Ivory Restrictions Show eBay Looking Out for Animal Welfare 

Read on FoxNews today that eBay has agreed to ban cross-border sales of Ivory items on their site. In fact, the German branch of eBay had already taken these steps last spring, which reduced Ivory offering substantially, but with the US end now joining the cause it should dramatically curtail the interenation trade in illegal ivory trinkets made since initial world restrictions were set up by Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in 1975.   

The eBay ban, as negotiated by International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) would only apply to trades across country borders and to items produced after the 1975 CITES ban. This should mean that any early ivory tokens would still be able to be traded among collectors. Of course the Keeling Cocos Island tokens from 1913 , which are refered to as Ivory, but are really ivory looking plastic would be uneffected altogether. Classic ivory carvings from pre-1975 should also not be effected, nor should early forms of Odd & Curious Monies such as full elephant tusks, tusk rings and tusk disks used as money by Chiefs in various areas of Africa. Individual countries laws will apply within thier borders and Ebay will not restrict sales within any country, but international trade of modern ivory trinkets will not be allowed.

A quick check of the eBay announcement board showed no information yet on this developement, but the public announcement for the press was made yesterday during a CITES conference in The Hague.