A license to eBay? Maybe in Ohio

A new Ohio law that will take effect in May will have the unintended consequence of requring residents of that state to get auctioneer licenses and be bonded in order to sell items on eBay. In order to obtain an auctioneer license, Ohioans will need to pay a US$200 license fee and post a US$50,000 bond. Along with the out-of-pocket costs, sellers will have to attend an approved auction school, undergo a one-year apprenticeship to a licensed auctioneer, and pass both oral and written exams.

The question of government regulation of eBay sellers is an interesting one. A number of Power Sellers manage to make a nice living purely through eBay, which offers group health insurance and other benefits to that group. From an end-user point-of-view, it often appears as though oversight by eBay is somewhat lacking. The feedback system is an imperfect one, often functioning as an exercise mutual back-scratching. Furthermore, getting eBay to take action against shady sellers can turn into an exercise in frustration with little apparent result, a topic that has been a frequent topic of discussion at a coin forum I frequent.