Homeschoolers FUMING mad at ebay!

[Bluebear]

Homeschool Magazine Responds to eBay's Ban on Selling Teacher's Editions

As homeschoolers grow increasingly frustrated with eBay's policies, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine points them towards other sites that will happily welcome their business.

Contact: Nancy Carter, Public Relations Manager, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, 888-718-HOME

WHITE PINE, Tenn., Aug. 31 /Christian Newswire/ -- Five years ago, Gena Suarez started selling homeschool curriculum on eBay to make a little extra money. She developed a wonderful rapport with her customers as they began emailing her with general homeschool questions, like, “What method do you use?” “What curriculum do you like?” “How do you homeschool with a busy preschooler at home?” “How many hours a day does it take?” But those days are long gone. These days Gena and her husband, Paul, are publishers of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine and are no longer selling curriculum on eBay. Today they couldn't even sell teacher's editions there if they wanted to since the Internet auction site now prohibits the sale of those materials. eBay defends its decision on its site by saying, “Teachers editions are intended for teacher’s use and eBay believes in limiting the resale of those items as we are not equipped to verify if the buyer is a teacher or not.”

Many homeschoolers have been affected by no longer being able to buy or sell their teacher's editions on eBay and they don't appreciate it one bit! Gena Suarez, Publisher of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine says, “Some of our readers have complained to us and asked if we could get involved. eBay is committing a crucial error in disregarding the homeschooling sector of its marketplace. The popular online auction site has benefited significantly from home educators and implementing this ban on teacher's editions is not going unnoticed. The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine recommends that eBay show its support for the American family and to once again allow the selling of teacher's editions. Doing so will go a long way to restoring the relationship that homeschoolers once enjoyed with eBay.”

Homeschoolers frustrated with the eBay ban on teacher's editions can take their business to other sites who understand the importance of being able to buy and sell teacher's editions for home educators:

HomeschoolBlogger County Fair
This Little Piggy Stays Home
Waggle Pop
Homeschool Classifieds
Homeschool Christian
My Homeschool Store

http://www.earnedmedia.org/osm0831.htm

[pitohui]

1. cheaters never prosper

but the rules don't apply to "christians" i guess

[salvorhardin]

3. This has nothing to do with cheating

eBay is refusing to sell a perfectly legal product. Teachers' editions of textbooks are essential tools to homeschoolers because most textbooks do not contain answer keys for their problem sets. Also, many teachers' editions contain additional resource materials as well as access to websites with even more materials available to enhance the learning experience and help the instructor be a better teacher. I don't care if its' Christian oriented textbooks or secular textbooks. This is an incredibly boneheaded decision, but par for the course for eBay.

Although this looks like it may be a press release designed to drum up business for the owners of Homeschool Magazine.

[pitohui]

4. it has everything to do w. cheating

in many cases teachers receive these editions free w. the caveat that they are not allowed to re-sell them

authors, editors, and publishers work and deserve a fair pay too

the people re-selling these books are breaking their agreement and cheating the producers of the book

[salvorhardin]

6. If the books are used

Then the authors, editors and publishers have already been paid. If the books are new, I presume they could not distribute them without an agreement with the publisher they bought them from.

[Book Lover]

15. I hate to say this, because I support the redistribute of these products, b...

Teacher's and Instructor's editions, at least in the college market where I work, are given away for free with the explicit stipulation that they not be resold. This is to reduce the impact of the used book market on the further sales of the books. IEs are never exchanged for money or promise of book sales from a publisher to an instructor.

Again, having said that, I support the redistribution (not reselling, just redistributing) of these books. If a teacher didn't have to pay for the book, why should they get any money for it? Let them freecycle.

[salvorhardin]

23. That may be true for teachers in public schools

But I don't believe the teachers' editions are given away to home schooling parents. Why would Amazon.com be selling them direct from the publisher if that was the case?

[gully]

7. It is not cheating any more than a teacher who uses this material.

Homeschoolers "teach." And, many are not "christian fundies." Further those who sell curriculum have NO issue selling to homeschoolers, and many now make homeschool editions. Pathetic ignorance on the part of ebay. Homeschoolers are a huge amount their business. There are SOME teachers who get free editions, and agree not to re-sell material and that material should not be sold on EBAY. However, this is a ban on all legit resales of items that those who provide curriculum had no problem selling to a homeschooler.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

9. I think the idea is...

that they don't want cheating students to get a hold of the answers off of ebay.

[gully]

10. Most of the work in these editions would be done in a class setting.

I doubt many 7 year olds would bring a 5 pound teachers edition to school to cheat? However, answers to most questions can be found via the internet at home anyhow? Also, kids could technically order from the curriculum providers themselves if they are determined to cheat. They don't verify teachers licenses and even encourge homescoolers to purchase materials from them.

Idiotic IMHO.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

18. Hmm.

I think they're more worried that the 15 year old student will use it to cheat on the homework at home and give the answers to their friends.

Also, homeschooling parents could technically figure out the answers to the problems they assign for their one or two or three children themselves.

IMHO.

[gully]

20. They should be more worried about 15 year old students and this

http://sporting-goods.search.ebay.com/gun_Vintage_W0QQcatrefZC12QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1QQsacatZ71131

It's not a matter of figuring out problems for themselves, it's a matter of presenting material in a manner that's effective.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

22. Sure.

And while somebody might have a valid reason to ask "if train A leaves from point A towards point B at fifty miles an hour, and if train B leaves from point B towards point A at thirty miles an hour fifeteen minutes later, and point A and B are two hundred miles apart, when do they meet?"

But if they ask me that anonymously on the internet, I'm not going to just give them an answer.

[gully]

25. Not sure what your point is.

I think ebay will change their policy in the near future regardless.

[Bluebear]

5. Couldn't an enterprising kid get the answer keys to which you refer?

I don't know if any of these textbooks are used in public or private schools, but a child could get all the homework answers for the price of a used book.

[salvorhardin]

8. Yes, which makes this decision all the more idiotic

Any kid who wants the answers bad enough is going to find them (or learn the material in the first place). This only punishes parents trying to homeschool their kids. I disagree with the Christian themed curricula but if parents are going to choose that for their kids you might as well make it as easy as possible for them to succeed.

[gully]

13. And, the majority of curriculum is "secular" anyhow.

eom

[salvorhardin]

16. Yeah, I know

The original point of disagreement was a scurrilous remark about Christian cheaters which is why I framed my arguments in this context.

[gully]

12. That same kid could get the answers from Hartcourt/Scott Foresman

or any other curriculum provider. And, said kid would need a paypal account or a visa. Sorry, I don't buy that argument personally bluebear. If the curriculum providers themselves verified a teachers license, it MIGHT make sense, but since they don't it's BS.

[ikojo]

2. The Teacher's Edition...the HOLY GRAIL

of school..what student did not want a peek into the TEACHER'S EDITION...it had ANSWERS!!

[The Jacobin]

24. Which is why I don't use questions out of the book.

But then I'm a history teacher, I can make up essay questions myself, thankyouverymuch.

[earth mom]

11. This is wrong! Ebay is really pushing the envelope now.

First and foremost, Ebay sells itself as a "venue". They do not "vet" the people or the items people sell on the site. To tell people they can not sell an item like this opens a whole new can of worms, no doubt about it! :grr:

[gully]

14. Indeed, it is a form of censorship. For those arguing that kids might

get the answers to a test check this out:

http://sporting-goods.search.ebay.com/gun_Sporting-Goods_W0QQsacatZ382

Sorry, but if EBAY has no issue selling firearm supplies and "build your own gun" kits over their website I take major issue with freaking out about homeschoolers.

Pathetic.

[Swamp Rat]

17. Too bad they are wasting their time complaining about eBay when they could

be supporting their local mom and pop bookstores.

As for eBay, that's their choice, though it may not be a good business decision.

[gully]

19. Kids can buy gun parts on ebay.

http://sporting-goods.search.ebay.com/gun_Vintage_W0QQcatrefZC12QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1QQsacatZ71131

But homeschoolers can't buy teachers editions? Scary.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

21. I Agree With Ebay On This One. Real Teachers Will Know Where To Get The

real teacher's editions from. It is good that ebay is making it a bit less accessible to kids to be able to cheat. I can definitely understand why they'd have this policy.

[Igel]

26. And the homeschoolers?

And before you say, They're not real teachers, remember that under Texas law homeschooling parents are teachers, and homeschooling parents + kids = private school.

We've saved a ton of money by buying used books for the kid. We'd like to continue the policy, even when it comes to homeschooling and buying textbooks.