Ebay Could Owe $1.9 Billion in Fines for Allowing Sale of 343,000 Emissions Defeat Devices

[Eugene]

Source: The Drive

Ebay Could Owe $1.9 Billion in Fines for Allowing Sale of 343,000 Emissions Defeat Devices

The Department of Justice alleges that eBay illegally sold 343,011 emissions defeat devices, and could face billions in penalties.

BY CHRIS ROSALES
PUBLISHED SEP 30, 2023 2:30 PM EDT

The Department of Justice (DOJ) sued eBay for allowing the sale of 343,011 aftermarket emissions defeat devices and other products that violate the Clean Air Act. The online sales giant faces billions in fines, including up to $5,580 for each Clean Air Act violation, which could involve the sale of ECU tuners, aftermarket exhausts, or other parts that tamper with factory emissions systems.

The DOJ’s suit comes after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said that emissions defeat devices would no longer be a top priority for the agency. Despite that, the federal government has continued pursuing cases of systematic Clean Air Act violations, like tuning shops and online resellers. In August, the DOJ hit a diesel tuner with a $1 million fine for selling and installing unapproved ECU tuners that tamper with onboard emissions systems. Last year, eBay banned the sale of aftermarket parts that tamper with emissions, but has apparently not kept up with moderation.

According to Reuters, the DOJ also alleges that eBay sold 23,000 unregistered or restricted-use pesticides, which violated a 2020 U.S. EPA stop-sale order, as well as distributing 5,614 paint and coating removal products that contain methylene chloride. The chemical is linked with lethal brain and liver cancer, as well as non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The complaint says that “eBay has the power, the authority, and the resources to stop the sale of illegal, harmful products on its website.” The complaint continues, “It has chosen not to; instead, it has chosen to engage in these illegal transactions.”

EBay responded to the allegations, calling the lawsuit “entirely unprecedented.” The e-commerce giant says it will defend itself vigorously, and says that it maintains “a safe and trusted marketplace.” Finally, eBay says that it is removing and blocking “more than 99.9%” of the listings cited by the DOJ.

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Read more: https://www.thedrive.com/news/us-sues-ebay-for-allowing-sale-of-more-than-300000-emissions-defeat-devices

[hlthe2b]

1. If one did not have really good insurance I can (almost) understand the desperation to buy one

on eBay (as nuts and risky as that might be). Having had my own stolen and had to wait quite some time for a replacement--which was far shorter than had been the case for many areas of the country--I was fortunate to have good rental car coverage.

That eBay allowed these sales to proceed, though, is not just illegal. It is going to hurt the entire platform...

Some of my friends still wonder why I become so viscerally angry about CC thefts--not merely my own. If you've not experienced it literally feet from your front door in an act that experienced thieves can accomplish in a few short minutes and then the time sink it takes (even with the best insurance) to ensure it is properly replaced and the best anti-theft devices obtained and installed to try to prevent it again--not to mention the out-of-pocket costs (especially for the latter), well, I guess you can't understand. But, somehow an all-too-short jail sentence (if by chance they are caught) seems beyond inadequate. And once you hear from local police taking your own report that it is now so widespread as to include many garaged cars... and cars momentarily parked at your local grocery store parking lot in broad daylight, you might begin to see my point.

[mopinko]

3. they're bad in chgo. we had a guy

who drove a black newish dodge charger, loud as hell, but still got away w it. someone took a vid of him in action, and it was all over social media. and yeah, 2 min and gone.
havent heard about him lately so maybe they caught him. but there’s so much foot traffic where i live and they still get away w it. must make a fair amount of noise, too.

[progressoid]

2. I tried to sell some old halogen bulbs on eBay recently. They wouldn't allow it.

They are photographic bulbs. Although it seem other sellers have gotten around it by careful wording of the listing.

It's officially the end of the era. As of August 1, you can no longer purchase incandescent light bulbs, nor are they being manufactured in the United States. This ban also applies to Halogen bulbs and it’s possible that by 2025, Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFL) will also be phased out under the Biden administration’s new standards. These light bulbs are being phased out in favor of LED light bulbs, which use less energy while lasting longer. The U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) estimates that the switch will save American households an average of $100 per year on energy bills, totaling about $3 billion in energy costs for American consumers across the board.

[hatrack]

4. " . . . is removing and blocking. . . " 300k defeat devices later

[Old Crank]

5. Hopefully they are also going after the sellers

and the buyers. The truck pictured needs to be taken off the road until it comes back under code.
Big fine for the emmissions and replace the lift kit with stock and put the tires back under the fenders.

[MichMan]

7. "replace the lift kit with stock and put the tires back under the fenders"

When did a lifted truck with bigger tires than stock become illegal?

[bucolic_frolic]

6. When was the last time the Feds fined any company to the max?

This will be settled for peanuts and eBay will go blithely onward. They have so ruined it. It's a filtered marketplace, tweaked for profitability and metered access for all users. Once in a slot, you'll always be there.

[Wonder Why]

8. Couldn't happen to a nicer company unless it happened to Amazon. Both engage in

selling counterfeit goods by third parties, allowing false information on the product descriptions, and, particularly for Amazon, fake reviews.

Moreover, they make it difficult to find on their site how to report these issues and don't ban sellers (unless they themselves are cheated) nor force sellers to back up their claimed warranties.

[hunter]

9. I've been blocked from buying all sorts of things on Amazon...

... that are not approved in California. Most recently, a low flow shower head -- not because it wasn't low flow as advertised, but simply because it wasn't on the list of California approved shower heads.

I've had the same problem with various electrical widgets that are commonly used elsewhere, but not approved in California. I wasn't planning to use them for household wiring or anything like that but I still can't get them on Amazon.

But I agree with the regulations in general. I'm not going to be the guy who chortles and thinks he's getting away with something because he went out of state to buy a dirty non-California compliant generator for his RV.

I remember what the air in Los Angeles was like before stringent air pollution regulations. People shouldn't have to breathe polluted air like that anywhere.

I think this demonstrates that Amazon does have the ability to block non-compliant stuff, but they only do it in places where they know the laws will be enforced.

[Wonder Why]

10. Yes! That's the way these companies work. Get away with it where you can. Skirt the law.