eBay Banning Ivory Trade Across International Borders

It seems like the long arm of the law is getting closer in reach to the world of online commerce everyday. First it was talk of whether or not online auction sales are taxable this past tax season, and now this from Reuters:

Online auction site eBay will ban all international trade of elephant ivory on its sites, the company said on Tuesday in a move welcomed by an animal welfare group which found the bulk of the ivory was most likely illegal. A spokeswoman for eBay said it was tightening its policy on ivory sales and that the ban on international trade in elephant ivory would come into effect by the end of June.

I was under the impression that this was yet another move to promote some sort of green agenda, but after a brief chat with an eBay spokesperson I learned that their focus lies elsewhere. "Since the rules regarding the trade of ivory are very complicated," she began, "this is less about outlining them explicitly and more about maintaining a marketplace that supports buyer confidence when it comes to legality."

This snippet from the official press release takes this point a step further:

The fundamental principle of eBay is that it is a marketplace where consumers can buy and sell almost anything. However, there are instances where our policies go above and beyond upholding existing domestic or international regulations. This is the case with ivory. By strengthening our policy we give sellers a clear and consistent policy that in turn provides confidence for those people who wish to buy legitimate and legal ivory items.

I'm still trying to figure out exactly how expansive the site's ivory market is to begin with, but it'll be interesting to see how the users react. eBay's recent move makes a lot of sense in terms of promoting a safe buying environment and social responsibility, but once legal concerns are cited as a reason for limiting content there's bound to be some dessension in the ranks. I've already outlined some of the hurdles that can be encountered in scenarios like this one, so my interest is piqued as to what the general public's reaction will be.