eBay UK successfully defends complaint about advertisement - Advertising Standards Authority - Brief Article

Telecomworldwire, Dec 10, 2003

TELECOMWORLDWIRE-10 December 2003-eBay UK successfully defends complaint about advertisement(C)1994-2003 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD http://www.m2.com

The UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) recently received a complaint about a magazine advertisement for online marketplace eBay UK.

The ad, which appeared in a specialist magazine, featured the automotive section of the auction web site, eBay Motors UK. It claimed that "Every 7 minutes a vehicle sells on eBay Motors UK, so aged stock will be a thing of the past".

The Trader Media Group contacted the ASA to challenge whether eBay could substantiate the claim that a vehicle is sold every seven minutes.

eBay said that the claim was based on the number of vehicles sold via its site in April 2003. The company provided the ASA with an affidavit that gave the number of vehicles sold in April and May 2003 and stated that the number of vehicles sold in June and July 2003 was even higher.

The figures included the total number of listings that closed successfully, at which point a legally binding contract for sale exists.

After considering the evidence, the Authority ruled that eBay's sales figures for April and May substantiated its claim.

((Comments on this story may be sent to tww.feedback@m2.com))