A former vice president of the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), Paul Jones, has joined eBay as global director of retail partnerships. His brief will be to prevent stolen goods being traded on the site by forging partnerships with law enforcement and retailers.
Paul Jones’ brief at RILA was to work with retailers to protect their merchandise, brands, operations and systems and to combat organised retail crime. The official postition of the RILA is that the US Congress should take strong action to combat organized retail crime and tighten regulations for online auction sites to prevent them from acting as a conduit for for stolen goods.
By recruiting the former RILA Vice President of asset protection eBay appear to have made a smart move in bolstering their crime prevention efforts and have gained an industry professional that commands respect from both retailers and law enforcement.
The move also sends a strong message to sellers on eBay, goods that aren’t legitimate simply aren’t welcome on the site.