The E-Fencing Enforcement Act of 2008 was introduced into the House of Representatives last week, and if passed, would require online auction sites like eBay to retain information about high-volume sellers and provide that information to retailers and to law enforcement officials in cases where police reports have been filed.
House Resolution 6713 was introduced just weeks after the introduction of H. R. 6491, the Organized Retail Crime Act of 2008, which would require auction sites to cooperate with retailers and police and would allow retailers to sue over the sale of stolen merchandise. The National Retail Federation (NRF) issued press releases praising both proposals, stating that retailers lose between $15 and $30 billion to "organized retail crime" each year.
