eBay's motto: if you can't beat them, join them. eBay is partnering with the National Retail Federation (NRF) trade association to tackle "organized retail crime." The last several years have seen lawmakers paying attention to retail organizations such as NRF and RILA (Retail Industry Leaders Association) and introduced legislation to combat such crime. In 2008, the E-Fencing Enforcement Act of 2008 introduced into the House of Representatives would have required 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 had been filed.

Last year, eBay hired a RILA executive to become its Global Director of Retail Partnerships to partner with law enforcement and retailers. Paul Jones, now Global Director of Asset Protection at eBay, said this week in a press releasing announcing the relationship, "Through this partnership, NRF and eBay are putting criminals on notice that they will no longer be able to steal from retailers and abuse the online marketplace for profit."

According to the announcement:

This unique partnership between eBay and the National Retail Federation will receive tie in support from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, retailer participation and new technology to identify and attack organized retail crime. The partnership provides for greater information sharing to target ORC investigations which would further support the investigative efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement working in partnership with LP professionals.