Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) recently introduced the Combatting Organized Retail Crime Act, to address the escalation in theft, fraud and other property crimes against retail stores and elements of the supply chain. Representatives David Joyce (R-OH), Susie Lee (D-NV), and David Valadao (R-CA) introduced an identical version of the bill in the US House. The legislation strengthens legal tools for law enforcement and establishes the Organized Retail and Supply Chain Crime Coordination Center in the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate response efforts at the federal, state and local levels. The Center will also collaborate with private industry on information sharing and investigations.
eBay supports this legislation and is committed to ensuring its platform is a trusted and safe marketplace for buyers and sellers. We know it’s not enough to simply remove fraudulent items after they’ve been posted. Instead, we’re working to prevent those listings from ever going live by addressing the root cause of organized retail crime. Nearly 20 years ago, eBay launched the Partnering with Retailers Offensively Against Crime and Theft (PROACT) program, where retailers and law enforcement work together to identify, remove and support law enforcement’s efforts to prosecute sellers of stolen products. eBay partners with over 60 retail loss prevention departments globally to help protect eBay and its community. Distinct among online marketplaces, PROACT has helped crack down on widespread ORC cases worth millions of dollars — from New York City to Oklahoma. In addition, eBay’s law enforcement portal allows law enforcement officers to submit investigation-related requests to eBay quickly and securely.
In 2024, eBay collaborated with CVS to link a group of repeat shoplifters to a pawn shop in Philadelphia, which eBay had flagged as a suspicious account. While the case is ongoing, investigators at CVS and eBay found that the pawn shop was running a multi-million-dollar crime ring across several states. This is not an isolated incident — CVS has lost about $200 million from stolen goods since 2020. Work with organizations like eBay helped prevent an estimated $50 million from being stolen at CVS stores in 2023.
We’re proud of the work we’ve done to combat organized retail crime, but we know there is more to do. eBay will continue to partner with law enforcement, retailers and other stakeholders to keep our consumers, sellers and marketplace safe.