Question:
EBay Scraps Plans to Offer Live Pets
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - Internet auctioneer eBay Inc. has canceled plans to allow live pets to be sold on its Web site after receiving thousands of angry letters from users.
The San Jose-based company has long banned the sale of live animals except fish and snails, and officials said Monday they were scrapping plans to create a separate classifieds category that would feature free ads from animal shelters and paid ads from breeders.
EBAY INC

NASDAQ:EBAY
Updated: 16:00 ET
44.14 -0.48
Over the weekend, an eBay manager revealed in a posting to an online message board that the company was considering lifting the ban, prompting letters from more than 2,000 users, most of whom urged that the ban remain, said company spokesman Hani Durzy.
Users were worried the listings would encourage puppy mills, where animals are sometimes bred in unsanitary conditions, and that it would be difficult to differentiate between legitimate animal shelters and unsavory sources.
``The feedback was pretty overwhelming,'' Durzy said. ``Farms and for-profit commercial breeders wasn't something that they wanted to see.''
Booming sales of pet supplies - and the possibility that users may want a pet listing service - had prompted the company to reconsider its ban on the sale of live animals, Durzy said.
Information from: San Francisco Chronicle, http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle


Answer:
Whoa- that's scary. And we've always reported when people offer pets on there! Man, that would so turn dangerous in a nanosecond!


Answer:
I saw that story this morning and am so relieved they changed their mind. I shudder to think of all the backyard breeders and mills that would have opened and flourished with online pet sales/auctions And these so-called 'animal shelters'. We can all just imagine what sort of 'shelter' would post animals for adoption on ebay...


Answer:
Okay I have to say something here. This will probably start a war but I have express my opinion. From what I have read they were just going to run classified ads for shelters and animals...how does this differ from people posting classified ads in the paper, on POTN or any other other classified sites? If you respond to a classified ad you have to deal with the seller yourself.

Did I miss read their intention? I never read anywhere they were trying to start a section to auction off animals. Simply to run ads.

S.


Answer:
It shouldn't start a war - everyone is entitled to their opinion and definitely entitled to voice it.

To be honest, I object to individuals placing ads in newspapers for adopting out/selling animals. In my opinion, I don't think responsible pet-carers/breeders should do so (and that comment will prolly start a war, as well, but it's the way I feel). So whether it's in a newspaper or in a classified section of ebay, it makes no difference to me - it's the same thing.

As for shelters advertising on ebay, anyone responding to a shelter's ebay ad, wanting to adopt an animal, would have to be local and amenable to meeting and being screened by shelter personnel. When I think of animals being adopted out by shelters via ebay, I envision animals being shipped from one side of the country to the other, with potential adopters not being properly screened by shelter personnel. Hopefully that's not what they had in mind at all.


Answer:
Originally Posted by Banshee
To be honest, I object to individuals placing ads in newspapers for adopting out/selling animals. In my opinion, I don't think responsible pet-carers/breeders should do so (and that comment will prolly start a war, as well, but it's the way I feel). So whether it's in a newspaper or in a classified section of ebay, it makes no difference to me - it's the same thing.
Banshee, I have a question for you. You say you object to individuals placing ads in newspapers regarding pets. Do you also object to licensed/responsible breeders doing this? What about on forums like POTN?
I don't like the idea of animals being bought/sold as commodities; however - I have placed ads on forums when I needed to sell my chichillas (kits & adults). Had I not done that, I don't know how people would have known they were available. I'd like to consider myself a responsible pet owner.
Banshee, in your opinion : Where do you draw the line, and what do you consider to be "responsible advertising?" What other alternatives would breeders/shelters/owners have?


Answer:
We had this in our news this morning. I found it very interesting.
Our SPCA shelter uses the newspaper to advertise their "pet of the week" and they ship animals to anyone who wants them. They go to the local shelter, and that shelter screens the people who want it.
If people didn't advertise their pets how would we find them? If someone didn't want their animal anymore, wouldn't it be better for someone to adopt/buy that dog through the classifieds than the person just have it destroyed.


Answer:
Pickles, I agree
I do want to be clear, though, that in no way, shape or form do I support the auctionning of live animals on Ebay.


Answer:
No, I wouldn't support that either, but that wasn't ebays plan.


Answer:
Lisa, I'd rather not elaborate on my comment re my opinion on individuals (which included breeders) advertising in newspapers to sell animals to people they don't know. It's not really a debate in which I wish to engage at the moment - I was simply responding to petkeeper's question about the difference between classified ads in a newspaper and classified ads on ebay. I don't see a difference, that's all - I don't want to elaborate on it. If I did, I would've brought it up a long time ago.