Weird thing is, they're suspending brokers who used to sell alot and making them request reactivation via a complex system of faxing in ID and stuff, for "breaking eBay rules"

Yet, they're allowing new auctions from "solo sellers", and still haven't removed the categories

Talk about bad customer service

15 for Baja still.

If I were EA, instead of outlawing the sale of virtual goods, I think I would try to corner the market on it now that eBay is so graciously bowing out. I'd start my own UO-auction site and collect the sales fees from the sellers the way eBay did. Maybe even get in on the action with "official" UO auctions. EA obviously isn't opposed to the sale of in-game goods for cash (as is evidenced by their creation of the game code store, where you can buy tokens and advanced players and such for cash).

That's what I would do, if I were EA

Sounds like a plan,but I am curious as to how any other 'site' for trading in this way,would also overcome the 'pay your taxes' thing ?

The issue with taxes has been shut down in the past. An activist group of eBayers, actually, was influential in keeping it from passing Congress a couple years back. I don't think it's going to pass anytime soon (even though it's being reintroduced, if I'm not mistaken).

Even if it did pass, most ecommerce software has the ability to calculate sales tax into a transaction, and it would then be up to the sellers to run it as a legitimate business and properly account for their sales and report sales tax to the government (in the US anyway).

The tax reporting burden really isn't on the auction site, but on the sellers themselves. The auction site is just facilitating the connections between buyers and sellers.

Just checked eBay and found one way that former UO sellers are getting around the "sale of virtual items" clause. One seller who sells rune libraries is now instead selling a GUIDE to where to find a rune library. I would bet that the guide says, "follow me to my house and I will give you runebooks."

Ha!

The reputable and larger brokers are still demanding items. They have a client list and the demand is still there. It just cuts out many of your "mom and pop" sellers.

as of 1/31 there are only 5 auctions on Ebay for Chessy...

guess its time to think up a uof classified section! =D

Whadya think Adam?

I don't have the money for the software, so I can't get that setup

It's official...

Interesting. I've been waiting to see more "evidence" from ebay, as all we've had thus far was heresay, auctions disappearing, and some live chat screenshots. Thanks for posting, Petra.