Florida weighs how to regulate eBay businesses
Add Florida to the growing list of states deciding how to deal with eBay and some of its top agents — the businesses that sell stuff for other people.
Are they auctioneers? Pawnbrokers? Secondhand shops? Or something else?
There is no shortage of opinions on the matter. And certainly no agreement.
The issue took an odd turn recently when the quarterly newsletter of an obscure state board said the businesses — operating under names such as QuikDrop, Snappy Auctions and Webay — must be treated as auctioneers, requiring their owners to be licensed.
“It’s just common sense,” said Fred Dietrich III, chairman of the five-member Board of Auctioneers. “If you are going to hire someone to sell your merchandise, you need someone that is reputable and licensed.”
But that came as a surprise both to the state’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation and eBay, a company known for aggressively defending its interests and keeping close tabs on state happenings.
“That interpretation is different from our understanding,” said Catherine England, an eBay spokeswoman.
It’s also different from the state’s official position.
Kristen Ploska, a spokeswoman for the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, said the stores are not breaking any laws.
“The department does not feel these types of entities require an auctioneer’s license, however, we examine each situation on a case by case basis,” Ploska wrote in an e-mail.
She also said that the department’s interpretation of state law has since been explained to the auction board’s chairman.
Dietrich’s response: “I don’t really follow the thinking here. But that’s not my call.”
Regulation worries some
Debates such as this one are taken seriously by the auction giant, which has worked aggressively to turn back similar efforts in states such as Louisiana, Tennessee and Maine.
Often referred to as drop-off stores — as in, you drop off an item and they sell it for you — these businesses are increasingly important for eBay and the 100 million-plus listings found there at any given time.
Scattered throughout the nation are thousands of sellers such as John Borger, a former chef making a living on eBay. The 10-year veteran owns two QuikDrop franchises in Orlando and plans to add two more.
Like other storefront sellers and so-called trading assistants, he worries that excessive regulation could shutter some high-volume operations — something that would cut into eBay’s sales.
“Do you know how much they would lose? Oh, my God,” Borger said.And the idea of having to get a license — which requires 80 hours of classroom work and a yearlong apprenticeship — is not appealing.
“I might have to move to another state,” Borger said. “I could take my franchise to Georgia.” Read More
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