So Geldof has been ranting about eBay and how folk have been selling their Live8 tickets on the auction site. While I don’t agree with what the sellers are doing, I don’t agree that it’s eBay’s fault. So watching the ITV news I loved Sir Bob’s quote when talking about eBay – I would love hackers to hack into eBay and stop it working. Quality. His other quote was valid though:
The people who are selling these tickets on websites are miserable wretches who are capitalising on people’s misery. I am appealing to their sense of decency to stop this disgusting greed
Even better – ITV’s Mark Austin started off his interview with eBay chief executive in UK with a ‘what are you going to do about this then’ type quote only to have the wind taken completely out of his sails with a ‘we’re taking them down’ statement in a small but clear voice that totally debunked the whole interview. Nice one eBay. Back onto Sir Bob – he also quoted:
What eBay are doing is profiteering on the backs of the impoverished.
This is something that could easily be labelled at others who have gained out of the plight of millions in Africa.
The sale of Live8 tickets on eBay was morally reprehensible but gladly, eBay have now done a total u-turn and have prohibited the sale of tickets on their site 🙂
http://www2.ebay.com/aw/uk/200506.shtml#2005-06-14192733
Every artist who has sold extra records as a result of their appearance at one of these benefits has ‘profiteered on the backs of the impoverished’.
After a quiet couple of years Midge Ure had a number one shortly after Live Aid…
I heard the CEO of Ebay UK getting interviewed on R4 yesterday too. A calm quiet bloke – though maybe a little weary sounding.
Q. So you are taking down all these auctions?
A. Yes, but we have X Million (insert your choice of total number) auctions and Y Million (and again) users adding new items every hour – so its an ongoing process.
Q. Rumour has it you only did a u-turn because your US bosses told you to?
A. Er, no. I haven’t spoken to the US chiefs since this started. That is just nonsense; many of our loyal community reported these auctions and we just listened to our customers. We ask for help from our users reporting what they believe are illegal/immoral auctions (firearms, human organs etc etc). We have Z thousand (and again) employees vetting auctions, but without the help of our customers it frankly would be an impossible task.
Q. Oh, right then.
not only did the bands agreeing to take part profit from live aid on the backs of africans, but bob geldofs band would never have had the chance to play something like that if he wasnt organising it – live aid brought his band loads more publicity than they deserved