On Jun 22, 2010, at 12:31 AM, Mike S wrote:
>
> "We don't allow our members to use eBay to contact each other to make
> offers to buy or sell items outside of eBay. Also, members can't use
> information obtained from eBay to contact each other about buying or
> selling outside of eBay."

If I read that correctly it means that if I ever buy, or just see,
something advertised on ebay from some vendor who is well known in the
Vanagon community, say GoWesty, then I can never buy anything from
their store again... for the rest of my life!  That is beyond belief.
If I find a vendor who has an item for sale on ebay and when I try to
buy that item they try to get me to buy it directly from them, I will
never deal with them again.  But if they don't have the item I want in
their ebay listing then I see nothing wrong with buying it from them
directly.  Once I have a relationship with a vendor, regardless of how
I established that relationship, no one's policy can legally stop me
from buying from them in whatever fashion I want.

Do you really believe that ever vendor who has ever sold anything
through ebay should check before they sell anything to anyone to be
sure that person never made a purchase from them through ebay - and if
they have refuse to sell to them?  Companies make lots of policies
that are just silly.  And lots of policies that are not legally
enforceable.  If a vendor sells some things through ebay but not
everything they sell, then I will only buy the item they sell through
ebay from ebay - but anything else I feel free to buy direct.

I remain, as always
YrLyl&ObdntSrvnt,

r