The battle was won, but the war isn’t over perhaps. Someone in Britain is apparently selling another consecrated Host on eBay. The seller has not photograph, but claims that his “devout Catholic” mother saved it from a 1996 papal Mass. Hmmm. Can you say fraud?
Regardless, eBay needs to take steps to prevent this sort of thing from happening, fraudulent or not. Continue the pressure:
1. Sign the online petition.
2. Send them your complaint via their web site.
3. Call their office either at 1-800-322-9266 or 1-888-749-3229
4. Write eBay’s president:
Office of the President
EBAY Inc
Meg Whitman
2145 Hamilton Ave
San Jose, CA 95125
Demand that they place the Eucharist (and saint’s relics, too) on the list of banned items. Whatever they say about not wanting to get involved in religious disputes, if enough publicity and pressure is put on them, they will back down.
Update: Interestingly, links to two auctions of the Eucharist on eBay that were sent to me come up as invalid links. Either the links were bad to begin with, eBay took the auctions down, or the sellers took the auctions down. However, at this writing there is still a (purported) Eucharist being auctioned at the link above.
I had no problem with the links. Weird.
Update here:
this link HAS 3 BIDS—LOOK at the name of the last/highest bidder!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6171703649
http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBids&item=6171703649
The bid amounts are becoming even more ridiculous. I hope that they are fraudulent, as I am willing to bet the item is. While I agree that the Eucharist is beyond price, I just can’t see these new eBayers coming out of the woodwork and bidding over 5 million pounds/9 million US Dollars…or am I just cynical?
I have suspended all eBay activity, and have notified eBay of same, but they are seemingly oblivious and uncaring of the outpouring of outrage. I am hopeful that their stock will continue to fall, and then perhaps they will pay attention…?
So very, very disappointed in eBay. Perhaps they think no one cares after the first abomination was cancelled…?
Questions questions.
KAP : the first link tells us the “item was removed”. The second link is an invalid item number.
PS I’d already communicated with them twice earlier in the week. Today I simply sent them an email: “STOP IT. Knock it off! “Let’s hope they get the point!
JenB,
I am thankful they are down now! I hope that this doesn’t happen again.
Dom: a new, interesting auction on eBay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=88433&item=5574740335&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW
The petition now has more than 20,000 signatures.