omgb
08-03-2007, 11:34 PM
Well, I thought I'd write Ebay about their new policy. My initial letter is on the bottom and their response is up top.
Dear Reece,
Thank you for writing Ebay in regard to the new Firearms policy.
We appreciate your feedback on this policy. Like the rest of the
country, Ebay was deeply saddened by the events at Virginia Tech. We
felt that it was necessary to revisit our policy on firearms and
weapons-related items.
While no items related to the incident were purchased illegally on our
site, it was important to make some changes to ensure we do everything
possible to provide a safe marketplace. After careful consideration, we
decided to restrict listing any part that is required for the firing of
a gun.
After careful consideration, we decided to expand the scope of our
existing policy to specifically restrict any part that is required for
the firing of a gun. Please understand, we are not disputing the right
to own or trade these items. We've simply decided that these types of
items are not right for our marketplace or our business. Consumers in
the US are still free to purchase these items from other businesses.
We appreciate your point regarding books. While books can be used for
evil, books were not primarily designed to take life. Again, we
appreciate your feedback; however, these two issues are very different
in our judgment.
At Ebay we take the safety of our community and our marketplace very
seriously. Our policies often go beyond the requirements of the law to
ensure that our marketplace is a safe and trusted place for buyers and
sellers to engage in trade. After careful consideration our executives
and our Trust and Safety team determined, that while legal, any item
required to fire a gun has no place on Ebay.
I understand that you may disagree with Eba's new Firearms policy. If
you would like us to consider a policy change, please submit a
suggestion to Ebay via the following link:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/newtoebay/suggest.html (http://pages.ebay.com/help/newtoebay/suggest.html)
Although you may not see a policy change as a result of your suggestion,
the appropriate personnel will be made aware of your position on this
issue.
If you need further assistance, please don't hesitate to reply to this
email and let us know.
Sincerely,
Brewster
Ebay Customer Support
______________________________
Original Message Follows:
-------------------------
From: <omgb
To: Ebay Customer Support <rswebhelp@ebay.com (rswebhelp@ebay.com)>
Subject: GS%T00030 Site issue (General issues) [ 30105T ?01 ]
User Feedback: 149
User State: ?01
Banned items
Message: I wish to lodge a protest concerning the new firearms policy
that will go into effect mid month. Banning reloading items, shell cases and bullets it foolish at best and down right useless as a violence control policy. If and when this policy goes into effect, I will be dropping my membership from both Ebay and pay-pal.
One of my major search and purchase areas has been gun parts and
reloading equipment. I am a credentialed teacher and a veteran of the Vietnam-Cold War era. I have no criminal record and neither do any of my friends. My daughter is a police officer as well. None of us can begin to fathom what it is you hope to accomplish with your new policy. True, that idiot from Virginia Tech used Ebay to further his evil and twisted plan. However, Ebay was not the cause of his actions nor did it really enable him. What he bought from Ebay could have just as easily been purchased elsewhere. It would be good to keep in mind that any product, can be used for evil. Shoot, you might as well ban books as ban guns. The ideas they contain are far more influential and are frequently far from being inert or harmless. Indeed, books carry all sorts of ideas, good, bad, violent, peaceful etc. Unlike firearms and firearms parts, books do have moral content.
I would hope you reconsider your plans. If not, we are going to have to part ways.
Sincerely,
R J Talley
R J Talley
Teacher/James Madison Fellow/NRA member/Hunter/Shooter
Dear Reece,
Thank you for writing Ebay in regard to the new Firearms policy.
We appreciate your feedback on this policy. Like the rest of the
country, Ebay was deeply saddened by the events at Virginia Tech. We
felt that it was necessary to revisit our policy on firearms and
weapons-related items.
While no items related to the incident were purchased illegally on our
site, it was important to make some changes to ensure we do everything
possible to provide a safe marketplace. After careful consideration, we
decided to restrict listing any part that is required for the firing of
a gun.
After careful consideration, we decided to expand the scope of our
existing policy to specifically restrict any part that is required for
the firing of a gun. Please understand, we are not disputing the right
to own or trade these items. We've simply decided that these types of
items are not right for our marketplace or our business. Consumers in
the US are still free to purchase these items from other businesses.
We appreciate your point regarding books. While books can be used for
evil, books were not primarily designed to take life. Again, we
appreciate your feedback; however, these two issues are very different
in our judgment.
At Ebay we take the safety of our community and our marketplace very
seriously. Our policies often go beyond the requirements of the law to
ensure that our marketplace is a safe and trusted place for buyers and
sellers to engage in trade. After careful consideration our executives
and our Trust and Safety team determined, that while legal, any item
required to fire a gun has no place on Ebay.
I understand that you may disagree with Eba's new Firearms policy. If
you would like us to consider a policy change, please submit a
suggestion to Ebay via the following link:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/newtoebay/suggest.html (http://pages.ebay.com/help/newtoebay/suggest.html)
Although you may not see a policy change as a result of your suggestion,
the appropriate personnel will be made aware of your position on this
issue.
If you need further assistance, please don't hesitate to reply to this
email and let us know.
Sincerely,
Brewster
Ebay Customer Support
______________________________
Original Message Follows:
-------------------------
From: <omgb
To: Ebay Customer Support <rswebhelp@ebay.com (rswebhelp@ebay.com)>
Subject: GS%T00030 Site issue (General issues) [ 30105T ?01 ]
User Feedback: 149
User State: ?01
Banned items
Message: I wish to lodge a protest concerning the new firearms policy
that will go into effect mid month. Banning reloading items, shell cases and bullets it foolish at best and down right useless as a violence control policy. If and when this policy goes into effect, I will be dropping my membership from both Ebay and pay-pal.
One of my major search and purchase areas has been gun parts and
reloading equipment. I am a credentialed teacher and a veteran of the Vietnam-Cold War era. I have no criminal record and neither do any of my friends. My daughter is a police officer as well. None of us can begin to fathom what it is you hope to accomplish with your new policy. True, that idiot from Virginia Tech used Ebay to further his evil and twisted plan. However, Ebay was not the cause of his actions nor did it really enable him. What he bought from Ebay could have just as easily been purchased elsewhere. It would be good to keep in mind that any product, can be used for evil. Shoot, you might as well ban books as ban guns. The ideas they contain are far more influential and are frequently far from being inert or harmless. Indeed, books carry all sorts of ideas, good, bad, violent, peaceful etc. Unlike firearms and firearms parts, books do have moral content.
I would hope you reconsider your plans. If not, we are going to have to part ways.
Sincerely,
R J Talley
R J Talley
Teacher/James Madison Fellow/NRA member/Hunter/Shooter