Pennsylvania Law Forces eBay Auctioneers to Get a License
You know those people -- maybe even you -- who sell other people's stuff on eBay? Well, apparently you or they will need to get an auctioneer's license from now on, at least in Pennsyslvania. The law has actually been on the books for a while, but is garnering attention because it is only now being enforced. Two people who run online auctions for others are under investigation by the state government and face up to $1,000 in fines.
But some eBay auctioneers are speaking out. Pennsylvania-based Auction Inn, a small online eBay auction company, is speaking out against the law, though it is not one of the two cited by law enforcement. Auction Inn believes the law is unfair since eBay auctioneers don't perform the same function or duty as traditional auctioneers. Presumably, this means they don't have gavels or talk in sped-up-auction-selling-speak, since all they do is write nice descriptions, take pretty photos, and make sure the stuff gets to the buyer on time.
Getting an auctioneer's license can take six to eight months which would shut Auction Inn down for the better part of a year, essentially forcing the business to shutter.
State lawmakers are proposing bills to deal with the issue, one of which makes eBay sellers exempt from the auctioneer's law, but still requires them to register with the government.
You can already feel the garages, basements, and attics of Pennsylvania start to fill up with all the crap the won't get sold until this hubbub is sorted out.
What do you think? Is this law too much or do you think eBay auctioneers should have a license?
From WGAL News
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 8)
sher said 9:46PM on 1-24-2008
Nothing this backwater screwed up state does surprises me anymore! I had the misfortune to be born here & inherit property- talk about rip off- try paying inheritance taxes here. I hate this stupid state and it's taxes & antiquated laws and head off to my home in another state whenever possible.
Let the Ebay sellers alone! Live auctions and EBAY auctions have literally NOTHING in common. If they require licenses for Ebay sellers, then these sellers will have to add buyer's premium and up their consignment fees to pay for auctioneers school.
Wake up Pennsylvania- you are the PITS!!!!!
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Angel said 1:31PM on 1-31-2008
Go get a license. If you're running a buisness from home do it the right way and stop making escuses. 10,000 items is not what the average person has in the attic or basement or garage. As a business you should have one anyway, so go get it and stop your whinning.
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Jefe said 2:23PM on 2-01-2008
Don't know about Pennsy and its tax stance in general, but the issue here is that the people needing a license are working as AGENTS for others; this doesn't impact your selling off Grandma's estate or those old LPs you thought you'd listen to...I tend to think that another layer of accountability is a good thing! If the seller lists a state license # on the auction, it gives you some recourse other than a negative feedback.
I've only been totally ripped off a couple times on eBay, but what do you do when a seller takes money for nothing, is anonymous and in another state? At least with a license, you could report them to their state boards.
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Carrie said 1:07PM on 3-08-2008
To me, eBay is my 24/7 yard sale to get rid of what I don't want. I have tried having yardsales and never made more than $100 at each yardsale, had a bad turn out, or had horrible weather. On eBay, my stuff goes for a lot more money. It is easier to sell on eBay than outside my front door! The laws these idiots are making are pathetic. If they want us to get a license and pay taxes, then they need to go to every yardsale and do the same to those people. Also, we already paid taxes on the stuff we list, so why do they want to enforce us to pay more taxes? That's not fair either! Before I became a seller, I sold several things at my yardsales for $5-10 each. The next month, I saw the same items going for $150 on eBay. That's why I started selling. Not all sellers try to pull a fast one. Most of us small sellers, are very honest. If I have to get a license, I may do it, but it's not right.
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DR TIM said 10:38PM on 11-20-2007
Those people are not auctioneers. All they are ...are "listers"In a real auction, the auctioneer is supposed to know what he is selling...although, many times, they cannot know everything. its impossible LICESNSE or not"
EBAY IS THE AUCTIONEER. THEY ARE THE ONES WHO NEED THE LICESNSE...IF ANYONE DOES.. AND ITS NOT REALLY AN AUCTION IN THE TRUE SENSE OF THE WORD..WHERE THERE IS A WINNER WITHIN SECONDS OR MINUTES. EBAY IS A WEEK LONG PROCESS...WITH THE SELLER ABLE TO STOP THE AUCTION, CHANGE THE MINIMUM...ITS THE DAM GOVERNMENT TRYING TO MAKE MONEY ON EVERY DAMN THING WE DO.
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DR TIM said 10:37PM on 11-20-2007
Those people are not auctioneers. All they are ...are "listers"In a real auction, the auctioneer is supposed to know what he is selling...although, many times, they cannot know everything. its impossible LICESNSE or not"
EBAY IS THE AUCTIONEER. THEY ARE THE ONES WHO NEED THE LICESNSE...IF ANYONE DOES.. AND ITS NOT REALLY AN AUCTION IN THE TRUE SENSE OF THE WORD..WHERE THERE IS A WINNER WITHIN SECONDS OR MINUTES. EBAY IS A WEEK LONG PROCESS...WITH THE SELLER ABLE TO STOP THE AUCTION, CHANGE THE MINIMUM...ITS THE DAM GOVERNMENT TRYING TO MAKE MONEY ON EVERY DAMN THING WE DO.
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Spinner said 12:57AM on 11-21-2007
Uh...Don't business' already have to have a license? Sounds like that state is double dipping. Oh it's in Pennsylvania, hate to be the one to make the delivery's there with no street address'. Shoot, they last time I was there 2 month's ago, my GPS was useless.
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robertweir said 1:47AM on 11-21-2007
ebay is full of fraud and deception. i am glad to see that some jurisdiction is trying to control it! GO PENNSYLVANIA!
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murphysluck7 said 8:23AM on 11-21-2007
If a BUYERS PREMIUM is charged then YES they should have to be licensed in every state. There are other venues for that type of selling.
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sewuph2 said 6:32AM on 11-23-2007
Any Jane or Joe can sell on Ebay, an auctioneers license is like putting a garage sale in to the same category as Macy's. People are just trying to make a buck from things they no longer use or want. Leave the little people alone who are just trying to survive in this country when so many jobs have been sent overseas. Government greed strikes again.
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Barbara Madison said 6:38AM on 11-23-2007
I have stuff to get rid of. I put a price on it and E-bay sells it for me. No auctioneering invovled. Glad I don't live in Pennsylvania.
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Rachael said 6:48AM on 11-23-2007
I am a frequent ebayer--Ihave never had a bad experience with any of the sellers.They offer things that a lot of us would never be able to afford otherwise. Leave them alone-
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BOB said 6:55AM on 11-23-2007
WHAT A BUNCH OF CRAP, EBAY IS NOTHING MORE THAN A GARAGE SALE ON THE INTERNET, IF THOSE SO CALLED DP-GOODERS WANT PEOPLE TO GET A .LISCENSE IT IS ONLY TO ELIMINATE COMPETITION..THERE ARE POWER SELLERS OUT THERE THAT ARE OUT TO DESTROY SOME OF THE SMALLER SELLERS, THERE IS A LOT OF GREEDY AND DISHONEST SELLERS THAT WANT TO CONTROL PRICING, THIS IS ONE REASON WHY GOOGLE SHOULD ENTER THE MARKETPLACE AND TAKE ALL THE MOUOPLY AWAY FROM EBAY AND THEE POMPUS IDIOT SELLERS, ALSO LAWYERS ARE SELLERS ON EBAY, AND AS USUAL, THEY TOO CAN NOT LEAVE THERE SCUM BAG PROFESSION IN THE GUTTER WHER IT BELONS..PA IS A CLASSIC PLACE FOR THIS..LOTS OF RETIRED LOSERS WITH NOTHING TO DO..IF EBAY GOES THIS ROUTE, I GUARENTEE THIS, HTEY WILL FORCE NEW AUCTION SITES TO POP UP AND IT MIGHT JUST WELL RUN THEM OUT OF BUSINESS.
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Cissy said 6:57AM on 11-23-2007
Oh, for Pete's sake...Ebay sellers are not auctioneers. Ebay is just a garage sale on line. Is Pennsylvania going to force garage and rummage sellers to get licenses, too??
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lizard said 7:01AM on 11-23-2007
Do yourself a favor, and don't move here. "Commonwealth" of Pennsylvania is referred to as "Communist" of PA which is true. Democrats in charge of local/state gov't. Only know one thing: how to raise taxes and take advantage of people. No alcohol in stores,liquor can only be purchased at gov't run stores. 2nd highest gas tax in nation. Democrats OUT!!!
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mike said 7:03AM on 11-23-2007
YES LICENSE ALL SELLER THEIR ARE FAR MORE CROOKED DEALERS THAT TAKE YOUR MONEY AND DO NOT SHIP ITEM... THEN WHAT DO YOU DO ? EBAY DOES NOT PROTECT THE BUYERS.
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BOB said 7:03AM on 11-23-2007
forcing this crap doen your throat will be the begining of the end for ebay..to amny lawyers with no work or nothing to do..in fact, if your a buyer on ebay, do not buy products if the seller is a lawyer, they are the most dishonest thieves out there, trying to get a monoply on ebay, and ebay is stupid enough to fall for this crap..ebay is nothing more than a garage sale on the internet, they charge the sellers approx. 10% these days to sell there goods, ebay is a very greddy company, there are many sellers on ebay that control the sales, and they are constantly trying to remove the small guy, and guess what, a lot of them are pompus scum bag greddy lawyers, especially in pa..soon google will emerge as a auctio n site, and when that happens they will run ebay, and the pompous idiuot greedy ass bill cobb right out of business
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auburncurls said 7:19AM on 11-23-2007
Unless you have been taken by some seller on E-bay, you people have no idea what you are talking about. E-bay does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING if a seller renigs on the auction. This happened to my husband when a sellar claimed that he sold his father's radio by mistake. What really happened is a person emailed the sellar and offered him MORE money than what the auction ended at. Ofcourse the sellar denies this, but when we had the local police contact the sellar, guess what! The radio was no where to be found. And what did E-bay do to help? NOTHING!!!!! Having an auctioneer's license would help stop greedy sellers who dis-obey the E-bay policies. Wake up people!
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sharon said 7:22AM on 11-23-2007
I don't know about other citizens in this country, so I can't speak for them, but I for one am SICK and TIRED of our government getting into our daily lives in every realm to try and make a "buck", people can barely get by as it is! Our president and the like on Capital Hill don't even seem to notice nor do they care, that our elderly and our poor are making decisions like "shall I buy food and get to eat" or "shall I buy fuel and be warm" or "shall I buy gas to get to my $8 an hour job" ??????? How about we see our politicians tackling the REAL ISSUES in our country instead of looking at how they can "glean" another penny from those that can least afford it! EBAY licensing is just another example of GREED that is so pervasive in our govt. I love my country but our country was formed on the basis of trying to CONTROL TAXATION without REPRESENTATION! WHO exactly and WHAT interrests EXACTLY are our politicians REPRESENTING???? Think about it!
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Susan said 7:26AM on 11-23-2007
Individuals selling their own posessions are like garage-salers and should not be regulated. Businesses selling for other individuals are like consignment stores making a profit on sales and should be regulated like consignment stores. If they are exclusively raising money for non-profits, they should be treated like charity thrift shops.
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