus news item that does not reflect actual eBay, Inc. opinions or actions, and was presented for the entertainment of bonsaiTALK readers on April 1, 2004 Print Friendly Version Print Page Discuss this Article on bonsaiTALK |