Louisiana may require licenses for eBay sellers

Louisiana might become the first state to require eBay sellers to obtain licenses. The state's Auctioneers Licensing Board has begun requiring some sellers to fill out paperwork and cough up $300 to become a "certified auctioneer."

eBayers caught in this regulatory Web might may also be forced to purchase $10,000 surety bonds to protect buyers from unsatisfactory transactions.

This story on MSNBC pokes a number of holes in the state initiative. For example, isn't eBay itself actually the auctioneer for items sold on its site? And a growing number of eBay transactions are Buy-It-Now fixed price listings, not auctions.

eBay is fighting Louisiana hard on this, because the company knows it would be a terrible precedent. One of the big advantages of selling online is the relative freedom from the excessive regulation and burdensome red tape that plagues brick-and-mortar businesses.