From an ebay forums posting

I am frustrated and would like to know if it is unique to me or others recognize my concern and have similar frustration.

I have lots of good feedback. I am a professional Land Surveyor in Canada. I have bought several pieces of survey gear worth over $10,000. I only buy items where the seller will agree to provide me the serial number before I send payment so I can do due diligence to make sure it is not a stolen item. Unfortunately on a few occasions I have been the high bidder and found that the survey equipment was stolen gear and that theft had been reported to the original vendor.

I am interested in buying two specific models of equipment. It is my belief that over 50% of those models offered for sale are stolen and that Ebay is providing a good fence for folks selling stolen gear.

When I ask a seller if they will ship to Canada I usually get a response they will. When I ask the same seller if they will provide serial numbers to me after I win but before I pay I usually get no answer or a ignorant response.

Does Ebay or paypal have any policy around this concern other then advising that buyers should try to protect them selves?

As a Ebay user It looks to me like Ebay's business partly relies on providing a venue for stolen items. When I look for information on what is being done to deal with general problem I do not see much information on this site. I have talked with a police officer who found it frustrating dealing with Ebay. He believed that Ebay had a interest in protecting sellers.

http://forums.ebay.com/db2/topic/Trust-S...