States Considering Auctioneer Licenses for Ebay Sellers

Posted on October 12, 2005

MSNBC.com reports that several states including Nebraska are considering whether or not they should apply license rules for auctioneers to n online auction sellers. The Nebraska licenses require applicants to take special courses in hand gesturing and auctioneer speaking (like fast talking) which are completely inappropriate for online auctions.

To sell things over eBay, Mark Nichols may be required to take instruction in rapid-fire speaking, breathing control and reading hand gestures, even though the transactions are done by computer keyboard and mouse.
MSNBC.com reports that North Dakota's Public Service Commission is exploring whether people like Nichols, who runs a small consignment store in Crosby, must obtain auctioneer licenses before they can legally use eBay to sell merchandise for others.
To get a North Dakota auctioneer's license, applicants must pay a $35 fee, obtain a $5,000 surety bond and undergo training at one of eight approved auction schools, where the curriculum includes talking really fast.

Hopefully the states that are clearly looking to increase revenues by adding license fees to online sellers will realize that this is not the way to do it. The MSNBC article says that other states looking to extend rules include California, Florida, Maine, Missouri, Texas and Tennessee.