Elephants Can Thank eBay

Popular auction site eBay is the hero of animal activists this week as they announced a ban on ivory products on all of their auction sites. The ban will go into effect next year. Antique items which contain some ivory will still be allowed, but any product that is predominantly ivory will be prohibited. 

eBay announced that this new policy was a measure to discourage the poaching of African and Asian elephants, both of which are endangered, for their ivory tusks. Animal defense groups estimate that 20,000 African and Asian elephants are killed illegally each year. 

A quick eBay search for "ivory tusk" yielded almost 500 matches. Many were priced in the thousands. Animal activists everywhere are congratulating eBay for passing up on this business to support a cause they believe in. This comes just weeks after eBay launched WorldofGood.com, a socially conscious commerce site that offers products that make a positive impact on our world. It sounds like eBay is on a roll!