EBay Hears And Sees No Evil, It Just Sells It

[regic]

Is eBay Adam Smith's perfect market, where prices are set by the honest interaction of buyers and sellers and everyone goes home happy--or is it simply the perfect vehicle for price gouging--and much, much worse?...eBay's willingness to turn a blind eye to scalping, copyright infringement and the sale of questionable goods has a darker side...

...How does eBay get away with listing stuff that, in many cases, would be unobtainable from a brick-and-mortar store without proper credentials or a background check? The dubious goods often carry modifiers like "antique" or "replica" or, like the cop's badge, "vintage."...

Because eBay is largely an automated, online store, it lacks the human, common sense element that, in the real world, could prevent fraud and, in the Braunstein case, tragedy...

...eBay needs to be a better corporate citizen, and maybe improved technology and less corporate profit seeking would help it get there.

full article: http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main...s_and.html