Here is the AuctionBytes online-auction news roundup for Thursday, October 28, 2004.

Industry News & Trends

"When eBay deal gets ugly, who pays? The issue is before the courts, and the outcome could upend the online auction model," by Krysten Crawford, CNN/Money, 10/26/04
Roger Grace filed a lawsuit against eBay over refusing his demand to remove another user's claim that Grace was "dishonest." While a California appeals court ruled last summer for eBay, it did not agree with eBay's claim to immunity under federal law. The California Supreme Court agreed earlier this month to take up the case of Grace v. eBay. A ruling isn't expected until next year.
http://money.cnn.com/2004/10/26/news/midcaps/ebay/index.htm

After getting a slew of good publicity lately in the UK, eBay had a bad news week there this week.

BBC's Watchdog TV program: eBay, BBC, 10/26/04
This link is not to a transcript of the BBC TV segment covering fraud on eBay, but an AuctionBytes reader wrote in with the following comment:
"The E-bay and Paypal organisations were criticised for lack of buyer protection when sellers fail to deliver. The head of E-bay UK was interviewed by the presenters and said that improvements were being made as from next month. As a regular E-bay seller I do not want my sales to suffer by too much bad publicity. I hope E-bay & Paypal live up to their promise?"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/watchdog/thisweek/index3.shtml

"Treasure sold on eBay," by Bernhard Warner, Reuters UK, 10/27/04
The British Museum is upset over the number of antiquities showing up on the eBay UK site. Roger Bland, the museum's head of treasure, complains eBay is making money from the illegal auctions, "For any responsible dealer, morally you would think they would at least check these items before they put them up for sale."
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=610536§ion=news
and
"Don't sell our lost treasure on eBay, begs museum," By Dalya Alberge, Times Online, 10/26/04
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1330572,00.html

"Options Would Have Sunk eBay Profit 43%," By Troy Wolverton, TheStreet.com, 10/27/04
eBay's third-quarter earnings would have been 43% lower if the company had included stock options expenses in its income statement, according to reporter Troy Wolverton.
http://www.thestreet.com/_googlen/stocks/troywolverton/10190977.html?cm_ven=GOOGLEN&cm_cat=FREE&cm_ite=NA

Weird, Unusual, Celebrity or Charity Auctions

"eBay Pulls Bush Integrity Item from Site," by Allison Dunne, WAMC News, 10/26/04
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wamc/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=700028

"Ferrari becomes top sale at eBay," by Claire Woffenden, Web User, 10/26/04
http://www.webuser.co.uk/news/58968.html

"Online auction for Bonds ball ends with $800K bid" (AP), CBS Sportsline, 10/27/04
http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/story/7833872

Fraud, Privacy, Security Issues

"EBay virus fears dismissed as scaremongering," by Robert Jaques, vnunet.com, 10/27/04
http://www.vnunet.com/news/1159008

Miscellaneous

"Big Plans On Campus," by By Jennifer Merritt, BusinessWeek, 11/1/04
(Scroll down to see part about BuySafe)
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/04_44/b3906650.htm

"QuikDrop for eBay coming to Cary," by Chris Baysden, Triangle Business Journal, 10/26/04
http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2004/10/25/daily13.html