License to Ebay


Money magazine has an article describing a new law passed in Ohio that may require residents of that state to become licensed auctioneers ($200 license fee, 1 year apprenticeship, $50,000 bond) to sell items through online auctions.

The law was intended to regulate auctioneers in Ohio to prevent them from defrauding customers, however as it was written, it does include eBay auctions as well.

A further article from NewsChannel 5 in Cincinnati describes concerns by lawmakers about the unintended consequences of the bill and vows to fix it before it goes into law, however there is some difference of opinion between the various people as to what those changes should be. Some feel that the law should still cover eBay auctions if items were purchased for sale at auction and others believe that eBay should be considered separate because they are, in effect, the auctioneer themselves.