One thing I have found fascinating over my first year here at eBay is the variety of topics covered in both email and in meetings. Beyond the typical marketing or PR planning meetings there are hundreds of different policies and rules in place regarding what can or cannot be sold in the marketplace. Each policy change requires careful deliberation of the pros and cons before instituting. (I remember one email chain a few months back about a cornflake shaped liked the state of Illinois!).

Last week I was included in a discussion about the sale of ivory on eBay. This is a particularly complex issue that a team inside the company has been looking at for some time, in consultation with a number of stakeholders. Now, I’m not one to get political on this blog but I do feel quite strongly about the ivory trade. Global demand for ivory has long been a significant factor in the poaching of African and Asian elephants, driving these species towards extinction – to such a degree that both types of elephants are now considered endangered or protected species. (More …)