06-13-2006, 10:43 PM
Quote:Members Ask eBay CEO for Seller Verification at Shareholders Meeting
By Ina Steiner
AuctionBytes.com
June 13, 2006
At eBay's annual shareholder meeting today, long time eBay seller Jay Senese asked eBay CEO Meg Whitman to address the issue of seller verification. "Maybe the time has come for more verification," he said. Many members believe better verification will make the eBay marketplace safer from fraud.
Whitman said the head of eBay Marketplaces John Donahoe has reviewed policies. "The Internet has become larger, with many more people, and we have asked, do we need to revisit issues like seller verification? We're hearing from our community and are reviewing it."
Donahoe said, "This is a topic we are addressing." The first is cross border - this is the first place to address seller verification. The worst violations come from members who register in one country, then sell on an eBay site in another country.
He said in China, eBay has shut down registration for members without a manual verification.
Whitman added, "Country by country, we are trying to strike the right balance - let new sellers on, yet keep out the bad guys. We'll do it in dialog with our community."
Another shareholder who collects antique glass on eBay asked Whitman to bond all sellers on the site. She suggested all sellers be bonded and qualified, and that they put up the money so they lose something if they are criminals. "I'm tired of bearing the cost for criminals." She added, "I appreciate being part of eBay - the ultimate recyclers."
Whitman said eBay's principle that people are basically good "enables average people to access this very powerful new medium." Average people may not have been able to go through the bonding process. She wants to "enable open marketplace but make sure criminals are not online. We will continue to tweak the system." But, she said there are no plans to "go all the way to bonded sellers at this point."
Whitman will be addressing 15,000 eBay members and staff at the annual eBay Live conference this evening.
http://auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y06/m06/i13/s06