But other panty peddlers were more successful. And used lingerie is just one of thousands of adult products being flogged on eBay each day. While eBay insists that adult sales represent less than 1 percent of its overall transactions, online porn and auction experts put the percentage higher, somewhere between 1 percent and 5 percent. EBay denies actively facilitating the adult section's growth. Still, eBay certainly hasn't overlooked the fiscal promise of its X-rated category.
Offerings are expanding so fast, many sellers report doubling their profits yearly.
And while these sales haven't exactly rocked the porn industry, Frederick S. Lane, author of Obscene Profits , a study of pornography in the cyber age, feels eBay is quickly displacing adult bookstores as the favored spot to buy used men's magazines. We have 4,300 categories and half a million items added daily. And we don't want to. The idea is to have the users manage the system. Once you learn the tricks of the trade, you can get away with a lot.