By Jay Amberg, Bloomberg Lifestyles. Cigar News Tue, 18 Apr 2000, 11:40am EDT

New York, April 18 -- In February, eBay, the giant Internet auction house, abruptly cancelled auctions for Cuban coins and stamps on its Web site.

Global collectors called the sudden cancellation of these auctions the ``eBay of Pigs,'' a reference to the unsuccessful invasion of Cuba on April 17, 1961, at Playa Giron (the Bay of Pigs) by about 2,000 Cuban exiles, supported in part by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.

In canceling the auctions, eBay invoked the Cuban trade embargo, more specifically, the Trading with Enemy Act, that prohibits U.S. citizens from purchasing goods and services originating in Cuba.

Last year eBay discontinued auctions involving what were thought to be Cuban cigars for the same reason.

After fielding a significant number of protests from eBay users who said eBay was meddling in matters that didn't involve embargoed items, the auction house has announced a new policy that permits the sale of some Cuban coins and stamps.

Regarding embargoed items from Cuba, eBay has published its new policy at http://pages.ebay.com/help/community/png- embargoed.html. There are also links to the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the agency in charge of embargo violations.

©2000 Bloomberg L.P. All rights reserved.

[ BACK TO THE NEWS ]

NOTICIAS
...Prensa Independiente
...Prensa Internacional
...Prensa Gubernamental

OTHER LANGUAGES
...Spanish
...German
...French

INDEPENDIENTES
...Cooperativas Agrícolas
...Movimiento Sindical
...Bibliotecas
...MCL
...Ayuno

DEL LECTOR
...Letters
...Cartas
...Debate
...Opinión

BUSQUEDAS
...News Archive
...News Search
...Documents
...Links

CULTURA
...Painters
...Photos of Cuba
...Cigar Labels

CUBANET
...Semanario
...About Us
...Informe 1998
...E-Mail

CubaNet News, Inc.
145 Madeira Ave,
Suite 207
Coral Gables, FL 33134
(305) 774-1887