Recently, eBay joined California Attorney General Rob Bonta to announce a first-of its-kind agreement between his office, major retailers, and online marketplaces intended to help curtail organized retail crime (ORC). The agreement sets a framework for retailers and marketplaces to share information and proactively work together on the issue.

"eBay is committed to providing a secure online shopping experience to millions of people globally and has been very serious about battling stolen goods,” said Zhi Zhou, Chief Risk Officer, eBay. “We have zero tolerance for criminal activity on our platform and are proud to support Attorney General Bonta and other online marketplaces in this effort to curtail organized retail theft and support criminal prosecutions against those who try to use our platform to sell stolen goods. This will complement eBay’s Partnering with Retailers Offensively Against Crime and Theft (PROACT) program, a collaboration with Retail Loss Prevention departments in North America seeking assistance with investigations related to Organized Retail Crime.”
– Zhi Zhou, eBay’s Chief Risk Officer on the California agreement

The full press conference can be accessed here.

A copy of the agreement can be accessed here.

Over the past few years, state Attorneys General across the country have stood up task forces to help address ORC by increasing collaboration, communication, and coordination by and between law enforcement agencies, retailers and online marketplaces. eBay has and will continue to partner with law enforcement, retailers, and other stakeholders to keep consumers, sellers, and our marketplace safe.

The agreement in California comes on the heels of the passage of the federal INFORM Consumers Act in December 2022, which requires online marketplaces to collect, verify and disclose certain information on high-volume sellers. eBay strongly supported the INFORM Act as it increases the safety and transparency of online marketplaces by implementing workable seller verification and disclosure requirements while protecting the safety and privacy of sellers. The INFORM Act took effect on June 27, 2023.

Learn more about the INFORM Consumers Act here.

eBay is committed to ensuring its platform is a trusted and safe marketplace for buyers and sellers. For more information related to eBay’s efforts to maintain a safe and trusted platform, please consult the 2022 Transparency Report.