We all know that Ebay is a gigantic player in the retail world, but because of its virtual nature, it's hard to keep tabs on just how large the worldwide garage sale really is. Here's an indicator, the International Fund for Animal Welfare says that the online retailer is big enough to be responsible for "63% of the trade in endangered species -- with elephant ivory comprising 73% of all products tracked." Just think, that leopard skin purse could be real leopard skin. That's why eBay feels compelled to start cracking down on ivory sales starting January 1st.


In order to start cleaning up the animal trafficking going on in their virtual auction house, Ebay has set up an elaborate set of regulations that pretty much gives them cart blanche to take action against sellers hocking products that contain ivory or other materials from endangered wildlife. Sanctions include listing cancellation, forfeit of eBay fees, or account suspension.

Most likely, a vast portion of the ivory jewelry and antiques sold on Ebay were created legally, before the ban of 1986. Still, it must be weird to realize that -- although you have little say over what products are sold in your auctions -- your company is responsible for brokering deals on almost half the world's ivory trade. Here's what an eBay representative had to say about the ban:

"Global demand for ivory has long been a significant factor in the poaching of African and Asian elephants, driving these species towards extinction-to such a degree that both types of elephants are now considered endangered or protected species. [We] concluded that we simply can't ensure that ivory listed for sale on eBay is in compliance with the complex regulations that govern its sale."

[via BlackBook]