This is something of an informal observation, but music/CD sellers seem to be more adversly affected by Ebay fraud policing than other sellers--you do have sellers trying to sell bootlegs and Chinese counterfeits, but Ebay sellers looking to essentially pull off a high-dollar scam usually don't do so using phony CD or vinyl listings as bait. It seems like the other message boards I look in on seem to center more on complaints about sellers (shill bidding, forgery, etc.) than vice-versa. In particular, sports memorabilia, autographs and high-grade trading cards seem to be a preferred means for crooked Ebay sellers to scam a quick buck. Don't get me wrong--you do have some Ebay sellers trying to pass off CD-r's as "acetates" and "promos" and what have you, but rather than trying to charge and arm and a leg for a certain collectable CD as being "original", they're usually trying to sell copies of expensive CD's at a cut-rate price, and I suppose if buyers are getting the CD content they are after, everybody is happy.

In my experience, ebay's VERO program used to over police cd's (though ebay themselves have always been pretty lax about true bootlegs). That doesn't seem to be the case anymore; but I think alot of it is because the RIAA have become much more concerned with file sharing, & much less concerned with promos (which never were illegal) & with Chinese & Russian boots (which of course are illegal). Most takedowns in the old days were initiated by SUPPOSED rights owners (i say supposed because I had a UK public domain Frank Sinatra cd taken down by the president of the Sinatra fan club, who most definitely was NOT a rights owner; but ebay treated him like he was.

There was a time the "Vero" program (aka RIAA) were such jerks about promos, I had to use the the generic term "cutout" for any defacement, whether it was a true deletion/overstock or a promo. I even had BMG club cd's taken down on AMAZON!

I used to follow the $6.99 rule too. No longer possible as a full time retailer (unless I want to sit on old product for years, & have very little used product).

I've sold many things (mostly albums and CDs but other stuff too) on both Amazon & ebay, and regardless of the profit margins, I find it much easier and less hassles selling on Amazon.

Ebay seems to attract the highest percentage of flakey buyers, people not paying at all, having to wait forever to get paid, buyers who are obviously either drunk or mentally deranged etc, and I find it much easier/quicker to list something on Amazon than creating an ebay auction. YMMV I guess.

And like Greg said above I don't even bother selling stuff for like less than $7 or $8. It's not worth the effort - on either venue.

Vigorous competition is the key to satisfying all customers. Eventually the on-line retailers will succumb to the same laziness that many of the brick and mortars did. Who listens to local FM radio today for new music? With all of the radio deregulation in the 1990's, the competition was reduced to a point where all we have is either the same 40 pop sh*t songs or oldies. When it's only Amazon selling CD's, what makes you think they will want to go to the ends of the earth to sell music?

Eventually a couple of board members will engage in a little capitalism (a conspiracy to some), there will be a cost benefit analysis of listing all this music, they will then begin work with the major sellers to cut out the competition and then pare down the list. Happens all the time.