Posted on 12/20/2005 1:55:22 PM PST by Fractal Trader
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.
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."
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
What do you think?
I got 8 cats with mama cat expecting again soon. I would be glad to offer them up for free.
Not sure what to think, but I'd tend to think it'd be a bad idea. (pinging also Slings and Arrows, for the kitty ping list)
There's always ~spaying~ and neutering :~D
Good decision.
Dog people seem to have gotten the message on that score, but cat owners are still completely irresposible... they let their animals roam onto other properties, kill small animals, etc... and these animals are completely unfixed.
Well, cats seem to have a right of free passage - there's no easy way to fence them, and most people understand and expect that.
But the number of unwanted cats and kittens that end up in shelters and euthanized in this country is shameful. Spay and neuter your pets people!
'Ebay Motors' was a good idea.
I'm not sure about 'Ebay Critters'.
And a neutered cat is more even-tempered and easy to get along with!
I've seen some near-magical transformations in cats after the vet visit.
I think it's a good decision. Imagine the conditions most ebay pitbulls would be bred in.
Agreed.... even with older animals...
My Labrador Logan wasn't neutered until he was 8, because before that I was showing and competing with him, and some activities require he be intact. I wanted to keep my options open.
He was a hard dog to handle his whole life, thinking more about sex than pretty much any of my priorities ;~D Competing with him was like fighting nature.
As soon as he was neutered he focused better, was easier to be around, and I wished I'd have done it ~years~ earlier.
Never let anyone tell you that 'once they're of a certain age it won't really change their behavior much' It will. My old Tom cat too, stopped roaming so much and fighting all the time, and he was middle aged and battle worn when he showed up here and set up residence.
Unfortunately, puppy mills are alive and well in Japan, even in the chain stores. No one seems to know the answer to the question, "If nobody buys them, what happens to them?"
This is a good idea.
"FedEx Next Day, $50. UPS Ground $20. USPS Media Mail $5 (not guaranteed)"
More sweet and sour pork sir?
Very true, and I encourage people who are looking for pets to adopt one of those animals that is nearby and in need of a home rather than looking far and wide for some dog on ebay. Most people who want a pet are not showing or competing, and don't need a fancy pedigreed pooch, they need a great family mutt.
Horses are sometimes bought and sold with some success online... There's several successful online classifieds for horses, particularly in the upper price brackets where there may not be a wide enough selection in the local newspaper... But I don't think the same is true for dogs... There's no need to buy a pet faraway and ship it to you, except those in the upper brackets of competing, and those people already know how to buy from each other.
"Hey, look at my ___INSERT NAME HERE_____. It does tricks when I kick it hard enough!"
He was a hard dog to handle his whole life, thinking more about sex than pretty much any of my priorities ;~D Competing with him was like fighting nature.
As soon as he was neutered he focused better, was easier to be around, and I wished I'd have done it ~years~ earlier.
Please be honest. That letter was originally written by Hillary and you just changed names to protect the guilty. [ and I'm not talking about Buddy. :-) ]
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