We face the scary prospect of having government officials pass laws concerning eBay. Remember, these are the same folks who oversee individuals that lose hard drives containing diagrams of small nuclear weapons. Incidentally, auction of drugs is forbidden. Although imperfect, many questionable items have been reported and removed. The press typically report on the few items that slip through the safeguard rather than providing a modicum of balance by adding some of the many items reported and removed.
Sensationalism sells newspapers.
Next month, Ebay will auction a Honus Wagner baseball card. Only 50 such cards are known to exist. This is not the first government sale at the popular auction site. Oregon and California have surplus property offering on eBay. E-Commerce Times reports that California claims to have received more money from auction items than it would have from selling the same items through the traditional property warehouses.