When Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. asked eBay and Craigslist to stop scalpers from selling inauguration tickets, the online giants said yes. When retailers, businesses, corporations and coupon manufacturers ask eBay to stop coupon sales, they are met with silence. In other words no.
Schumer is in charge of President Obama's swearing-in ceremony. After seeing ticket auctions for the event on eBay and Craigslist with prices up to $2,000 each, the senator took action siting the 'not for sale' clause included in the invitation's fine print. While selling the invitation isn't punishable by law, the allotted tickets from members of Congress are to remain free. (For more details visit the Washington Post article
.)
Bud Miller, executive director of the Coupon Information Center, wishes he had the same power to convince eBay to stop the illegal sale of coupons, like Schumer had over scalping inauguration tickets. "Senators have the ability to move heaven and earth and occasionally a website," Miller said this afternoon. "I'm happy they [eBay] complied with the senator's wishes. I wish they would comply with the coupon industry's request to end coupon listings, something eBay could do overnight but won't."
Go
to see eBay's auction policy regarding coupons.
Apparent double standard:
Schumer's case for ending the auctions centered around the 'not for sale' statement visible on the invitation. However presidential inauguration tickets are not the only documents with a version of "not for sale" included in the terminology.
Coupon manufacturers include in the fine print a statement similar to the following found on a Betty Crocker coupon "Void if altered, copied, sold, purchased, transferred, exchanged or where prohibited or restricted by law."
More coupons Miller points out are including the wording found on an Aleve-D coupon $2 off 1, "Void if sold, copied, transferred, altered or
auctioned.
" Yet this very coupon found in the SmartSource Jan. 6 insert is featured in a current auction on eBay right now.
Coupon manufacturers may have a case to revisit their requests of eBay to end online auctions based on Schumer's successful efforts or do they?
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