State of Pennsylvania is an eBay Power Seller   - 2,894 Views, 6 Comments

Ok, sure, it makes perfect sense, but still Aunty was surprised to learn that a state entity - in this case the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and more specifically the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Department of General Services State Surplus Property Division - not only sells things on eBay, but is a genuine, bona fide eBay power seller. With 869 positive feedback responses in the past year, five neutral, and four negative.

And what sort of things does a state sell on eBay?

Well, in the case of Pennsylvania, right now your winning bid will get you any of:

50 pounds of corkscrew bottle openers (current high bid $102.50)
40 pounds of assorted nail clippers (current high bid $67.52)
50 pounds of steel scissors (current high bid $63.66)
40 pounds of assorted pocketknives (current high bid $112.50)
50 pounds of assorted handtools and hardware (current high bid $122.50)

(Do you detect a theme here? What sort of person would bid on these things? What are they going to do with them? And who sells, let alone buys, implements by the pound?)

Oh, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has a disclaimer which it uses in its eBay listings, too:

“The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania makes no warranty, expressed or implied, as to kind, character or quality of any of the property, of its fitness for any use or purpose. The description provided in this auction is based solely upon general observations. All sales are subject to all the Terms and Conditions, under which are incorporated herein by reference, and such other special terms and conditions as may be contained in this offering.”

This in itself is interesting, as usually eBay buyers want some warranty of the product being fit for its intended use.

But I guess if you are paying only $71.00 for 100 Mini Victorinox Pocket Knives, well, you just can’t be too picky.

Does this mark a new trend? And what Aunty really wants to know is whether the states which have levied an eBay fee on eBay sellers will be requiring the same fee of themselves when they become eBay sellers?