by cowdery » Thu Feb 07, 2008 1:41 am
I'm starting this thread in the same spirit as my Bottle Finder suggestion.
Although I know that no good deed goes unpunished, I continue to believe that we, meaning the regular contributors to this web site, can help the cause by providing good, reliable, unbiased information to other seekers after the amber elixer, especially beginners.
So I ask this question here, in this way, even though we've talked the subject to death at other times and in other places.
I'll start, though only to scratch the surface.
First, some personal disclosures. I've never bought anything on eBay and I've never sold anything on eBay, not bourbon, not anything, but I do look at it from time to time, especially when someone points me toward an interesting posting. I have no intention of participating, but it's interesting to see what people put up there, what they say about it, and what kinds of prices they are getting.
For me, the first big "con" about buying or selling whiskey on eBay is the legality problem. eBay has a standard disclaimer everybody uses but it doesn't really mean anything. It's mostly for covering eBay's ass. It doesn't do anything to protect the seller from prosecution for selling alcohol without a license, and a host of other criminal offenses both state and federal.
The actual risk of arrest or prosecution is pretty small, but it is there nonetheless.
Even aside from that, when you buy or sell something on eBay, you invariably have to lie. Virtually every seller who uses that mandatory disclaimer is lying, because in most cases the value of the item is in its contents, not the "collectible container;" the container's "incidental contents" are intended for consumption; the item is available at retail; and the container does not have a value that substantially exceeds the current retail price of the alcohol in the container. You also can be sure that most sellers will not take all appropriate steps to ensure that the buyer is of lawful age in the buyer's and seller's jurisdiction (generally 21 years old). Finally, it's not even possible for both the buyers and the sellers to ensure that the sale complies with all applicable laws and shipping regulations.
That bothers me. It seems like bad karma, if nothing else. If I have to lie to do this, shouldn't that tip me off that it's probably something I shouldn't do?
My purpose in posting this is not so much to solicit reactions to my attitude as it is to seek your opinion and your personal experiences buying or selling on eBay.